After a debut in a Malayalam film many years back, actor Aditi Rao Hydari has slowly yet steadily carved her niche in the space of Hindi cinema. The Bollywood star has a big kitty of Hindi films with big stars lined up for the year ahead. We speak to the petite and pretty star who is in Bengaluru for an event.
Hailing from a prestigious family in Hyderabad, she didn’t have it easy all through. Although she’s Aamir Khan’s wife Kiran Rao’s maternal first cousin, she never used it to her advantage or even mentioned her name to anyone. “Being in Bollywood isn’t a cakewalk, but I’m loving every moment of it. I’m working on Wazir with Amitabh Bachchan and Farhan Akhtar now and it’s one of those films where I have to pinch myself and think if it’s for real. I have no words to express how happy I am to be working with Bachchan who is a legend in himself. There’s so much to learn from him — how he’s so grounded, humble and how he gives everyone the space they deserve. It’s written by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Abhijat Joshi and is directed by Bejoy Nambiar. Then I have another film called Fitoor with Abhishek Kapoor and Sudhir Mishra’s Aur Devdas where she I play the role of Chandramukhi,” she says.
At 27, Aditi believes she has a long way to go. “I have been learning Bharatanatyam since I was five. I also do attakalari and yoga. I love to sing and had even sung a song with Ali Zafar in London, Paris, New York,” she says.
Talking about her journey in Bollywood, Aditi confesses that it is challenging. “But it is good to work with people who can bring out the talent in you. Since I started on my own, I have no Godfather to support me. The industry is changing a lot. I think newcomers don’t get guidance from the people who are within the industry. Even if you make mistakes they don’t matter if you have a good backing here, but I want to be an actor who goes beyond the hits and misses, and hold onto my talent beyond everything else. I want to stay in people’s minds and hearts and do credible work rather than giving box office hits. I believe that I’m more than just a pretty face and a fit body,” says Aditi who seems focused on her work at this stage in her life.
The diva who found a place in the list of 100 most beautiful women says she had fun shooting for Guddu Rangeela. “The film was fun. We shot in difficult locations. The unit was wonderful and we had a fantastic director and a fun cast of Arshad Warsi and Amit Sadh, who were great to work with. I was like one of the boys in the film doing action scenes and also fell a couple of times as we were shooting on a difficult terrain, slippery slopes and mountains in the north of India,” she says adding, “I also love horses and my family and I both have been associated with horses and that’s why I came to Bengaluru for the Derby,” she says.
