Radhika Apte is not one to mince her words and having turned 41 this month, the actor starred in Lust Stories 3. Having explored sexuality and female desire in the film, through the lens of a woman in her 40s, Radhika Apte asserts she is getting to know her sexuality better at this age.
"We, as a society, are so ageist. Getting old is regarded as some kind of deterioration. But I am 41, now I am getting to know myself and my body far better than in my 20s or 30s. In your 20s, you are basically busy doing all the things your parents told you not to. And in your 30s, you you are panicking that you might actually agree with some of those things your parents said,” she says.
The actor adds, “But in your 40s, you are trying to find your space. This is the peak time of desire, understanding, sexuality and your needs. I feel the fittest, youngest and most alive in my 40s. Especially going through motherhood, your whole body changes, so you actually get to know your body, your needs. It’s such a great age. People are idiots who don't know that and they are controlling of other people because they don't want to express it themselves. They are really missing out ," she says.
Watch the full chat with the team of Lust Stories 3 here:
While Apte openly discusses the concept of desire, she acknowledges that the subject is still considered taboo at many places in Indian society, and especially for women. “Forget sex and desire, it starts from basic equality and the basic ability to be able to freely think and speak. I also grew up like that thinking sex was dirty and that is so sad. Even for men, their desires are looked upon a certain way and women's desires are looked upon a different way. Why are we separating it? It is an act to be done together also,” she insists.
{{/usCountry}}While Apte openly discusses the concept of desire, she acknowledges that the subject is still considered taboo at many places in Indian society, and especially for women. “Forget sex and desire, it starts from basic equality and the basic ability to be able to freely think and speak. I also grew up like that thinking sex was dirty and that is so sad. Even for men, their desires are looked upon a certain way and women's desires are looked upon a different way. Why are we separating it? It is an act to be done together also,” she insists.
{{/usCountry}}The actor shares that now being a mother, she wants to make sure her daughter doesn’t feel this shame and apprehension when talking about her sexuality. She recalls reading a book where the author recounted an incident from his childhood where he was learning to masturbate and his father walked in on him. “The father told him off and that shame is what he carried for the rest of his life. I remember that sometime and I’ve decided that if my daughter discovers her desires, I am not going to do that to her,” Apte says, adding that the lack of open discussion around sex affects both genders. “Sex is there, but it’s more about the inside voice that has been pushed down, for both men and women in different ways,” she ends.