Actress Radhika Apte gets candid about luxury, beauty and her guilty pleasures

Pratishtha Rana

She has always chosen unconventional over conventional and perfectly portrayed her strengths and vulnerabilities on screen. One of Amitabh Bachchan’s favourites, actress Radhika Apte is a trained Kathak dancer and was actively involved in theatre as well. Now, she is known for her blockbuster performances in productions such as Ghoul, Sacred Games, Badlapur and Andhadhun.

Apte also walked the red carpet at the International Emmy Awards 2019 where she was nominated under the Best Actress category for Netflix’s anthology film Lust Stories. Undeniably, the actress is also very active on the fashion front.

We caught up with Apte at the launch of IS.U’s exclusive clothing line in Mumbai and spoke about fashion, travel and her indulgences.

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My style is very simple and I reuse clothes all the time. I am also very particular about fitting; I need my outfits to be very comfortable.

My favourite red carpet look was at the 2019 International Emmy Awards. I wore an Iris van Herpen piece.

I mostly shop in the UK and India. IS.U is my go-to designer brand.

I cannot do without my moisturiser, lip balm, phone charger, keys and money; these are the most essential things in my handbag.

I don’t have a travel bucket list as there are too many things to be seen. But I’m looking forward to going scuba diving. The last thing I bought was a diving kit.

Anything sweet is my absolute guilty pleasure.

A book I have recently read is Girl, Woman, Other, a novel by Bernardine Evaristo.

I’m passionate about my work, people around me, travelling and food.

I consider my long-term friendships as the most prized possession.

Luxury to me is to not to have to worry about food, the house and the world I live in.

People always make fun of me because I don’t know many fine-dine places in Mumbai as I don’t socialise much. But I love Japanese and end up at Kofuku for it. And, the sevpuri corner next to my house is another place which I often go to.

I am a propagator and user of conscious, sustainable luxury. I have my first pair of jeans from my college days, and I still wear them, however, old and faded they might have gotten now.

If asked what I’d be if not an actor, I wouldn’t know. I’d probably do something for the environment and nature.

I’m working on a cool series next, which I, unfortunately, cannot talk about yet. But we are going to announce it soon!

The highlight of IS.U’s latest collection is that it has clothes that are perfect for the Indian body type. It is an inclusive brand and is very particular about the fit; it’ll fit you like a glove. I love the prints on the dresses too!

IS.U’s slit dresses are great for a glam cocktail party look.

When collaborating with high-end brands, I make sure that my basic idea is in tune with their values. With IS.U, my idea of comfortable fit and fun prints instantly matched.

Read: Bollywood diva Kriti Sanon talks about her most trusted fashion staples