03 November,2026 05:09 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Radhika Apte. Pic via Instagram
Actor Radhika Apte recently opened up about her most challenging role to date, revealing how a Telugu film remains on top of the list. Explaining why she found it challenging, the actress said that she hated everything about the film, especially since it required her character to marry her uncle, played by a much older co-star. While she did not name the film, netizens speculate she was talking about her film Legend with Nandamuri Balakrishna.
Radhika was recently promoting her latest release Akka with co-star Keerthy Suresh on Zoom, during which she was asked about the most challenging role of her career. To this, she replied, "There was a Telugu film I did where I had to marry my mama (maternal uncle). That was the most challenging role. Everything about it, I hated."
Keerthy looked surprised at first before laughing. She then explained, "It's a very Tamil, Telugu thing where you marry your uncle."
However, Radhika interjected and added, "Yeah, but also, like, I had to romance a much older actor. It's a very patriarchal situation and place. For me, that was the toughest thing. And then I die in the middle of it. He had to throw me (gestures over his shoulder) and then do action. I was like, when am I going to die?"
While Radhika did not name the film, her description and the scene she spoke about reveal she was referring to Boyapati Srinu's 2014 film Legend. Notably, Balakrishna was 54, and Radhika was 29 when Legend was released.
After her interview surfaced on the internet, Balakrishna fans have been slamming the actress on social media. One of the X users shared an old interview of the actress wherein she can be seen saying that she is very grateful to be a part of Legend.
Sharing the clip, the user wrote, "'I am absolutely grateful to be a part of this film. radhika_apte about Legend (2014), the first ever Blockbuster in her career. Whenever people change colours, History will be right around the corner to slap it in their faces..."
Another netizen tweeted, "The film in question is Legend (2014), starring Nandamuri Balakrishna. But if she had a problem with the storyline or romancing an older actor, wouldn't she have known about the script and the hero before signing the film? (sic)."
