Radhika Apte on why women have 'zero time' for their own desires
Synopsis
Radhika Apte's remarks around Lust Stories 3 go well beyond film promotion — she puts a name to a structural problem millions of women live: zero time for themselves after work, childcare, and domestic duty. Her call for shared responsibilities is the clearest argument the anthology's themes make off-screen.
Key Takeaways
Radhika Apte said women often have 'zero time' for their own desires due to hectic dual burdens of paid work and domestic labour.
Her remarks came in the context of Lust Stories 3 , which premiered on Netflix on 18 September 2026 .
Her segment in the film, directed by Vikramaditya Motwane , explores themes of female desire, husband-swapping, and solidarity.
Radhika argued that a woman's identity is often entirely absorbed by motherhood , erasing her individuality.
She called for equitable sharing of household duties as the key solution to the problem.
Actress Radhika Apte has spoken candidly about why women across the country struggle to carve out time for their own desires — whether personal, creative, or intimate — as they juggle work, motherhood, and domestic responsibilities. Her remarks came in the context of Lust Stories 3, which premiered on Netflix on 18 September, featuring a segment she stars in, directed by filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane.
The 'Zero Time' Problem
When asked whether working women, like men, had time to reflect on their own desires, Radhika did not hesitate. 'I think what you said is so true because women have zero time, it's so hectic, and that's the problem,' she said. The observation, she noted, is not a personal one but a structural reality that millions of women navigate daily.
She pointed to a line from Lust Stories 3 in which her character Coco asks whether it was time to do something for themselves and their desires. Radhika was clear that desire, in this context, is not narrowly defined. 'Whether that's a sexual desire or desire to go and, you know, go to Borivali National Park for a walk, it doesn't matter,' she said — underlining that the core issue is about women being allowed to want things for themselves.
How Identity Shifts After Motherhood
Radhika also addressed how a woman's sense of self often gets subsumed by the role of mother after childbirth. 'Identity completely switches to motherhood, and that's not true. You are also a person. There's also a small child inside you who wants to try different things and just live life,' she said.
This, she argued, is not a failing of individual women but a consequence of how society assigns domestic labour. The erasure of personal identity, she suggested, begins long before a woman recognises it.
The Unequal Division of Domestic Labour
Radhika drew a pointed contrast between how men and women typically end a working day. 'After working for 12 hours, a man comes home, has dinner, and goes to sleep. But that is not the case with women. After working a 12-hour shift, a woman comes home, cooks food, serves dinner to everyone, cleans the house, changes the bedsheets, prepares for the next day and takes care of all the household responsibilities,' she explained.
She went further, describing a dynamic she said she had observed among women she knows personally — where husbands sleep in separate rooms to get adequate rest before work, while mothers remain on call through the night. 'I go to work, and it's way easier to go to work than to spend 12 hours at home with your child. It's exhausting,' she said. 'So, I think that's why, if the duties are shared, this won't happen.'
About Lust Stories 3 and Radhika's Segment
Lust Stories 3 is an anthology film that premiered on Netflix on 18 September 2026. Radhika's segment, helmed by Vikramaditya Motwane, explores themes of husband-swapping and female solidarity. The film uses genre and narrative to probe questions of female autonomy, desire, and the social contracts that govern intimate life — questions Radhika clearly considers far from fictional.
Point of View
Where women log a full working day and then return to an unpaid domestic shift, is well-evidenced globally and acutely felt in India's urban middle class. What is notable is the framing: desire — including sexual desire — is placed on a continuum with wanting a walk in the park, which strips the subject of its usual taboo and reframes it as a basic question of personal autonomy. Whether Lust Stories 3 lands that argument cinematically is a separate matter, but the conversation Radhika is choosing to have in public is, at minimum, the more honest version of it.
NationPress
18 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Radhika Apte say about women and desire?
Radhika Apte said women often have 'zero time' to think about their own desires because of the double burden of professional work and domestic responsibilities. She argued the problem stems from an unequal division of household duties between men and women.
What is Lust Stories 3 about and when did it release?
Lust Stories 3 is a Netflix anthology film that premiered on 18 September 2026. Radhika Apte features in a segment directed by Vikramaditya Motwane that explores themes of female desire, husband-swapping, and solidarity among women.
How does Radhika Apte describe the domestic labour gap?
She described a scenario where a man returns after a 12-hour workday, has dinner, and sleeps, while a woman in the same situation then cooks, cleans, handles childcare, and prepares for the next day. She said sharing these duties equally would resolve the issue.
What did Radhika Apte say about motherhood and identity?
Radhika said a woman's identity 'completely switches to motherhood' after having children, which she argued is not healthy or accurate. She emphasised that women remain full individuals with their own needs, curiosity, and desire to explore life.
Who directed Radhika Apte's segment in Lust Stories 3?
Radhika Apte's segment in Lust Stories 3 was directed by filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane. The segment examines female solidarity and desire and is part of the larger Netflix anthology that premiered on 18 September 2026.
