Happy with my place in B-wood, but wish I had more backing: Aditi

Aditi Rao Hydari, who walked the ramp for Payal Singhal on day three of the recently concluded fashion week in the city, has often been spotted wearing the designer’s clothes.
She told us, “With most people, you have to say these polite, politically correct things. But the fact is, that I really love what Payal made me wear today. When she calls an actor to walk for her, there’s a reason for it.This is my second time walking for her, and I anyway have a connection with her because I wear a lot of her clothes. The black and gold lehenga that I wore for her show looks tough and heavy, but it has a feminine allure to it. I personally enjoy old-world, feminine clothes, but at the same time, I like my shorts and jeans and crop tops, and have a bohemian and quirky streak that reflects in my clothes. Payal mixes the traditional and the modern really well, and this one in particular has a warrior princess quality about it.”
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In the three years that Aditi has been in the industry, she’s walked the ramp for a fair number of designers, and hence feels no nervousness before being under the spotlight. She said, “Just before I get on to the ramp, I feel a little jittery. But once I’m there, I love it so much because all eyes are on me. There’s a reason I’m an actor, I love to be the centre of attention. This makes me feel so special. Well, you are made to feel special because you’re the showstopper. In fact, I always wish that the ramp could be a little longer, because it starts and gets over in a snap, and I’m like ‘no, I want another go!’”
Aditi will also wear some of Payal’s creations in her upcoming film Aur Devdas, in which she plays the role of Chandramukhi. “Sudhir Mishra will always do something quirky, so his Devdas is also an adaptation of the original Devdas, and I’m playing a character called Chandni, based on Chandramukhi. It’s set in the North, in the current times,” she explained. While this Chandramukhi’s role doesn’t involve a lot of dancing, and even though Aditi is a trained dancer, is she worried about comparisons with actresses who’ve played the role in the past? “I don’t let those thoughts enter my mind. If I did, I would not be able to do any work. Because somebody has always done it before you. So, I always look at those people who have been great performers as inspiration. When you watch good actresses and dancers, you tend to imbibe stuff from them, so I look at it as a positive thing,” she said.
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While Aditi wishes for some sort of backing at times, she says that she’s happy with how things are. She said, “I think it’s been one step at a time for me. Every year has been a better year, considering I came out of nowhere and didn’t know anyone and didn’t know how to play the game. I still don’t. I’ve done some credible work and it’s getting better. I’ve always maintained that I’ll pick quality over quantity, so I’ve done fewer films and they’ve all been good. But sometimes I wish I had more backing. In the sense that I think when you’re propped up from each and every way – and I never grudge people who are – when you are propped up, there’s always someone making sure you’re sort of cushioned. But for those who don’t have that, you learn things the hard way. And you really struggle, every step is uphill. I don’t know if it makes you tougher but it teaches you a lot. Bhatt sahab says this, and so does Sudhir Mishra, that for actors, their emotional journey and struggle and pain is very important. It sounds frightening but it’s true, because it teaches you something about the world.”

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