Aditi in a still from Marathi movie Rama Madhav

As told to Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 23, 2018)

I grew up in a world of classical music and dance, books and art. I was encouraged to pursue some form of art in my growing up years so I started learning dance from the age of five. Today, when I look back, I realise it was not just my family but also my school that urged me to dance.

After I completed schooling (Standard 10) I decided that I wanted to be a doctor. My mom was surprised by my decision but happy nonetheless. We had this system where we had to inform the school what discipline we wanted to take up after standard 10. My mother wrote to them that I wanted to pursue science and they wrote back saying, “It’s wonderful she wants to be a doctor and heal people but there are very few kids who are gifted with a talent in the arts like music and dance. Aditi dances so effortlessly that it will be a loss for her to not pursue it.” Would you believe it, my school actually encouraged me to put on ghungroos instead of burying my nose in a book. And that’s how I became a dancer.

I went to boarding school when I was around 12 years old and was the star attraction there because of my dancing. Other students would perform music or some other art form but it was my dance that fascinated everyone.

I trained in Bharatnatyam with Leela Samson. I was still in school and around 16 years of age when I got my first pay cheque. We had travelled to Bangladesh for a show and though it was a small amount, I bought my mother a Dhakai sari with the money. She still wears it.

Dance has taught me that you are never greater than your art. It shatters your ego and aspires you to strive towards perfection. Classical art has many verses on love and for a teenager it can be embarrassing to enact it on stage. But if we giggled, we were made to perform right in front of the teacher so it would rid us of our inhibitions. Today, it’s thanks to this that I am not self-conscious in front of the camera.

Since I started out early, I got to travel a lot and perform in different countries like Japan and China, all over South-East Asia and the US, I was still an undergraduate then but my school would allow me time off to tour, sometimes for an entire month. Even the institutes I worked with gave me time and space. I was the youngest of the dancers. We were six-seven in a dance group travelling together, the others my seniors. I was pulled up a lot and at times would cry too. If someone was not present on a particular day, I had to fill in for them and after a while I began to enjoy it, even if I had to go the extra mile.

I remember a piece my teacher had choreographed — an experiment in Bharatnatyam called Spanda and I was constantly being challenged to measure up. Even today I yearn for such challenges. That’s what makes the work enjoyable.


Aditi in a still from Wazir

Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 20, 2014)

It's not everyday that an actress from the 21st century can claim to have returned to the 17th century court of legendary Maratha warrior Peshwa Madhavrao.

Aditi Rao Hydari has performed that feat with a classical dance to the thumri Loot liyo mohe shyam sawariya in Mrinal Kulkarni's directorial debut, the Marathi film Prem Mhanje Prem Asta.

The actress said yes to the project after she came to know that Saroj Khan will choreograph the number.

"I worked with Sarojji in my first Tamil film, Sringaram, and it won her the National Award. She recommended me to Mrinal and I immediately agreed to make a special appearance because Hindi songs no longer incorporate classical dance moves," says Aditi.

The song was shot in one night, the dance portions in three hours flat, at ND Studio last month.

"It was very hot with candles all around and the heavy jewellery made my head hurt like crazy but the song is beautiful," she smiles.

After the flashback, Aditi will be back to the present with Guddu Rangeela, a film starring Arshad Warsi and Amit Sadh, where she plays a deaf-mute girl.

"It was a tough shoot in difficult locations, inclement weather, and lots of running and falling but it was still fun," she admits.

Amit's fractured foot that took him out of action for several weeks and actress Geetika Tyagi's allegations of molestation against producer-director Subhash Kapoor must have compounded their problems?

"We were supposed to complete the film in one start-to-finish schedule and Amit's accident did delay the shoot. I consequently lost out on Bhushan Patel's next horror story after Ragini MMS 2, but no regrets. As for Subhash sir, he's a wonderful person and a fantastic director and we are with him," she says.

There's also Legend of Michael Misra, a quirky comedy, in which she plays a Bihari girl who aspires to be an actress. Aditi herself has impressed as an actress so it was a surprise to see her as a decorative prop in Boss where her bikini became the talking point.

"I don't have a hand on my head or anyone to guide me. I'm a dancer and comfortable with my body. I've been wearing a bikini for years so I didn't think it would be a big deal. It was fun to just look pretty for a change but I'll be more careful now because I don't want to end up becoming a replaceable prop," she asserts.

So, she'd rather do the Bhupen Hazarika bio-pic and play Kalpana Lajmi?

"Kalpana has met me but they're still working on the script and my answer would depend on how it shapes up," she shrugs.

Her life away from the cameras, especially rumours of days spent partying with Sidharth Malhotra in the US after an awards function, too has created a buzz.  "Rumours are a part of show business. Sidharth is a friend and I love watching him as an actor. But in the US we were hanging out with a group of friends. I don't know why people singled us out and put two and two together. At least friends say we look good together," she laughs.

So, can these rumours create any awkwardness if they were to be cast together? "No way," she retorts. "We're professionals!"