Radhika Apte’s ‘Phobia’ will break stereotype of Indian horror films

Mumbai: Actress Radhika Apte, who chooses her films based on characters and not genres, says her forthcoming movie ‘Phobia’ will be a "game-changer" as far as thriller and horror content is concerned in India.

‘Phobia’, a psychological thriller directed by Pawan Kripalani, will feature Radhika as an artist who fights a phobia of stepping outside her house.

"'Phobia' is not at all like the so-called image of thriller and horror films that we have in our country. It's a film that I personally will enjoy watching as well.

"If people go to watch this one, then it might have the potential to break that stereotypical image of Indian horror," Radhika told IANS.

In a decade-old career in the Indian entertainment industry, Radhika has balanced her work between commercial and off-beat cinema. The 30-year-old has previously appeared in films like ‘Badlapur’, ‘Manjhi - The Mountain Man’ and ‘Ahalya’ (short film).

Radhika says she has never signed a film by looking at its genre and has always been concerned about the characters offered to her.

"'Phobia' is the first Bollywood film where I'm playing the solo lead. I don't know what result we will get at the box office. But I have never selected a film by looking at its genre. I pick a film only when I like the character that I'll be playing. It needs to be a challenging character for me to portray," she said.

"Even after 'Phobia', if I get another thriller or a horror project, I'll do it only if I like the character. I don't care whether I repeat a genre or not. I've never accepted films that way," added the critically acclaimed actress.

In the film, which releases on Friday, Radhika essays Mehek, who is an artist and lives alone.

Talking about the character, she said: "She is a very open-minded person. One day an incident takes place with her after which a phobia develops in her mind and her personality changes. The film tells her struggle with her phobia."

Asked about similarities between her and the character, Radhika said: "As an actor, you don't really need to relate with every character that you play onscreen. We can relate to everybody only on emotional terms as our emotions are the same.

"I don't have a phobia in my life and haven't gone through what the character in the film has gone through."