“The Truth Is, I Am Not a Very Social Person": Radhika Apte

In a candid chat with Cosmo Editor Nandini Bhalla, Radhika tells us about her culinary (and reveals a recipe for the “easiest cake in the world”!), why she is not a fan of video calls and what she’s binge-watching at the moment.

25 July, 2020
“The Truth Is, I Am Not a Very Social Person": Radhika Apte

“The truth is, I am not a very social person,” states Radhika Apte. “I can’t constantly socialise; I just can’t tolerate that. I need my personal time. But I love spending time with the people I am close to. Like, when the lockdown began, everyone was video chatting, but I didn’t do any of that because why would I want to chat with someone who isn’t really a friend? And I realised that the people who actually matter to me, like my close friends, I am in touch with them regularly...whether there’s a lockdown or not. And I am not a fan of video calls, I find that even more depressing.”

Radhika’s day is spent around the house—with a daily routine in place. “I wake up at 8:30am and have coffee and ginger biscuits in bed. This takes up an entire hour...that’s my morning ritual,” she laughs. “Then I make breakfast—a nice lavish spread—and start work by 10:30am. By work, I mean I’ll write something or do some research, but also household chores like fixing something...last week, I changed the bathroom floor. I take a lunch break in the middle and then exercise...I’ll go for a run, cycle, or do some yoga at home. Finally, around 6:30pm, I start cooking dinner.”

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Most nights, Radhika will take in a good show. She recently finished watching all the seasons of the Canadian television sitcom, Schitt’s Creek. And these days, she’s on Normal People, a series based on Sally Rooney’s novel. “And tonight, we will be watching Portrait Of A Lady On Fire,” Radhika reveals. 

She is also learning a new language, but would prefer to keep the details a secret for now [“I don’t want to tell you which one”, she laughs.] 

Radhika is, by her own admission, “a really good cook!”. And her repertoire is impressive. “I’m a fairly good baker, but I also grill well,” she lets me know. “I mean, cooking is not that difficult if you follow the recipes, really. Like, last night, I made a classic coq au vin. Today, I’m making grilled sea bream with tarragon. I have the luxury of time at the moment, so it’s fun.”

I ask if she could share her favourite cake recipe, and Radhika obliges. “I love a good lemon drizzle cake—and it is the easiest thing to make. All you need is 100gm each of flour, butter and sugar, and a pinch of baking soda. Then, in a bowl, put two eggs, 50ml milk, juice of one lemon, lemon zest and vanilla essence, and mix it together. Pour the mixture in a baking tray and put it in the oven. When it is done and still hot, take it out of the oven and pour the juice of one lemon over it, so the cake soaks it up. Normally, you melt the sugar in the lemon juice and then drizzle it on top, but I like it less sugary and more lemon-y. That’s it, really, it’s the world’s easiest lemon drizzle cake!”

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It’s interesting that we are discussing cake recipes right now—in February, just a few months ago, we had interviewed Radhika for a Cosmo feature, and I remember noticing how full her work-plate was—feature films, a sci-fi show, a directorial debut, and an ‘inclusive’ collection with fashion label, IS.U. “To be honest, I’m very happy with this break. I haven’t had a break for a long time...I don’t think anybody has had a break like this, you know? It gives me time to think and put into perspective what I really want to do. Having said that, we really don’t know when we will be able to get back to work again, you know? There is a film I had said yes to, and Shantaram too has been pushed to next year. There are a couple of other projects, which I really hope materialise, but I am just enjoying my time right now.” 

And it is the present, the ‘right now’, that Radhika would like to stay in. I ask her if she has any hopes for the future, and she shakes her head. “I really don’t know how to answer that... This is the first time I am living in the present, because none of us know what is going to happen. And I am really enjoying that. I am not looking at the future...for now,” she concludes.

Realisation and Creative Direction: Zunaili Malik; Photographs: Keir Laird

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