Radhika Madan: It will make you think before you post a comment

Playing a mild-mannered teacher whose video is leaked in Sajini Shinde Ka Viral Video, Radhika says the thriller explores how social media affects mental health

Like most actors, Radhika Madan says she became an artiste as she wanted the thrill of leading different lives. And it couldn’t be more evident in her next two releases. At their core, Sajini Shinde Ka Viral Video and Sanaa shed light on mental health. But the two films take different routes to get there. In Sajini Shinde Ka Viral Video, Madan plays a physics teacher, who is believed to have died by suicide after her video is leaked on social media. The actor views Sajini as an everyday woman we have all encountered. “You will find a Sajini in every friend group, colony and family; she is the ideal daughter, loving fiancée, who always thinks of other people before herself. After a video gets leaked on social media, without her consent, she goes missing. So, the audience doesn’t know whether she has ended her life or is hiding somewhere.”

Kaur also stars in Sajini Shinde; (right) The actor with Sanaa director Saria

Through the social thriller that also stars Nimrat Kaur, Bhagyashree and Sumeet Vyas, director Mikhil Musale examines the toxicity of social media and its effect on people. Madan believes it’s a necessary story today when social media is an all-consuming part of our lives. “It is a fast-paced, entertaining movie with a message that is not preachy. But at the same time, it will make you think before you post a comment on social media. The movie’s title was suggested by Sriram Raghavan sir. He saw the movie and said it would be better if we changed it from the earlier title, Happy Teachers’ Day,” she recalls.  

At odds with the sweet-tempered Sajini is Madan’s titular character in Sanaa. Sudhanshu Saria’s directorial venture, which won her the Best Actor award at the UK Asian Film Festival, tells the story of a feisty Mumbai-based financial advisor and her battle with an unresolved trauma. “Sanaa is way more complicated than Sajini. They are completely different women, but there is a commonality in them—patriarchy affects both on a subconscious level. I loved playing both characters as they are two sides of a coin, different yet vulnerable and sensitive,” says the actor, last seen in Saas, Bahu Aur Flamingo.

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