Aditi Rao Hydari is one of those actresses who shuttle between Bollywood and the South film industry with ease. The actress made her acting debut with the Tamil film Sringaram (2007) before she was launched in Bollywood with Delhi-6 (2009). After sailing steadily in Bollywood with films like Yeh Saali Zindagi (2011), Wazir (2016) and Fitoor (2016), among others, she returned to Tamil films with Mani Ratnam’s Kaatru Veliyidai (2017). From there on, she has been dabbling in films across languages — Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi.

Talking about the balancing act, the Padmaavat actress, says, “I’m finally doing things that I dreamt of. In these last few years, I’ve been lucky to work with some of the best directors, who offered me roles that have been challenging. The work has been tough, but fun. There are days when I forget which city I’m in, but I get excited when filmmakers I respect choose me to embody their vision in their films. I’m happy with the love and acceptance I get from all the industries, and I love being called a pan-India actor because that’s what I want to be.”

While she is now adept at managing her time and schedule between projects that span across these industries, it also requires her to take tough calls. She elaborates, “I push myself to make sure I give my 100 per cent. Sometimes when I can’t, I have to let go of films that I want to do. But in the end, I feel it works out for the best, or at least that’s what I tell myself. If I’m dying to do a certain film, I find a way.”

Aditi has worked with a host of directors down South; however, she remains a big fan of one filmmaker — Mani Ratnam. They have collaborated on two Tamil films, Kaatru Veliyidai and Chekka Chivantha Vaanam. She shares, “I became an actor because of Mani sir. I didn’t know much about films or any of the industries, but I always knew that one day I wanted to be a Mani Ratnam heroine. Back then, I had no clue how or whether I’d pursue acting as a profession. One thing led to another, and I found myself signed by Sudhir Mishra for Yeh Saali Zindagi and then by Goldie and Srishti Behl for London Paris New York, soon after I moved to Mumbai in 2010.”

She further adds, “Working with Mani sir led me on to more movies in Tamil, then Telugu, and now, I am doing Malayalam films as well. I understand both Tamil and Telugu. I’ve dubbed for my Telugu films, and hopefully, I will soon be able to do the same for my Tamil films, too. I find it hard to speak and understand Malayalam, but I am working on it,” she says. Amidst all this, Aditi is looking forward to her next Hindi projects. Post the lockdown, she also shot with John Abraham for a cross-border love story.