Actor Radhika Apte, who can currently be seen in Netflix's Akka alongside Keerthy Suresh, is facing flak for saying he "hated" doing Legend (2014). Although the actor did not mention the film in the interview, netizens put 'one' and 'one' together with the clues she mentioned and are criticising her statement online.
During a conversation with fans hosted by Zoom, Radhika was asked about her toughest film. She said, "There was a Telugu film I did where I had to marry my mama (uncle). That was the most challenging film; everything about it I hated. I also romanced a much older actor in the film. It was a very patriarchal situation and place. For me, that was the toughest thing. I had to die in the middle of the film, and he would throw me over his shoulder and do action."
While she didn't mention Legend, fans decoded it as she mentioned that she marries her uncle and romances a much older actor, deriving it to be Nandamuri Balakrishna. Interestingly, after Legend, she reunited with Balayya for Lion, the very next year. Users online noted the reunion in particular and questioned why she shared her regret doing the film more than a decade later.
An X user stated that had she had an issue with the storyline or with romancing an older actor, she should have been aware of the script and the hero before signing the film. The user added that she had agreed to do the movie at the time but was raising the concerns years later while calling out patriarchy in the industry.
Another X user remarked that while they never imagined defending Balayya, they found it unnecessary to create a huge controversy over incidents from a decade ago, especially since she had opted to work with him again. The user further stated that her current roles were arguably more regressive and noted that the very industry she was criticising had given her a strong debut with Dhoni in 2012, for which she was reportedly nominated for Best Supporting Actress.
Some fan pages of actor Nandamuri Balakrishna also reshared a clipping from an old interview where Radhika is seen praising Legend, expressing gratitude for the opportunity to be a part of the film.
Radhika was last seen in a segment of this year's Lust Stories 3 that is titled Erotica, directed by Vishal Bhardwaj. In Akka, Radhika and Keerthy Suresh star alongside Tanvi Azmi, Jayashree, Nivedita Bhargava, Anshumaan Pushkar, Poornima Indrajith, Vishak Nair, Mahesh Manjrekar, and Monika Panwar.