Actress Radhika Apte says she was unpaid and unaccommodated during her 2005 film debut, calling the experience "awful" and "disrespectful."

Actress Radhika Apte has revealed she was not paid and given no accommodation during her 2005 film debut, Vaah! Life Ho Toh Aisi!, calling the production experience “awful” and “horribly” disrespectful. She said producers refused to sign a contract, citing Urmila Matondkar’s alleged lack of one, though she questioned that claim. Despite praising director Mahesh Manjrekar, she said she prefers to forget the film, which she doesn’t count among her significant works. She later returned to acting with greater purpose, now known for roles in Padman, Baazaar, and the 2025 series Raat Akeli Hai 2, and has expressed concern over rising violence in cinema.