Aditi Rao Hydari first made headlines with Yeh Saali Zindagi wherein her bold kissing scenes with co-star Arunoday Singh and of course her acting won her accolades and established her as an actress to look out for.
However, Aditi’s rise has been slow compared to another kissing siren, Mallika Sherawat. It was her role as the considerate yet fiery journalist in Rockstar that eventually became the game changer. Not only did she win her first award, she also bagged her first lead role in London, Paris, New York opposite actor Ali Zafar.
Her character in the film is completely different from the ones she has done before. Her sexy avatar in the film is styled to steal hearts. A rom-com, this coming-of-age film tells the story of Nikhil (Ali Zafar) and Lalitha Krishnan in three cities — London, Paris and New York.
“Initially, my character is shown as an innocent and naïve girl, who becomes this glamorous diva exploring her freedom. And finally, I become a soft, elegant, mature woman with a pronounced feminine side.”
“I put a bit of myself in the characters that I play onscreen. So there are certain things about Lalitha Krishnan and me which are similar, but she is not like me. I can be quite naïve sometimes, as I believe that the world is a good place, everybody is good and people are nice to each other, which is not always the case. Sometimes, I feel that I can lecture people and change the world, which again isn’t possible. It is this thinking that is similar between us (Lalitha and me).”
Aditi, who jokingly calls Ali Zafar “a good harami”, is all praises for her co-star. “Ali is my favourite and most-wonderful co-star. He is honest and a good human being at heart, but very naughty too. He is a wonderful artist and has a Sufi soul. When I first met him, I didn’t know what our chemistry would be like. But he is a fun person and totally chilled out,” says Aditi who credits Ali for encouraging her to sing a couple of songs in the film.
“London, Paris, New York also has a few intimate sequences and Aditi says, “For me, such things don’t matter. I believe, a film-maker will want to cast me because of my acting talent and not because I can do a kissing scene well. But if the script demands a particular scene and if the director shoots it well then I will happily go for it. The purpose of such a scene is very important to me. A kissing scene cannot be pushed into the film just to attract eyeballs, I will never agree to that.”
On her roles from Delhi 6 to Yeh Saali Zindagi, the trained Bharatanatyam dancer says, “I feel as if my career is going in reverse. First I played a ‘bua’ in Delhi 6, then a mother in Yeh Saali Zindagi and now a glamorous girl in love. But with all these roles, I know I have had great opportunities to showcase my talent. There is always some good in whatever happens, so I am very happy. And I hope I keep getting such diverse characters. However, I would love to play an epic role, or a character based on a dancer someday.”

Sanskriti Media & Entertainment