Aditi Rao Hydari on brief, impactful ‘Padmaavat’ role

Actress Aditi Rao Hydari says her role as Mehrunisa in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film Padmaavat was a small but special one.

“It has been a childhood dream of mine to work with Sanjay sir. I am actually very overwhelmed by the response because Mehrunisa, I knew, has a very special part and Sanjay sir had always told me that anyone who reads the script always asks who is going to play Mehrunisa. So, I knew it was a special part but it was a very tiny part,” Hydari said.

“The kind of response that Mehrunisa has got is incredible and I give full credit to Sanjay sir, the writers, the director of photography, the people who create that look for her. It’s very complete part,” she added.

“In every scene, her character and how she comes out so beautifully in very few words [is beautiful], so full credit to people who created that character and I really enjoyed playing her,” Hydari said.

Padmaavat, which stars Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh in key roles, was released after a string of controversies. Despite the hurdles, it is on its way to making Rs2 billion (Dh114 million) at the box office.

Hydari, who played the wife of Singh’s character Alauddin Khilji, says she was pleased to perform a character that was so strong.

“It’s such a pleasure to play somebody who is not only vulnerable, delicate, regal, grace personified and pure, but also who is fearless and stands up for what is right at every stage and has absolutely no fear in doing so. I think it was a very beautiful character,” she said.