Radhikka Madan reveals she ‘begged’ for an audition for Shakun Batra's Lust Stories 3 opposite Ali Fazal

Radhikka Madan opens up on being open to asking for auditions even after all these years, sharing why she will never shy away from standing in lines

Radhikka Madan had a good start to this year with Subedaar, which garnered her a lot of praise including a public appreciation from filmmaker Hansal Mehta. Now the actor is gearing up for the release of Lust Stories 3 where she is a part pf the segment directed by Shakun Batra with actor Ali Fazal starring opposite her

Interestingly, Radhikka Madan reveals that the role wasn’t just offered to her. “I have been a huge fan of Shakun Batra’s work and when I got to know about the film, I begged for an audition for Lust Stories 3 and by God’s grace, I got it,” she informs.

While she has credible performances to her name, the actor admits she still can’t take it easy. “I can’t afford to give an average performance. There are a lot of people who are there in line for any role. So if I give an average performance, I don’t have anybody who will be like ‘it’s okay, do this or do that, we’ll give you something else’. Every work is a do or die situation for me. If I need to survive, I need to kill it otherwise I can’t,” she says.

The actor adds, “I have stood in lines, done my grind. Even now, while I do get projects that I get to choose from, if there is some other project which people are not thinking of me for, I beg for an audition and I’m very comfortable with it. I don’t have that ego. I have a problem when I don’t get the opportunity to audition, when I’m crossed off just on the basis of my last name. If I am rejected after an audition, I can still sleep peacefully as I know I gave my 100%. Agar mujhe fir se line mein lagna pade, I have no shame in it. I believe I’m an actor and I’ll do whatever it takes.”

Radhikka feels fortunate to have got the opportunity to play substantial roles in her career where women aren’t just seen superficially, and she credits pioneers before her for making it possible for her to be in this situation. “I came at a very interesting time where female characters were more developed and people were putting in money on female characters or female led films. I do consider myself lucky and I do want to credit the women who paved that path for us, be it Kangana Ranaut, Vidya Balan, Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt, Tabu ma’am and others. I just want to take that legacy forward as that is all I can do,” she says.