'Really Shocking': Radhika Apte Says Shah Rukh Khan's Old Films Romanticised Stalking, Calls Out Bollywood’s Sexualisation Of Women

Actress Radhika Apte recently talked about the way women and romance were portrayed in older Hindi films, reflecting on how such depictions shaped her understanding of relationships while growing up. She shared that she revisited some of the films she once enjoyed and said certain scenes now make her uncomfortable.

Radhika Apte 'Taken Aback' By Old Shah Rukh Khan Films

Recalling the popular romance tropes of the time, Radhika said, “Being tied and our pallu being taken off were the dreams we used to get as teenagers. How scary is that.” She told News 18 that she remains a Shah Rukh Khan fan but was surprised when she revisited some of his older films.

"No offence… I’m a huge Shah Rukh fan, but when I revisited some of the old films I used to like, I was really taken aback,” she said. According to Radhika, these films often presented chasing a woman as romance, even when she had said no. “When a woman says no, it’s never taken as no. Chasing a woman was romance. That’s what we wanted at that time, and it was really shocking," she said.

Radhika Apte On Bollywood’s Portrayal of Women

Further, filmmaker Shakun Batra cited films such as Mera Naam Joker and Ram Teri Ganga Maili, noting that depictions of desire were often presented through a male perspective.

Radhika agreed, arguing that women were frequently sexualised while simultaneously being expected to conform to restrictive ideas of morality and goodness. She added that, even back then, the gaze was always male and women were sexualised, while in the same place, that very element was being put down and mocked.

"That’s the problem, the sexualisation of women, and then saying, ‘Don’t sexualise them,’ while calling them devi and placing them on a pedestal of.