Like a child

Aditi Rao Hydari has traversed the Indian cinema landscape

Most of Aditi Rao Hydari’s days in lockdown have been good. She admits that the negative news that one comes across every day can be demoralising. “But I am one of those eternally positive humans,” says the actor, talking from her home in Hyderabad, a day before the release of her Malayalam film Sufiyum Sujatayum on Amazon Prime Video. “I know a lot of people are really suffering and it is very tough [for them], but I feel as humans we always have those two choices, and there are enough people who suffer every day who also smile and choose positivity. So, it is possible.”

She knows the place of privilege she comes from and that “somebody will turn around and say that it is easier for me”. “But we all have our struggles and our difficulties in our own place,” she says. Unlike a lot of celebrities, who have been taking up various social media challenges and are keeping fans entertained in numerous ways, Hydari’s social media updates are sparse. “From a place of privilege, what I am going through is very different from what [most of] India is going through. Rather than post my day-to-day activities, I would rather put that energy into reaching out to people in a way that is more real,” she says.

And hence, she is doing things that she used to do as a young girl, because of the time she has at home. “It is giving me that opportunity to be a child again,” says Hydari. “I have gotten back to dancing, which I have been doing since I was five. I am doing kalaripayat, which I also learnt as a child. I am singing more. I help in cooking. I am helping my brother set up his house. I am also talking to my friends and anybody who is feeling low, to try and cheer them up. For me, that is very important.”

“I wanted to look at different kinds of content because different content is always culturally rooted in their own space.”

But having said that, she yearns to return to the film sets, to do what makes her happiest. There is fear in the air in anticipation of what a post-pandemic set might look like. “But I am not going to fear what the situation would be once things open up,” she says. “At the risk of sounding like a child, I think we really need to reassess the chaos we have created in this world.”

Perhaps, it is the inherent belief in the childlike innocence that drew her to Sufiyum Sujatayum—a film about pure love between a Sufi singer and a mute girl. “This film is so sweet and so special,” says Hydari. “There is so much innocence about it. It is people and their million complications that put their own burdens on simplicity and purity.” Sujata is a girl, she would always hope and aspire to be. “It is almost like you don’t want anybody to ruin her innocence. You want to protect that girl,” she says.

Playing a speech-impaired girl was challenging, but that is why she found the role fascinating, too. “The director (Naranipuzha Shanavas) and the director of photography (Anu Moothedath) were very careful in how they chose to shoot,” she says. “They wanted so many cuts. When you are speech impaired, your other senses are so heightened. You have to look into the person’s eyes and talk. That makes you very vulnerable and also very true. It was almost unreal.”

Sufiyum Sujatayum Sufiyum Sujatayum

Although Hydari’s film career began with the lead role in Tamil film Sringaram (2007), she had a small cameo as a dancer in Malayalam film Prajapathi (2006). But she considers Sufiyum Sujatayum to be her Malayalam debut.

The innocence that Hydari talks about is often synonymous with most roles she does; her characters are often very sensitive, subdued and soft. Mehrunissa in Padmaavaat (2018), Bhoomi Sachdeva in Bhoomi (2017) and Leela in Kaatru Veliyidai (2017) have all been roles of women struggling to find their space. “Somebody else told me I always choose strong characters. So, I am confused,” she says and laughs, adding that that works for her. “Hopefully, I will never be put in a box.”

One still wonders if she has ever thought about being associated with seemingly delicate roles. “I can’t change the way I look,” says Hydari. “I might have a delicate structure and face, but I think every part that I pick has strength of character.” She says one can be gentle and loving, and at the same time fearless and strong. One of her directors once told her that instead of trying to change her looks, what would matter more is what she does in front of the camera. “Now, I don’t look in the mirror while doing my shots,” she says.

Over the years, Hydari has successfully traversed the Indian cinema landscape, even making her Telugu debut with Sammohanam in 2018. She is thrilled to have worked with Mani Ratnam—in Kaatru Veliyidai and Chekka Chivantha Vaanam (2018)—a director who really helped her grow. That is one reason she looks forward to working across regions, because of the depth that it brings. “I grew up in a mixed background,” she says. “My ancestry is mixed. For me, it is so natural to have a syncretism of different cultures in the same household. I have never seen it as anything strange or something that needed to be adjusted to. It has just been so beautiful, everybody coexisting. Because of that comfort, I was attracted to being a pan-Indian actor. I wanted to look at different kinds of content because different content is always culturally rooted in their own space, and the directors have their own voices. For me, it is not really the region, but the director and the team. I hope I can continue because it is not easy.”

It is no surprise then that after this Malayalam debut, she already has The Girl On The Train (Hindi), V (Telugu) and Hey Sinamika (Tamil) lined up for the rest of this year.

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