A fringe, a wig, and a 70s icon. Sometimes a whole character starts with the hair.
Radhika Apte’s new look in Akka isn’t just a costume — it’s a time machine. The series, set to drop on Netflix October 30, sees her as Rudra, a rebel with a mission in a fictional South Indian underworld ruled by Keerthy Suresh’s Bhavani. But the real spark? A fringe, a wig, and a nod to Zeenat Aman.
That’s not just styling. That’s legacy. Ape is drawing from Aman’s iconic 70s aesthetic, think Hare Rama Hare Krishna, Don, Qurbani, to build Rudra’s identity. Hair, clothing, attitude: all rooted in that era, and in Bombay’s cinematic DNA.
She didn’t just wear it. She lived it. ‘It was just costume and hair,’ she said, but the weight of that reference is heavy. Not just for the character, but for the conversation around casting and representation now.
Because while she’s channeling a North Indian icon, the story itself is set in the South. And that tension? It’s not lost on anyone. The show’s world is fictitious, yes, but its politics aren’t. Dharmaraj Shetty’s crime thriller doesn’t soften its edges for being female-led.
No saints here. Just two women who’ll burn everything down to protect what they believe is theirs. Radhika loves that. ‘Far more interesting than playing a very nice person,’ she says.
And yet, the moment she steps into this role, the internet starts asking: why a North Indian actress for a South-set story? Why Zeenat Aman? Why not someone from the region? The questions aren’t in the press release.
They’re in the comments. In the hashtags. In the silence after the trailer dropped. Akka premieres Thursday. The debate?
That’s already underway.
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