‘Sister Midnight’ Marks Radhika Apte’s Fierce Departure From Bollywood Norms
Mumbai / New York – Indian actor Radhika Apte, known for her bold, offbeat performances and roles in genre-defying narratives, is back in the international spotlight with her latest film, Sister Midnight. Directed by British-Indian filmmaker Karan Kandhari, the film marks a significant departure from traditional Bollywood tropes, offering a darkly comedic, surreal take on domestic disillusionment in Mumbai.
“Sister Midnight” opened in New York this week and will expand to Los Angeles and other U.S. cities soon. In the film, Apte plays Uma, a newlywed trapped in a stifling arranged marriage with a husband (played by Ashok Pathak) who stumbles home drunk every night. Bored, bitter, and surrounded by a city that doesn’t sleep, Uma begins to unravel in ways that are bizarre, hilarious, and unexpectedly poignant.
What starts as a satire on marriage quickly morphs into something stranger. Without spoiling its surreal twist, Sister Midnight blends slapstick with stop-motion, shadowy dreamscapes, and an unhinged rhythm that underscores Apte’s deadpan brilliance. It’s a cinematic playground — and Apte is in complete control.
From Bollywood Darling to Genre Trailblazer
Radhika Apte, who rose to fame through her collaborations with Netflix (Sacred Games, Lust Stories) and earned acclaim for her performance in Andhadhun, sees Sister Midnight as a natural evolution in her artistic journey.
“Growing up, I wanted to be a Bollywood heroine — dancing in a silk saree on a mountain,” Radhika Apte says in a recent Zoom interview from London. “But as I matured, I realized many of the films I loved were extremely patriarchal.”
This realization has influenced her shift away from mainstream Hindi cinema toward more experimental and international work. Even in major Bollywood productions like Merry Christmas, where she had a supporting role, Apte chose to inject her characters with nuance beyond the written script.
“I don’t know people who are goody-goody like that,” she says. “A conventional part is very boring. So even if the role is small, I ask: what can we add to make it alive?”
A New Era Behind the Camera
Now based in the UK and selective about her projects, Radhika Apte is increasingly focused on developing her own stories. She is currently in pre-production for Koyta, an ambitious Hindi-Marathi bilingual action film centered on a sugarcane cutter with supernatural abilities. Radhika Apte plans to direct the film herself.
“Acting gave me a lot of freedom, but now I want to tell the stories I’ve always wanted to see on screen,” she adds.
Her cinematic influences stretch far beyond Bollywood. Radhika Apte credits Miloš Forman’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest — which she watched at the National Film Archive of India in Pune as a teenager — as the film that changed how she viewed storytelling.
“I had to leave the theatre. I couldn’t breathe. It hit me like nothing else had,” she recalls. “Bollywood films make you happy, but that film made me feel something deeper — something permanent.”