Keerthy Suresh, Radhika Apte Discuss On-Set Pressure In Light Of Rashmika Mandanna’s Comments On ‘Koffee With Karan’ 9 (EXCLUSIVE)

Rashmika Mandanna addressed body image and costume issues as well as uncomfortable conversations with directors, during the second episode of "Koffee With Karan Season 9." This resonated deeply with “Akka” co-stars Radhika Apte and Keerthy Suresh who opened up to Variety India about their own experiences and the difficulty of setting boundaries on film sets, early in their careers.

Actors speaking about on-set boundaries have often highlighted how difficult it can be to refuse a scene or costume, even when they are uncomfortable. While Apte and Suresh bring up their own experiences, the former recalls the struggle to make boundaries clear while Suresh admitted to being in situations where she felt forced to say yes.

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‘Uncomfortable, but succumbed’

She outrightly expressed concerns regarding certain costumes, but Apte says it has been difficult to refuse. She recalls one such experience. “It has happened to me. It wasn’t easy. I told them in very clean, clear English that I am not comfortable wearing that. They came up with other options which were just the same, but different. It took me two weeks to tell them that I am not comfortable. I had to reject the ideas. I used to tell them, ‘I can’t wear that.’”

Repeated pressure took an emotional toll on her. “It made me very weak. I was going home every day and eating everything in my fridge. I was that frustrated. I had to keep putting my foot down. And they (the people on the said set) didn’t make it any easier. So yes, it happens and it is not easy.”

She also speaks about experiencing similar situations while working with people she considered friends. She reveals being put in uncomfortable positions, including when working with an intimacy coordinator. “I have also been on sets where I have worked with friends. It’s people I have known for years. I have told them clearly what I will not do. I have told the intimacy coordinator very, very clearly what I will not do. And they have put me in a really awkward position, because they have asked me to do something. It has happened so many times. I’m fed up with it,” she says.

Describing the difficulty of refusing a request in front of an entire crew, Radhika adds, “Then you are asked in front of so many people, and everybody’s just looking at you. If you say no, that scene cannot happen. It’s so hard to say no. And every time I have had to say yes, eventually.”

The actor admits that she continues to struggle with asserting herself in such situations, even when she knows she is uncomfortable. She concludes, “And I hope next time it happens, I say, ‘Fuck your friendship. I am going to say, ‘No.’’ I still don’t find myself brave enough to say ‘no.’ I’ve succumbed so many times. Then I lose sleep over it for many, many months. Not because of what they did, but because I say ‘yes.’ Shameless people, most of them. They just keep pushing.”

Keerthy Suresh: ‘It’s Hard To Be Put In A Spot’

Keerthy also acknowledges having faced similar situations earlier in her career, when she found it difficult to refuse requests. She says, “It has happened to me as well. I have been in a position where I was forced to say ‘yes.’ If these situations happen to me now, I will only say, ‘Oh.’” Explaining how her approach has changed over the years, the actor says, “What I mean is, after a certain point, I understood that I can deal with these situations. This would happen to me in the beginning of my career, years ago. It was really, really difficult to say ‘no.’ I have said ‘no’ to bigger things in life. But when it comes to these things, it’s so hard. It’s the problem of being put in a spot.”

What Rashmika said…

Radhika and Keerthy's comments follow Rashmika and Vijay Deverakonda’s conversation on “Koffee With Karan,” where she spoke about the boundaries she sets when it comes to costumes and revealing scenes. “There are some things which I am not okay with. I know some characters need some things like a bikini or something like that. But, even in that, I will say I am not comfortable with that exposing and skin show. I am not that kind of a person,” Rashmika said.

She added, “But again, when you do commercial films, there will be these costumes that you are not completely comfortable with. But there are some lines that I draw for myself. More so often, the directors are okay with it because those are the people I prefer working with.”

Vijay agreed that initiating such conversations can be difficult. “But, it is still challenging to have these conversations. It is hard.” Rashmika added that actors should feel comfortable approaching directors with their concerns. She said, “Correct, but you also need to make it easier for the actors to come and ask such questions because even I find it hard.”