Radhikka Madan has spoken about her approach to choosing film roles, saying she does not want to portray female characters who are treated as mere “furniture” in a story. The actor also discussed women’s desire on screen, relationships and the scrutiny women face when relationships break down.
Radhikka Madan is set to explore complicated emotions and relationships in Lust Stories 3, where she plays Sailee, a woman dealing with the emotional complexities of an estranged marriage.
In an interview with Mid-Day, Madan explained why the character appealed to her and discussed the broader issues surrounding the portrayal of women in contemporary cinema.
Why Radhikka Madan chose Lust Stories 3
Madan said that both Shakun Batra’s script and the opportunity to collaborate with the filmmaker were major reasons she wanted to join the anthology.
The actor had wanted to work with Batra for some time and found Sailee particularly interesting because of her imperfections.
Madan said she was drawn to the fact that both Sailee and Ali Fazal’s character are flawed rather than being presented as conventional, idealised characters.
For the actor, such imperfections make characters more relatable and provide performers with greater scope to explore complicated emotions.
Radhikka Madan on relationships and the idea of a perfect partner
While discussing relationships, Madan said that accepting one’s own imperfections is important when thinking about a partner.
She questioned the pressure to search for an ideal relationship or a perfect partner, saying, “It’s the idea of a perfect man that kills us.”
According to Madan, qualities such as empathy, respect, passion and kindness matter more to her when considering what makes a relationship meaningful.
She also praised her Lust Stories 3 co-star Ali Fazal, describing him as a talented actor as well as a kind and sweet person.
‘We judge women very quickly’
Madan also addressed the expectations placed on women when relationships encounter difficulties.
She argued that women are often held disproportionately responsible for the success or failure of a household.
“The idea of a woman in this country is, she is the one who makes or breaks the house. So, the boy has no part at all. We judge women very quickly,” she said.
Her comments highlight a wider social expectation in which women can be held responsible for maintaining relationships, while men’s role in the same relationship may receive less scrutiny.
Radhikka recalls her parents’ concerns about acting
Madan also reflected on the beginning of her acting career and her family’s initial concerns about the entertainment industry.
She recalled that her parents were worried because of the negative stories and gossip they had encountered in the media.
“My family was very scared. What they had read in the news, magazines, gossip, everything. So, my mother was really scared,” Madan recalled.
However, she said her father supported her decision to pursue acting and even accompanied her to Mumbai.
“He even waited outside the office when I was auditioning and supported me,” she said.
The actor’s recollection offers a glimpse into the personal support behind her decision to enter the film industry.
Radhikka Madan on portraying women’s desire
A significant part of Lust Stories 3 deals with intimacy and women’s desire, a subject Madan believes Hindi cinema has increasingly begun to portray with greater openness.
“Especially in this anthology, we have openly shown women’s desire. And just the lens with which everybody showed that was just beautiful,” she said.
Madan believes cinema has gradually moved away from portraying women’s sexuality primarily through objectification or sensationalism and towards treating female desire as a normal part of a character’s experience.
She also pointed to changes in the way female characters are written.
“The female characters are way more developed now. It’s not just for the male gaze. It’s well-sketched out these days,” she said.
At the same time, Madan acknowledged that some projects continue to give women underdeveloped roles.
‘I would not want to play parts where women are treated like furniture’
For Madan, the quality and agency of a female character are important considerations when deciding whether to take on a role.
The actor made her position clear by saying, “I would not want to play parts where women are treated like furniture.”
Her comments come as conversations around representation, female desire and the treatment of women in Indian cinema continue to evolve.
With Lust Stories 3, Madan is taking on another character whose emotional life and relationship struggles form a central part of the story.
