logo
Radhika Madan says she fought for her role in Angrezi Medium, shot with ‘nakli Irrfan Khan': ‘It was the year of star kids, Homi Adajania was irritated'

Radhika Madan says she fought for her role in Angrezi Medium, shot with ‘nakli Irrfan Khan': ‘It was the year of star kids, Homi Adajania was irritated'

Indian Express21 hours ago
Angrezi Medium marked the final on-screen appearance of the legendary actor Irrfan Khan. For actress Radhika Madan, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to share the screen with him—one she didn't stumble upon by chance, but rather, fought for it. In her latest vlog, filmmaker Farah Khan paid a visit to Radhika's home, where the two bonded over a Delhi-style breakfast of aloo puri and buttermilk. Between laughs and ladles, Farah asked Radhika how she landed a role in Angrezi Medium and the answer left her surprised.
'I had signed my first film and had three months before it began,' Radhika recalled. 'I didn't know how to kill time, so I started giving auditions just for fun, thinking, 'Who's going to cast me anyway?'' When it came to Angrezi Medium, she revealed, 'They had already locked someone else. But I went, fought, and irritated them, saying, 'Please take my audition!''
Initially hesitant, director Homi Adajania was told by his team that Radhika didn't fit the role. 'They told me, 'Ma'am, we're looking for a 17-year-old.' But I insisted. I was adamant. It irritated Homi and he finally said, 'Fine, take her audition.'' Radhika shared this was the year of star kids and she didn't think she will land the role.
ALSO READ | Ronth: Bleak Malayalam gem burns Bollywood at the stake with its harrowing and haunting final 20 minutes
At this, Farah jokingly asked, 'So was there a star kid cast before you?' To which Radhika replied with a shrug, 'I don't know.' Farah laughed and quipped, 'People keep saying star kids don't let outsiders work… but actually, Radhika is the real culprit. She stole a star kid's role.'
Radhika burst into laughter and said, 'Honestly, I just wanted to show off to my friends that I auditioned for the film.' She went through six rounds of auditions, including one with a 'nakli' Irrfan Khan. Farah interrupted with a mischievous grin, 'Are you sure that wasn't Babil?', prompting even more laughter from Radhika.
But getting the part wasn't the end of her efforts. 'They asked me to lose 12 kilos, and I did,' she said. 'Most people don't know that I had gained weight earlier for Pataakha and other roles. This is my real weight.'
Radhika also opened up about how she accidentally entered the world of acting. 'I was approached through Facebook to audition in Delhi. It was at a shady location, and I thought it was a scam. I even took my friends along, ready to beat someone up. But it turned out to be legit. Three days later, I got a call. I did a look test, and on the fifth day, I was shooting my first TV show.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Is Farah Khan against 8-hour shifts? Director reacts to ongoing buzz
Is Farah Khan against 8-hour shifts? Director reacts to ongoing buzz

India Today

time35 minutes ago

  • India Today

Is Farah Khan against 8-hour shifts? Director reacts to ongoing buzz

Filmmaker and choreographer Farah Khan recently hinted that she doesn't back the idea of an eight-hour workday in the film industry. This comes in the wake of reports of Deepika Padukone's exit from Sandeep Reddy Vanga's 'Spirit' due to her request for a limited work incident has triggered a larger conversation about work-life balance in Bollywood. While many celebrities have backed Padukone's ideology, Farah's comment suggests she holds a different a recent YouTube vlog, Farah visited actor Radhikka Madan's house, who recalled her early days in the industry and her first audition for the television show 'Meri Aashiqui Tumse Hi'. 'The moment the camera was switched on, I felt very safe. I never felt that safe in my life. I wanted to be a professional dancer. The way I used to feel on the stage, you can't see anyone else, I felt the same in front of the camera. I thought of course mujhe nahi lene (they won't take me) but within three days I got a call for a look test and within 2 days, I was shooting for my first show,' she said. Farah then asked, 'You didn't have an 8-hour shift, I am guessing?' To this, Radhikka responded, '56 hours non-stop or 48 hours non-stop.' Farah replied with a telling remark: 'Aise tapke hi toh sona banta hai' (this is how gold is made), hinting that she does not support shorter shifts in the film Farah Khan launched Deepika Padukone in 'Om Shanti Om' and the two have shared a long professional relationship.- EndsTrending Reel

Owning art is only a click away: Women-led Delhi Art Community auctions paintings on WhatsApp
Owning art is only a click away: Women-led Delhi Art Community auctions paintings on WhatsApp

Hindustan Times

time42 minutes ago

  • Hindustan Times

Owning art is only a click away: Women-led Delhi Art Community auctions paintings on WhatsApp

Amrita Nalwa is excited about buying an artwork for the first time. A school principal in Amritsar, Punjab, Nalwa, didn't need to go to an art gallery. Instead, she bought it on WhatsApp. Women-led Delhi Art Community conducts auction of art on WhatsApp in a new initiative to transform the Indian art market (Photo: Delhi Art Community) "I have always wanted to own art to be put on the wall of my home and passed on to my children when they grow up," says Nalwa, who bought a work of Uttar Pradesh-born contemporary artist Nawal Kishore two months ago. The untitled 8" X 8" 2D installation, acrylic on fibreglass with a 12" X 12" frame, shows two faces, representing yin and yang. "I liked the small art installation. My house is vintage and an ideal place for an artwork," beams Nalwa, who has never bought art before. "I paid about 30,000 rupees for the work. And it was bought on WhatsApp," she adds. "I received a certificate of authenticity with the work." Silent auction benefits first-time buyers of art and little-known artists from remote corners of the country (Photo: Delhi Art Community) Nalwa found Kishore's artwork on WhatsApp, specifically, on a new platform for art buyers founded by three female entrepreneurs from Delhi. Launched last year, the Delhi Art Community (DAC) offers art lovers the opportunity to own works of art from "artists of India", as the founders describe their clientele presented online. Art under virtual hammer Every Tuesday, DAC creates lots, some 25-30 artworks by five to ten artists from across the country, and makes it available to six WhatsApp groups of art lovers, who are then able to participate in its Art Auction on WhatsApp the next day. Each group has 1,000 members, who are able to access the details of the artworks on a PDF file, which has a short synopsis, material, size and minimum bidding price of each work. The bidding takes place on Fridays between 12 pm and 1 pm. Nalwa is among 700 art lovers, most of them first-time buyers, who have bought art from DAC's auction on WhatsApp since it was first introduced in June last year. "We had the 47th lot this week," says Anika Kalra Kalha, who co-founded DAC with her friends Disha Batra and Priyanka Agarwal, all Delhi-based entrepreneurs. Uttar Pradesh-born artist Nawal Kishore's art installation was sold by DAC in May this year to a first-time buyer in Amritsar, Punjab (Photo: Delhi Art Community) "Our aim is to create a community of art buyers and art lovers and bring them to a platform together with 'artists of India'," says Kalha. "At the centre of our community are the artists," she adds. "There is a human touch behind every art. That is why the artist is at the centre." "We want everybody to be an art collector," says Batra, a former senior marketing executive. "A WhatsApp message is sent out every Tuesday, in the form of a PDF, about what is going on auction. The artworks on the lot are selected carefully by our team," she adds. "We are in the process of creating a seventh WhatsApp group." Meeting of art and technology The DAC virtual platform is already pushing ahead of art galleries in scale though not in terms of sale. "Each physical gallery can hold 30-40 artists, but about 15,000 artists have shared their works with our platform from the remotest places of the country so far," says Agarwal, a former journalist. "It is all about technology. Most people open their WhatsApp at least 20 times a day," says Batra. "You can sit at home and become an art collector," she adds. "We are creating new collectors, who are young mothers and working people." "A lot of people are scared of visiting galleries for buying art for fear of not sounding educated about art. There is no fear in sending a WhatsApp message and receiving synopsis and resume of the artist. Any questions can be asked about artists," says Kalha. The DAC, which has its origins in the thinking of its founders to bring artists and art lovers together through technology, has 85,000 followers on social media, including on the Instagram accounts of the three founders. DAC's Art Auction on WhatsApp every Friday has 6,000 members in six WhatsApp groups (Photo: Delhi Art Community) "We showcase artworks to our 6,000 clients on social media. The bidding on WhatsApp always starts below the estimated gallery price for an artwork to create competition among buyers and to help them buy an artwork at unheard of prices," says Kalha. Will the dependence on technology keep the non-digital population away from the art world? "If we can reach many more people, we feel we can bridge the gap between artists and art lovers," explains Kalha. "The mindset of art for the elite has to change. Art is for everybody." Art for the masses "We receive 600 messages from new artists every week who want to be part of the platform," says Agarwal. "The bidding on WhatsApp is a silent process. The minimum bid can be as low as 10,000 rupees," she adds. "We are trying to change the art scene in the country. The art should be accessible and for the masses." The DAC's philosophy of art for the masses include raising the profile of little-known artists, art auction, immersive experience with artists through physical workshops and the creation of a separate Kids Arts Community through workshops for children with artists. "I came to know about DAC through Instagram last year," says Rajendra Kumar Urveti, a Gond artist based in Amarkantak, a pilgrim town in Madhya Pradesh. "It was a time when there was a slump in the sale of works of tribal artists. Since then I have been able to sell small and big Gond paintings on the DAC platform. The prices are good," adds Urveti. Visual artist Seema Kohli (sitting) with Delhi Art Community founders Isha Batra (extreme left), Anika Kalra Kalha (second from right) and Priyanka Agarwal (extreme right) (Photo: Delhi Art Community) "All information about the painting is first sent to DAC, including a video on the artwork. The original work is couriered to DAC once it is sold in the auction," says Urveti, whose works reflect tribal traditions of respect for nature and life. The artists who have participated in DAC's immersive experiences include Delhi-based contemporary artist G R Iranna, a participating artist at the 2016 edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, visual artist Seema Kohli and Telangana-born artist Laxman Aelay.

Radhika Madan recalls working '56 hours non-stop' in TV industry, says she did 7 films simultaneously to buy house in Mumbai
Radhika Madan recalls working '56 hours non-stop' in TV industry, says she did 7 films simultaneously to buy house in Mumbai

Indian Express

timean hour ago

  • Indian Express

Radhika Madan recalls working '56 hours non-stop' in TV industry, says she did 7 films simultaneously to buy house in Mumbai

In the newly released episode of Farah Khan's cooking show, she and her chef, Dilip, visited the stunning home of actor Radhika Madan. The beautifully designed, spacious residence immediately caught viewers' attention, and even left Farah Khan in awe. As she stepped into the house, Farah jokingly asked Radhika how she could afford such a luxurious place. 'Radhika, I have never seen such a big house in Mumbai. How much money are you making? Look at this place, it's stunning!' she exclaimed. Radhika responded that building the house took nearly four years. Coming from Delhi, she said she always dreamed of a big, airy space. 'I moved in four years ago, and back then, nothing was ready,' she shared. 'That year, I shot seven films, the earnings from those projects helped me repay the loan. At the same time, I was working on the interior decor bit by bit. Whatever I earned, I put into the house.' Also Read | Radhika Madan says she fought for her role in Angrezi Medium, shot with 'nakli Irrfan Khan': 'It was the year of star kids, Homi Adajania was irritated' Her candid revelation reflects a reality many Bollywood actors emphasise, that owning a home in Mumbai is no easy feat. Radhika's story of juggling multiple projects to fund her dream home is a testament to the unending hustle behind the glitz and glamour. She emerged from the television industry, where she said she would often work '56 hours non-stop or 48 hours non-stop.' Her comments come at a time when conversations around workload and labour conditions in the film industry are gaining momentum. Just recently, Deepika Padukone reportedly exited Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Spirit over scheduling issues, after her request for an eight-hour workday wasn't accommodated. Several celebrities, including Saif Ali Khan, Ajay Devgn, Kajol, Neha Dhupia, Vikrant Massey, Pankaj Tripathi, and Mani Ratnam, have spoken in support of Deepika's demand for regulated work shifts. Recently, television actor Shweta Tiwari also spoke about working non-stop for several hours at a stretch. She said on Bharti Singh's podcast, 'Our industry was known for the fact that no one ever used to sleep or take rest. I used to shoot for 72 hours straight, without a break. After working a 30-day schedule, I used to get payment for 45 days, and that is because my first shift used to be from 7 in the morning to 7 in the evening, and the second shift was from 7 in the evening to 2 am in the morning.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store