June 2, 2025 - Bollywood actor Radhika Apte gave birth to her daughter in December last year. Since then, she has been balancing her responsibilities as a mother along with her professional work. The actress did not announce her pregnancy publicly. She was first seen with a baby bump at the BFI London Film Festival during the screening of her film Sister Midnight. A few days after giving birth, Radhika shared a photo where she was seen feeding her baby while working on her laptop.

Challenges in the Film Industry

Radhika may have returned to work just a week after giving birth, but she admits that the Indian film industry is not supportive of women like her. Speaking from London while caring for her six-month-old daughter, Radhika talked about the challenges new mothers face in showbiz.

'Don’t Know How I’ll Manage'

When asked if the film industry is supportive of new mothers, Radhika said, “I don’t think they are. I don’t know how I will deal with it going forward.”

Her comment came at a time when discussions about motherhood in the entertainment world are gaining attention. Just recently, Deepika Padukone was said to have left the film Spirit by Sandeep Reddy Vanga. Reports said Deepika had requested shorter working hours after returning from maternity, but the demand was not accepted. Later, news came that she was removed from the film due to her requests.

Meanwhile, actor-producer Ajay Devgn also said that an eight-hour workday is becoming more common not just for mothers, but for all workers in the industry.

'Hard to Work and Raise a Baby' 

Radhika, however, is not fully convinced. She said, “It is really difficult to work in our film industry. We spend a lot of time making a film, and the work style is also very demanding. On top of that, we don’t get time to be with the baby. So I guess I have to figure it out now.”

The actor had continued working throughout her pregnancy. She was writing drafts till the day before her labour began. Just one week after giving birth, she started attending virtual meetings over Zoom.

Sister Midnight was released in theatres on May 30.