Beyond the spotlight with Aditi Rao Hydari

As we speak, Aditi Rao Hydari is expertly multitasking at home, dressed comfortably in a bright yellow kurta, no trace of makeup, her flowing hair clipped away from her face.   “I like this lack of self-consciousness. That’s my relationship with beauty,” she shrugs.

Despite the multitude of “Most Beautiful” awards under her belt, Aditi doesn’t play coy with how she “got lucky with genetics” and grew up being taught that beauty is intangible. “Beauty can’t be attributed merely to the physicality of a person — it’s how it makes you feel. The unawareness makes it more beautiful…,” our cover star muses. “To me, true beauty is a way of life. It’s lived-in, effortless, and without self-consciousness. I’ve seen that with my mother, grandmother, dance teacher, and many others like Maharani Gayatri Devi and Audrey Hepburn. They were comfortable in their own skin, and that’s how they became timeless.”

A REFINED RANGE OF EMOTIONS

When we think back to Aditi’s filmography, her graceful “Gajagamini walk” from Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar (2024) comes to mind, drawing attention to her innate femininity that seeps into nearly every role she portrays. As Mehrunisa in Padmaavat (2018), she was the delicate antidote to Ranveer Singh’s animalistic Alauddin Khilji. As Priya Sharma in Ajeeb Daastaans (2021), she was the innocent complement to Konkona Sen Sharma’s hardened persona. Her performances are never one-dimensional. 

She has steered clear of loud, commercial “heroine” acts, opting instead for poised, emotionally intelligent characters that balance vulnerability with quiet strength. In Sammohanam (2018), Aditi plays a confident, self-aware film star who’s far more grounded than her celebrity suggests — much like her own self. In Sufiyum Sujatayum (2020), she delivered one of her most nuanced acts as a deaf-mute woman, which drew an evocative performance sans dialogue. And in Kaatru Veliyidai (2017), she played the compassionate yet complex Dr Leela Abraham navigating a toxic relationship — a role that was also a childhood manifestation. For aeons, Aditi’s “one-point agenda” was to be a “Mani Ratnam heroine” [besides starring in a project by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Rituparno Ghosh]. So, working on this love story was a dream come true in more ways than one. 

“I went from being frightened to meet somebody I greatly respected and admired to loving every second of being on that set,” the 47-yearold raves. “That experience had a profound impact on me. It rewired my brain and intentions. Things felt effortless, and I felt chosen for being who I am.”

THE CURIOUS CHILD

Aditi thrives in environments that allow her to be her uninhibited self — a kid in a playground who only does what she loves to, surrounded by those who protect the child in her, without the PR and projections. “I function like a five-year-old! I laugh as easily as I cry, I dream as easily as I can hyper focus. I can dance as easily as I can sleep!”

This was perhaps why her experience working with Mani Ratnam was a turning point in her career. She got to be playful and felt nurtured. But more importantly, “It made me realise why I wanted to be an actor, why I wanted to be in cinema, and why I want to create a legacy that lives beyond the screen.”

Growing up, her family encouraged curiosity and individuality, which initially made it a challenge for her to understand the pressures of the industry — to dress or look a certain way, to star in certain kinds of films. “I didn’t get the set beauty standards of wearing heels and makeup, glamming up… Perhaps because I’ve seen some of the most beautiful women around me be completely natural. That was my idea of beauty — glowing skin and a glowing soul! It was a struggle between wanting to be myself but also trying to fit in and be validated for my choices.”

Her train of thought, once again, leads us back to the sets of Kaatru Veliyidai, which established the benchmark for all her future projects in cinema. A self-proclaimed director’s baby, this actor is “more attracted to visionary filmmakers who tell stories that outlive time and space.”

Whether it be a movie or a brand shoot, she explains, good directors can push you to explore unexplored arenas, to discover parts of you that you didn’t know existed. “I want to be able to surrender to my director, be curious, and create like a little child without fear or butterflies. I want to be able to hang upside down from a jungle gym assured that someone will be there to pick me back up if I fall. That’s how I want to always work.”

THE POWER OF FEMININITY

In an industry that often celebrates louder expressions, Aditi makes softness feel powerful, having always balanced mainstream visibility with deeply artistic choices. How intentional is she about the projects she takes on? “I’ve mostly made instinctive choices, though I’ve never been able to separate femininity and vulnerability from power. Femininity is powerful. Perhaps people perceive this softness as a weakness, but I don’t. I never have. My sensitivity, ability to dream, be vulnerable, and love — they’re all my superpowers.” Women in cinema today claim space differently, with more on-screen nuance as well as meaningful shifts behind the camera in writers’ rooms, on sets, among directors, and crew members.

However, amid this sense of permeance, Aditi believes it’s more optics than reality. “There’s far more representation, but it should also reflect in the quality of content. Considering that most lives are run by the women around them, it’s pretty shocking that one has to push for the same female voice and agency in a story!” she explains, baffled.

Hoping for men and women to align for a more balanced narrative in telling stories, Aditi adds why she’s “addicted” to working with Konkona Sen Sharma — they’ve been co-stars as well as actor-director. “I feel heard, seen, and safe to completely be myself on and off her set!” she gushes. “This femininity also exists in many men I’ve worked with. Mani sir, Sanjay sir, and Neeraj Ghaywan wrote narratives that were driven by women in all their myriad glory.” 

THE PERENNIAL FASHION MUSE 

A fashion chameleon, who metamorphoses from a glamazon in structured asymmetric silhouettes, bodycon midis, and princess ballgowns into an ethnic goddess in embellished lehengas and traditionally draped sarees, Aditi is a designer’s dream. Although 2025 was an especially remarkable year for her on this front — she turned co-creative director for a vibrant, limited-edition capsule collection titled ‘Make Your Move’ with label Satya Paul.

The edit, debuted at Lakmé Fashion Week x FDCI, presented 29 lightweight, fluid designs that struck onlookers as an organic extension of Aditi’s effortless personal style, blended with the brand’s trademark bold and abstract prints. “I grew up around sarees and was always given the freedom to ‘create.’ So the Satya Paul collab came naturally to me,” says the self-professed textile enthusiast. “But it was a small step. Trying to understand design processes, professional tools, the focus and effort needed every day, and how such legacy brands work was a whole other experience. “Having said that, I’d certainly like to do this again but in a more structured way that allows me to be better involved. I know I can do more!”

While on the subject of possible entrepreneurial ventures, Aditi makes one thing clear: she doesn’t have a business mind. “My brain simply doesn’t compute numbers,” she shuts it down. In a day and age when every second celebrity appears to be launching their own beauty brand, each claiming to be groundbreakingly different from the other, this beauty icon has no such plans in the offing. 

 “I don’t think my starting point would be to create a business. I’d want to just ‘create’ but with a sound business team in place. Without one, I’d end up multitasking like a crazy person! I need to be free to just ‘create’ with someone taking care of the backend. And honestly, more than me thinking about it, 30,000 people have been pushing me to do something! So, I eventually will, when it’s the right time and place.” 

THE SID & ADITI SAGA

September 2024. We get the first glimpse of Aditi and Siddharth’s wedding — a celebration that personified what “intimate” truly means in the matrimonial scheme of things. An intrinsically personal affair in the world of performative celebrations. They tied the knot at the 400-year-old Sri Ranganayaka Swamy Temple that was built by her ancestors in Wanaparthy, Telangana. The traditional ceremony was grand in its simplicity and elegance, speaking volumes about the couple.

“Siddharth and I did what felt natural and most authentic to us. I’m very rooted in tradition but don’t like to be restricted by it. For example, I knew I wanted the wedding at our ancestral temple, and I wanted to be barefoot, for my feet to feel that earth. So, when I told Siddhu, he said he didn’t want anyone but family at that sacred space — only people who had known us since we were children and continue to love us the same way — I agreed immediately.

“And my kanyadaan was done by four women! Both mothers, my dance teacher [Padma Shri winning Bharatanatyam dancer Leela Samson], who’s like a mother to me, and Siddharth’s older sister.” Amid memes and distasteful “jokes” around how marriage ties one down, Aditi loves her new life. She loves being part of a larger family — one that cemented the sense of belonging she felt with her partner when they first met on the set of Maha Samudram in 2021.

“We decided to get married not because we needed a piece of paper or societal approval, but because we wanted the sacred act of coming together that our families could celebrate. “Our relationship is just as childlike, as chaotic, as fun as it’s always been. We function best when we’re our childlike selves.” This is a couple that kept the majority of their relationship private despite the ubiquitous paparazzi. Being part of an industry that often garners them unnecessary attention, the two, by some means, succeed in retaining a sense of softness and privacy. “Siddharth can make spontaneous plans.

I’m a planner and also a people’s person. So I run an open house, where people keep dropping by. He’s gotten used to this the same way I’ve gotten accustomed to his spontaneity. He’s, in fact, the life of the party!” Although a rarity in their overwhelming lives, they cherish their quiet time — either watching content together and, in Siddharth’s case, making music. “Sometimes, he’ll ask me to sing something for him while he’s composing. This is how our energies rub off each other. To be honest, it can be quite mad but it’s always great fun.”
 

HEART IN THE PRESENT, EYE ON THE FUTURE

She comes from an influential royal lineage, has made landmark movies, won numerous awards, and is a vocal advocate of women’s empowerment, children’s education, and animal welfare. When one leads such a multifaceted life, its various aspects blur. Aditi envisions the next five years quite similarly, where her artistic world permeates into the life she hopes to build beyond work.

“I’m a bit of a sponge. I absorb what I’m surrounded by,” she says. “The artiste in me is inextricably linked to the life I lead, the things and energies around me. Neither Siddharth nor I look at art as our work. Our art doesn’t take us away from our love for our family. There’s no either-or.”

After over 20 years in the world of glitz and glamour, she welcomes the next season hoping to “keep the curiosity alive rather than chase different things ‘expected of me.’” Not one to dwell on her hits and misses, she celebrates the present instead. 

“I can’t control the result, only my intentions and actions. So, I savour the present, be it working with an incredible director, making great content, or even a brand shoot.”

Our conversation leads us back to and the relentless world of glamour that compels women to devote hours on end to look “perfect.” “I don’t want that awareness. I don’t find that attractive at all… It’s more important to me to remain loving and kind, to make people laugh. It makes them feel good; it makes me feel good. And this is why I say beauty is felt, not just seen,” she explains, leaving us Makeup: Savleen Manchanda Hair: Mitesh Rajani Styling Assistants: Michelle Lobo & Shanaya Jhaveri Editorial Coordinator: Shalini Kanojia Jewellery Courtesy: Indriya Jewels feeling at ease as we end our tête-à-tête.

A MINUTE WITH ADITI

Brides today: If not an actor, what would you be?
Aditi Rao Hydari: Perish this thought! [laughs]

BT: A role that changed you personally?
ARH: It was more the experience of being on the set of Mani Ratnam’s Kaatru Veliyidai.

BT: Tell us one thing that fans would be surprised to know about you.
ARH:I used to be a 100-metre sprinter in school and also learned Kalari, a form of martial arts from Kerala.

BT: What’s more stressful: wedding planning or whirlwind film promotions?
ARH: I always find film promotions very complicated. I believe we should undersell and overachieve.

BT: Your comfort food after a long shoot day?
ARH: Khichdi or idli. I can eat both for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

BT:One city that feels like home to your soul?
ARH: Hyderabad and anywhere Siddhu is.

BT: The one outfit you’d wear the rest of your life?
ARH: A saree.

BT: Temple jewellery or diamonds?
ARH: Heels or juttis under the wedding lehenga? I went barefoot! Temple jewellery, but the traditional Hyderabadi kind in particular.

BT: The quickest way to make you feel glamorous?
ARH: When I feel like my skin is at its best — glowing and clear — I feel glamorous.

BT: The most-used emoji in your chats with Siddharth?
ARH: Married life in three words? Playful, loving, and chaotic.

BT: Romance films or thrillers?
ARH: According to Siddharth, I watch the most random content — from high-school romances to thrillers. I can’t choose! I’m a film girl!

BT: Candlelit dinner or cosy night in?
ARH: Cosy night in.

Image credits: Akula Madhu 

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