Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; April 22, 2018)

Dream, believe, celebrate... she uses these three words to describe herself on social media. As an artiste, she seems to have come a long way — from playing supporting characters to characters that are central to the storyline. In a nine-year career, she has dabbled in cinema across languages and never shied away from picking any part that instantly appeals to her. Aditi Rao Hydari, who plays the modern-day version of Chandramukhi in Sudhir Mishra’s DaasDev, speaks to BT about power-play and staying positive, come what may...

In the thick of promotions, just a few days ahead of its release, Sudhir Mishra’s DaasDev was postponed by a week. How much does that affect you as an actor?
We shot the film two years ago and I really want this film to release for Sudhir sir’s sake. He makes brilliant films and he doesn’t make one too often. DaasDev has been pushed a couple of times before, too. It has been difficult to find the right release window for the film for various reasons. Each time the film inched closer to release, the date had to be changed. I think this time, it was shifted because there were quite a few films releasing on April 20. The week after that has fewer releases. I am sure Sudhir sir has made an informed decision. Luckily, I haven’t had such an experience before. More than the delay, I get affected by the fact that so many people have worked hard for this film and their work is taking so long to reach theatres. In general, a film’s delay is disheartening for actors, but it’s harder on the director and the producer who have been on the project for longer than anyone else. While actors move on to other projects, the film’s makers don’t.

While this is a modern-day version of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s Devdas, what can’t be missed is that it has been attempted by various filmmakers before. Ditto your character Chandramukhi, the other woman in this love story. Just how different is the new Chandramukhi?
While the core idea and emotion of the character is the same, in this film, you will not find her weeping over unrequited love. Chandni is someone who is very clear that Dev is her kryptonite. He’s her weakness, her love for him is selfless, but she seldom lets it surface. She’s fully aware that the man will never love her. Sudhir sir is politically aware and a lot of his films are soaked in politics, probably because he has grown up in that environment. He seeks inspiration for his characters from that space. That explains why he turned a love saga into a political drama. What sets the narrative apart here is that the story is narrated from Chandni’s point of view. She is in love with this guy surrounded by political chaos.

Is Chandni an outright negative person, who uses her sexuality to have her way?
I wouldn’t say negative, but she’s the girl everyone will know in their private spaces and not acknowledge in public. Everyone has grey hues, and she’s not an exception, but she’s also hard-working and honest with her job. Chandni is the outsider here — an MBA dropout whose world starts revolving around politics. Sudhir sir has kept her very realistic, fearless and vulnerable. When he offered the role to me, I told him that I don’t know how I’d play this character, because I don’t know anyone like her. Chandni knows dirty secrets of people and is aware that she is doing something important. She is a fixer, a power-broker who knows that she’s the best in the business. This character was alien to me, but I followed the director’s vision and surrendered to his thoughts.

You worked on this film two years ago. Since then, you have worked on various projects, portraying different characters. Do you think that if this film was offered to you today, you would have been better equipped to handle the nuances of your role?
When you step inside a set and transform into a character, it’s your first brush with that role. It doesn’t matter who you have worked with. Every character will be a first in your life as an artiste. Yes, in the last two years, I might have grown up a little more. I probably understand a few more things about myself, but as an actor, it will be presumptuous of me to say that I can do a character differently and better than before. I still feel that even after all the work I’ve done, I know nothing. I don’t want the baggage of knowing things when I walk on to a set. I am more comfortable being an empty slate, surrendering before a director and writer’s vision. I’ve realised that this is the best way for me to function. Of course, there’s peer pressure on the set where people know things and don’t hesitate to show that, but I function differently. I might sound humble, but every experience is a first for me. If I believe that I have done it all, there’s nothing more for me to learn and explore.

In the film, you play a power broker, who works with various interest groups and lobbies. When you look within show business, do you feel there’s a struggle for power here, as much as there is in politics? Have you ever felt intimidated by such power games?
There’s struggle for power everywhere, but you can’t let it get hold of you. It can’t be a priority because power is a construct that leads to a lot of insecurity. You can feel empowered, which is essential for one to sail through life, because that helps you make secure choices and approach work with the right intention. When you get drawn into power games, you endorse one-upmanship and lose your sense of reality. I am not an industry-born; hence, there’s a lot that happens that I don’t even understand, but I do know that it’s power play. I’m not complaining, just stating a fact. I’ve consciously risen, though people have tried to put me down on various grounds. My mother says that I have to do good and feel positive all the time. If someone wants to mess with me, it is their problem, not mine.

But isn’t that easier said than done?
Yes it is, because there’s always going to be loose talk around you. I’ve decided that until I am sure that someone has behaved badly with me or has had wrong intentions, I will not believe what everyone says. There are so many people who say things with the intention of putting others down and I don’t want to fall prey to that. There are times when you feel shortchanged, because you don’t adhere to certain things or don’t agree to the way the film industry functions. You will not get what you were promised. It’s a reality, something I have also experienced first-hand. You can cry about it briefly, but you need to get over it, because nothing can substitute talent and hard work. Every actor goes through this and most people bounce back; it’s the bounce-back time that differs.

From someone who was consciously doing one film at a time in Hindi, you’re now shuttling between industries and playing central characters across languages. What really drove you to take up so much work down South?
It’s my greed as an actor. I am like that child who will not be happy with one candy from the store. Yes, I used to do one film at a time, but at that time, people would often ask me why I wasn’t doing more work and why my potential was not being tapped. I’ve always wanted to be in a position where people I respect call me for work. I want to have the time to do that kind of work when it comes my way. Today, I am working in multiple industries, which only a few people get a chance to do, but I am not doing it because I have free time. Or, I want to make a quick buck. These are filmmakers I have wanted to work with. Films are not defined by regions and languages; they’re defined by emotions. Picking a language is an artiste’s job, but the experience of learning it is priceless. I don’t want to do disservice to myself as an actor by refusing all this work.

With so much on your plate, do you get time for yourself, love and family?
When you are consumed with work, there’s little time for anything else. I am an energiser bunny, so I make time for everything. In the last 18 months, I’ve worked round the clock and enjoyed it. I’m sure I will have the chance to have a life aside of the work, have a companion and have time for family because that’s important, too. But there’s a lot of work right now and I don’t want to keep tugging at someone’s heartstrings and then… I will go with the flow. If and when things are meant to happen, they will happen.