Radhika Apte

Radhika Apte born on 7 September 1985 in Vellore, Tamil Nadu into a Marathi family. Her parents were studying and working as doctors at the Christian Medical College & Hospital, Vellore when she was born. Her father Dr. Charudutt Apte subsequently became a neurosurgeon and chairman of Sahyadri Hospital, Pune. She is an Economics and Mathematics graduate from Fergusson College, Pune. In Pune, she initially studied in a regular school, and then was homeschooled along with four friends by their parents living in the same building, who did not want their children to go through the regular schooling system. Apte found this experience liberating, as it boosted her self-confidence. While growing up in Pune, Apte trained under Kathak exponent, Rohini Bhate, for eight years. It was during this time that Apte became involved in theater in Pune, and decided to go to Mumbai to join films. However, a few months later, Apte got discouraged by her experience in Mumbai and returned to her family in Pune. Apte recounted these times in an interview with Scoop Whoop in 2018, as a learning yet demoralizing experience, wherein she managed with a salary of ₹8,000 to ₹10,000 from theater roles and having to put up with odd house owners and roommates in Goregaon, where she lived as a paying guest. During this time, Apte acted in her first film, a Marathi film called "Gho mala asala hawa" (2009). After this she acted in Rakta Charitra, Rakta Charitra 2, and "I am". On returning to Pune, Apte made an overnight decision of going to London for a year, where she studied contemporary dance at London's Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance for a year. Apte said her experience in London was life-changing, as she was exposed to a completely different and liberating way of working professionally. There she met her future husband Benedict, who subsequently moved to Pune with her, travelling regularly to Mumbai for his work while Apte still did not want to return to Mumbai because of her earlier experience. After a year, she finally agreed to move to Mumbai, and her second experience in Mumbai was far more positive, as she no longer felt alone.