“Rudra Doesn’t Play by the Rules. That’s What Makes Her Interesting”: Radhika Apte on Netflix’s Akka
The acclaimed actress plays an outsider who refuses to bow to Pernuru’s established order in Dharmaraj Shetty’s gangster saga, premiering October 30.
Pernuru has been ruled by its women for generations, and then Rudra walks in. She is stylish, dramatic and impossible to read, and she has no interest in the order everyone else has spent a lifetime protecting. In Rudra, Radhika Apte, the actress behind Phobia, Andhadhun, Sacred Games and Lust Stories, finds a character unlike any she has played before.
“Rudra was a character that I had never played before,” says Radhika. “On the surface, she is very dramatic and stylish, but internally, there is a lot of complexity to her. That was something I found interesting.”
It is a contrast that runs through the role. Rudra’s flair is the first thing anyone notices, but her ambition is what drives her. “Rudra is someone who refuses to be defined by the circumstances she finds herself in,” Radhika says. “She is fierce, has her own ambitions, and is willing to challenge the established order, which makes her a fascinating character to explore.”
Her challenge lands on Bhavani, played by Keerthy Suresh, and the trailer promises a confrontation between the two. But Radhika sees the conflict as bigger than a fight for the top spot. “What I enjoyed about Akka is that the conflict isn’t simply about who holds power; it’s also about the different beliefs, loyalties, and personal stakes that drive each character,” she adds. Rudra acts on her convictions rather than on any conventional idea of right and wrong, and that is what keeps her from being a simple antagonist.
Opposite Keerthy, Radhika brings a very different energy, and the clash between their characters sits at the centre of the series.
Akka is written and directed by Dharmaraj Shetty and produced by YRF Entertainment, with Aditya Chopra, Yogendra Mogre and Akshaye Widhani as executive producers. The ensemble cast includes Radhika Apte, Keerthy Suresh, Tanvi Azmi, Mahesh Manjrekar, Anshuman Pushkar and Monica Panwar, among others. Dialogues are by Hussain Dalal and Abbas Dalal, music by John Stewart Eduri, editing by Sankyukta Kaza and Saheeb Bagchi, production design by Laxmi Keluskar, costumes by Sheetal Iqbal Sharma and action choreography by Sunil Rodrigues.
