She’s broken the Bollywood mould in more ways than one. Radhika Apte, known for her trailblazing roles, has always been vocal about a range of issues — body shaming to women’s rights. On International Women’s Day (March 8), Radhika launched Whisper’s New Ultra Soft range — that encourages women to be comfortable in their own skin — and took some questions on email from t2.

The theme for International Women’s Day this year has been ‘Be Bold for Change’. What do those words mean to you?
It means to be courageous, to be brave, to first accept and understand that you can ask questions… that you have the freedom of choice, you have the freedom to pursue whatever you want to pursue, you have the freedom to think in any way you want which might be a taboo according to society or indecent according to society. All these labels and society rules is a way to put everybody in a category or suppress things, but you have the freedom and the right to aspire and pursue whatever you want to in your life. 

As women, we shouldn’t hold ourselves back at any point from achieving our dreams, be it a regular day or even on those five days of the month. We are unstoppable and should realise our full potential. It’s necessary to make our needs a priority.

Who has been a driving force in encouraging you to be bold and achieve your dreams?

My parents, my friends, some of my colleagues and some people who I don’t know. But I watch them, I need them. Sometimes on random travels, sometimes while on a workday, sometimes I watch them — watch their work, read about their work. All these people inspire me. 

Why do you think period is still a hush-hush topic in India?

I think our country is very awkward about sexuality and physicality. These are very basic fundamental issues, and that is why I think we are still very ashamed of periods.  

The range of new Whisper Ultra Soft Sanitary Napkins encourages women to go out there and achieve their dreams. Why do you think this message is important?

In India, it starts from schools. Sometimes girls are not sent to school when they are menstruating, girls are meant to feel that those are the fragile days, they shouldn’t do much, they shouldn’t do this, they shouldn’t do that… and it does stop them. A month is of 30 days, out of which five days are one-sixth of the month. So one-sixth of the year is gone if you are going to sit at home because you think you can’t do a certain thing.

Would you like to bust some menstruation-related myths? 

You can go to the kitchen. You can touch your god. You can go swim in a pool. You can play Holi. You can work. You can climb a mountain. You can go for a run. You can have sex… and you can do anything you want! 

You will be starring in Pad-Man with Akshay Kumar, which brings menstruation to the mainstream. Why do you think this film will be an important watch?

I am not going to talk about the film much. I think I am going to be leaving it up to your imagination right now with the poster of the sanitary napkin that says Pad-Man. But I’d like to say that we need to talk about hygiene, women’s hygiene and comfort and their freedom and equality. 

You have often spoken about how comfortable you are in your skin, in a society where body shaming is so rampant. What are the key things women have to keep in mind to be comfortable in their skin? 

I think women and men both need to be comfortable in their skin. They just need to love their bodies and understand that we are born naked! We are born with a body which is a tool, which is our gift.

A hygiene quirk

There are a lot of them… I am thinking which one to talk about. I think toilets. I think urination. The way people leave the toilets after they urinate… oh my god! Can’t stand it. And, washing your hands! 

An instant pick-me-up during PMS

Love me! If I am in a delicate mood, which sometimes has happened because of hormones, then I don’t want to be looked at as ‘Oh yeah, your periods are on’. It’s a part of a cycle and I want that acknowledgement from my partner, rather than him making it look bigger or smaller.  Like as I say sometimes, if I went to gym and strained my shoulder, how will you talk to me? Talk to me the same way if I say ‘I am bleeding heavily today’.