‘Would love to play MS Subbulakshmi on screen’: Aditi Rao Hydari

By Express News Service

HYDERABAD:  Aditi Rao Hydari has been in the showbiz for over 15 years and she still has the enthusiasm of a newcomer. Right now, she is in Hyderabad to promote her Thursday release Maha Samudram.  “Director Ajay Bhupathi narrated Maha Samudram two years ago. I was busy with some other commitments and had no time, but he was willing to wait. He called me every two months and request for my call sheets. It’s such a nice and interesting story,” she begins.

She heaps praises on Ajay Bhupathi. “I watched his debut film RX 100 and was really impressed with the way he portrayed the emotions in the film. His narration skills are exceptional and he is fond of all the characters in his films. I have become his fan. He carries a childlike persona and always tries to keep others happy. Our team had a blast while shooting for the film. He has put his heart and soul into the film and is very dedicated and the film would not be possible without him. He would take care of us and treated me like an angel on the set. He trained and moulded me into the character of a bold and confident girl,” she says.

Speaking about her role, Aditi explains, “In Maha Samudram, I play a confident urban girl named Maha. She never shies away from speaking her mind and is a perfectionist. Work is her priority and she loves to take care of her parents very much. I am feeling blessed to portray this character.”

Though the plot details have been kept under the wraps, Aditi says the film is all about many layers of friendship. “The film has many interesting characters and all of them have equal importance. The story revolves around the lives of two friends and it’s a content-driven film,” she reveals.

Even though she was born in Hyderabad, Aditi says she cannot speak Telugu fluently. “I was raised in North India and I do not speak Telugu much. However, if you give me the dialogue version, I can fluently say the dialogues even if you wake me up in the middle of the night. I always request the director to give my dialogues well in advance so that I get some time to practice and deliver them in my own voice.”

Although she learned the lines and spoke every word while filming, in the end, Aditi couldn’t dub for her character due to a nativity issue. “In the film, my character hails from Visakhapatnam. So the script demanded us to chose a local girl to dub my lines because I couldn’t get the Visakhapatnam dialect right and the learning process is time-consuming. If I do another film with Ajay Bhupathi, I will definitely dub my lines, no matter what,” says Aditi. 

Aditi has revealed that she danced barefoot on the rocks for a song sequence in Visakhapatnam. “I found it incredibly difficult to dance bare feet on the rocks. But the experience has taught me many good things about life. Being an actor, you have to follow the director’s vision and I have been staying true to this belief since my debut film,” shares Aditi.

Given a chance, Aditi would love to play legendary Carnatic singer MS Subbulakshmi on screen. “I love acting in biopics. I am a trained classical dancer and am quite fond of music. Whenever I listen to her songs, I feel intrigued to play MS Subbulakshmi on screen. Maybe someday, I would love to do a biopic on her,” she says.

She also revealed her interest in playing Bollywood actor Rekha as she inspires her a lot. “I am also equally interested to essay the role of actor Rekha in her biopic. I fondly call her Rekhamma and I admire her a lot,” she shares. 

Up next, Aditi will be seen in a film opposite Dulquer Salmaan. “The film has been titled Hey Sinamika and it marks the debut of choreographer Brinda Gopal as the director. A film each in Hindi and Malayalam is also in the pipeline,” concludes Aditi. 

— Murali Krishna CH muralikrishna.db@newindian express.com  @onlymurali