By Hindustan Times
Who knew that the shy, cotton-sari clad ‘bua’ (aunt) from Delhi 6 would one day be playing the lead in a romcom. Aditi Rao Hydari has certainly come a long way. She agrees, “When I auditioned for Delhi 6, I didn’t even know what role it was for. All I knew was that it had an ensemble cast. It was only after I’d been signed that I was told the role was along the lines of Jaya Bachchan’s in Sholay. Now that was exciting!”
Post Rakyesh Om Prakash Mehra’s Abhishek Bachchan-Sonam Kapoor starrer, Aditi was seen in Yeh Saali Zindagi (YSZ) and Rockstar. Both were supporting roles till London Paris New York with Ali Zafar came along. “Suddenly, I was a heroine in a love story that was topical and conversational,” she smiles.
Quiz her on her transition from a supporting actor to a leading lady and Aditi says, “I always knew I wanted to act but I also knew that bagging a leading role would take time. I’d guess my performances in the previous films were noticed which is why Goldie (Behl) and Shrishti (Arya) came to me with London Paris New York.”
Aditi believes her background in classical dance has helped her in her acting career. What’s more, London Paris New York also gave her a song. “I’m a trained dancer but I never imagined I’d become a playback singer some day. My mother is a classical singer so I guess it was in the genes. I was six months old when I hummed a tune and everyone decided I was going to be a singer too. But I had to wait for Ali to give me a voice,” she says.
She comes across as a shy, reserved girl but Aditi has done some pretty steamy scenes in Yeh Saali Zindagi, Rockstar and the just-released London Paris New York. “I’m not too comfortable with bold scenes, but in Yeh Saali Zindagi, Arunoday Singh and I were a couple, so we couldn’t play badminton, could we?” she points out. “For me, it depends upon the director and I wasn’t going to give up a chance to work with Sudhir Mishra because of my inhibitions. London Paris New York was a love story too, so it was important to get into character. If I’m comfortable with the way an intimate scene is being shot, I’ll do it. Period.”
