Overwhelmed by ‘Sacred Games’ success, to work on new series: Radhika Apte

Sacred Games, Radhika Apte's second project with streaming giant Netflix, has quickly attained a cult following and an "overwhelmed" actor credits the people behind the camera for the thriller's success.

Based on Vikram Chandra's 2006 novel of the same, the Netflix series featured Saif Ali Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Apte in the lead. Sacred Games was well-received by both the critics and audiences who are now looking forward to its second season.

The actor, who is now back with another project from Netflix's stable, Ghoul, believes the hard work put in by the writers and director duo of Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane, bore results for them.

"I was not surprised but happy. I was so overwhelmed. I knew that this will be liked because I knew the efforts that have gone in making this show. These guys have worked on it for months," said Apte.

The 32-year-old actor said that the presence of Netflix on the project ensured that special emphasis is given towards maintaining the quality of the series.

"Netflix was associated with it. They are very particular about quality. So, I knew it would be good but I never thought that it would become such a quick massive outrage. So I was very happy," she said.

In Ghoul, Apte's second collaboration with Netflix after "Lust Stories" and "Sacred Games", she plays Nida Rahim, an army officer.

The series, set in a dystopian world where India is ruled by a totalitarian government, follows a prisoner who arrives at a remote military interrogation center and soon turns the tables on his interrogators, exposing their most shameful secrets.

Apte said that she had group rehearsals with the cast of the series and even received basic military training to prepare for her role.

"We did a lot of rehearsals. We had one-on-one sessions and group rehearsals on interpersonal relationships and politics amongst the characters. We pre-choreographed everything. "We had some military training to understand how things work, the basic instructions and the hierarchy in the system and how to use and hold weapons," the actor said.

Also featuring Manav Kaul, Ratnabali Bhattacharjee and Mahesh Balraj in key roles, the series has been produced in partnership with Phantom Films, Ivanhoe and Blumhouse.