Despite being a talented actress from her theatre days, it was Apte’s projects with Netflix that made her a household name
September 7 marks the birthday of India’s versatile actor Radhika Apte, who has worked in Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, and English productions. However, despite working in films since 2005, she only became a household name from around 2018, thanks to her numerous projects with Netflix.
(Credit- Amazon Prime)
When Netflix India sought to expand its portfolio in India, particularly with original productions, it needed a face who knew how to portray bold characters without worrying too much about societal expectations. Radhika has always been an actor known for experimenting with roles, even before her success with Netflix. From ‘Shor In The City’ to ‘Stories by Rabindranath Tagore’ and ‘Parched’, she meticulously pulled off characters that mainstream actors do not dare to pick even in 2025, perfectly carving a niche for herself. Radhika Apte = bold and unconventional roles, the chosen one for Netflix.
(Credit- Zee News)
It all started with Apte grabbing minor but titular roles in Sacred Games and Lust Stories. The string was followed by Ghoul, where Radhika Apte led the horror series with several twists, leaving no stone unturned to make the audience realise how her character felt with the changing plot. All these were Netflix Originals, but since Ghoul, Apte has grabbed minor as well as major roles in films released on the OTT platform.
Movies such as Raat Akeli Hai (2020), Monica, O My Darling (2022), A Call to Spy (2019), The Wedding Guest (2018), Merry Christmas (2024), Pad Man (2017), Andhadhun (2018) and so on are some of the movies that can be watched on Netflix with Radhika Apte in them.
(Credit- The Wire)
Due to excessive collaboration with Netflix, Radhika once became a target of trolling, but instead of lashing out, she took it as a compliment. Speaking to the Press Trust of India, Radhika admitted, “I was very happy. I think it is a great compliment because it is such a great platform. Who would not like to be a part of the projects from Netflix. With Netflix, what happens is that they stress on the quality because it is a global platform. They will give you the freedom to choose topics, projects, and creative control, but they are very particular about the quality.”
(Amazon Prime)
Radhika Apte continues to impress the audience with her unconventional roles, as evident from her acting in the bold, quirky, and refreshingly different ‘Sister Midnight’, which made its debut at Cannes 2024 and was followed by a theatrical release in May 2025. The movie is now available on OTT, but instead of Netflix, Amazon Prime has purchased the rights.
As Radhika Apte turns 40, it will be interesting to see if she brings more interesting projects with Netflix or pivots towards some other OTT platforms. Whatever happens, we are through and through fans of the birthday girl and only wish for more quality content from her.
