Radhika Apte’s role in ‘Baazaar’ revealed

Having played more of the humble characters in recent times, Radhika Apte is about to step into some very different and interesting shoes. News has it that filmmaker Nikkhil Advani has signed the actress to play a sensual financial analyst in his upcoming venture titled ‘Baazaar’.

Talking to the media about casting Apte in this role, Mumbai Mirror reports Advani explaining, “It is an unfair slotting when it comes to Radhika. Just because she looks sultry, they cast her as a village girl. I find that quite bizarre. She’s a talented actress who brings a lot to a part. That’s the whole point of casting her as the ball-breaker, ambitious Priya who has no qualms using her sexuality to climb the corporate ladder. For me, it was essential to cast her. We needed someone intelligent enough to understand the nuances of the role.”

Also starring Saif Ali Khan, Advani will also be launching the late Vinod Mehra’s son, Rohan Mehra to play opposite the actress. Talking about the fresh face, Advani went on to say, “I did not want to portray Rohan as the chocolate boy star son in his launch vehicle. We needed a strong actor opposite Rohan who would help him be his character Rizwan Ahmed. He plays a starryeyed boy who comes to the tough city of Mumbai. Radhika is older than him so it makes their relationship interesting.”

When Apte was spoken to, she seemed extremely excited about the venture. Talking about her role, she expressed, “I liked that the film is about the stock market. It is an interesting concept. I play a Mumbai girl who’s strong and ambitious. I have never had this kind of a look in any of my previous films, and I love it. It’s very me in many ways.”

Apte will next be seen on the big screen in R Balki’s ‘Padman’. The film also stars Akshay Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan and Sonam Kapoor.