Story by PTI | Posted by Vidushi Gaur | Date 28-10-2026
Actor Radhika Apte
Actor Radhika Apte says veteran star Zeenat Aman’s on-screen persona served as a reference for the styling of her character in the upcoming series “Akka”.
The period crime thriller series, set in a fictional world in the South of India, is ruled by Bhavani, played by Keerthy Suresh. Apte plays her nemesis Rudra, a ruthless rebel who is eyeing Bhavani’s land and legacy.
“When I was doing costume and hair, I was looking at Zeenat Aman because of her hair, her fringe and all that. It is a character reference; it was just costume and hair,” Apte told PTI in an interview.
“The clothing references that they had, and the wig I’m wearing and all that, it sort of leaned into that time (referring to the 70s period). And she’s (her character) also from Bombay, so just some of the references were like some of her roles on-screen,” she said.
The actor said she was instantly drawn to the matriarchal world of “Akka”, which explores themes of power, legacy, loyalty, family and revenge. The show is written and directed by Dharmaraj Shetty.
“For me, it is a whole fictitious world. But he (Shetty) has worked really hard to make it very detailed. So, on paper this was even a longer show, it was not five episodes. Like, he has gone into doing research and figuring out things. So, it feels quite real but it is not,” she said.
“It was a very stylised version of everything. I was quite fascinated by that. Also, just because it is about women, he has not compromised on the fact that it is a gangster story. It is about gangsters who have power and it is about their legacy, and what they do to protect their legacy and what that means,” the actor added.
Apte said portraying a morally complex character is more “interesting” than playing a nice person.
“It’s far more interesting than playing a very nice person. The fun part about this show is that Bhavani (Suresh) is a protagonist and she’s going to do whatever it takes to protect her legacy. So, that doesn’t make her goody-goody at all. And, Rudra is also somebody who has her own mission,” she said.
Speaking about the varied work she has done on OTT, Apte, who was among the first actors from the industry to embrace the medium, said it has undergone massive shifts since the pandemic.
Some of her popular work on streaming platforms includes films such as “Lust Stories 3”, “Saali Mohabbat”, “Mrs Undercover”, “Monica, O My Darling”, and OTT shows like “Sacred Games”, “Ghoul”, among others.
“When it (OTT) came in the beginning, it was a brand new idea and people were afraid as they always are to venture into that. But the content was more brave, it was really meaty content. Then COVID happened and everything shifted to OTT.
“I feel there was a big phase where that became the mainstream. So, all this other content that made OTT quite unique, sort of got left behind. Now, it’s sort of settling and trying to find its own place. But it’s also becoming television now; television is being replaced by OTT…”
Produced by YRF Entertainment, “Akka” will premiere on Netflix on October 30.
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