Aditi Rao Hydari: Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. What I have is just genetics. I didn’t do anything to look like this
The actor, who is appreciated for her looks as well as her performances, says she doesn’t think anything of herself; adds she is a regular person and is grateful for compliments
Cinema is a visual medium and good looking actors often have an edge. While looks have an upside, they can also affect the choice of roles. Aditi Rao Hydari admits that she loves compliments but also adds that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. Her ethereal appearance, looks and style are talked about often as her fans even calling her the modern Audrey Hepburn!
Ask her if she might be getting offers for certain roles based on her looks and the actor says, “Who wouldn’t love to get compliments? People are so kind and generous with their lovely words. But how I look like is all genetics. I didn’t do anything to look like this. I don’t think anything of myself. I am a regular person, I feel. But when people look at me, they see something else and I am grateful for that. As for getting particular type of roles, that might be the case. People are perceived in a certain way and then they tend to get similar work. I try to break it and do other kinds of roles. But as actors, we have to wait for the roles to be offered.”
She recalls that how for her Malayalam film Sufiyum Sujatayum (2020), she was dressed in a half sari, playing the role of a village girl, but “for the longest time, people couldn’t imagine me in a role like that. How could you look like a village girl? But I am an actor which is the point, to be able to portray different roles, have a different body language and be versatile. I don’t want to be put in a box. I get a kick every time I transform into a new character and do it well. I want to break stereotypes and do different roles. That is possible only if I get those roles! But if people are happy to look at me, I am happy to hear that as well” she says.
With a flourishing career in movies down South, The Girl On The Train actor has been balancing her career with Hindi films as well. She wants every director to find something new for her and tap something new in herself as an actor. “I would rather follow a director’s vision and breathe life into the character they envision. I am earnest about learning and wanting to do more on every set and be the best possible sponge – literally (laughs)!! Every time I walk onto a set, I feel like a child and have a lot of nervous energy till the first shot. I have not learnt acting or been to drama school, so I learn everyday on set, from my co-stars, directors, and people from other departments. When I choose people I work with, as one spends two months on a film, I must be able to respect everyone there and learn from them. I don’t know what works for me. If I realised what works for me, I would start imitating myself or feel the pressure that I have to do this or people will not like me. I don’t want to be that person,” she concludes.
