Aditi Rao Hydari – I still feel like an outsider in Bollywood

In her six-year Bollywood career, Aditi Rao Hydari has tasted both success and failures, but the actress says she still feels like an outsider as she does not have a family clout in the industry.

Aditi first appeared as Rama Bua in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s “Delhi-6”, but it was Sudhir Mishra’s “Yeh Saali Zindagi” which brought the actress to prominence.

“I do feel like an outsider in little little ways. For example, on social media, sometimes I feel I don’t have the support system which somebody else has. When I put something on social media, some people will support me and be genuinely sweet about it, but for somebody else, they have all their cousins, friends, uncles and aunts,” Aditi told PTI.

“All they have to do is send them a text saying ‘please do it’ and they’ll do it. It’s natural, which is why I never resent it. I also know it is not important in the larger scheme of things but it becomes important because in today’s digital world we are so image driven…,” she said.

The 29-year-old “London Paris New York” star says she neither has a big actor nor a production house back-up, which makes her struggle to be a part of films that she wants to work in.

“I don’t have a big production house, big director or a big actor backing me. I am taking things step by step. I came from outside, I knew nobody, I don’t know how to play the game, I can’t think of schemes or ways to put myself ahead of others or back stab somebody. Everyday is a struggle. Till today I struggle to do the films I want to do,” she said.

Even though she has worked with directors like Mehra, Sudhir Mishra, Imtiaz Ali (“Rockstar”), Subhash Kapoor (“Guddu Rangeela”), Aditi says she does not have the liberty to collaborate with a filmmaker of her choice.

“I don’t think I have the power to say today I want to work with so and so. But I do have the power to choose from what is in front of me, and the power to hope. I am a very positive person and I know if something great is meant for me, it will come to me,” she said. .
Aditi will be next seen in Bejoy Nambiar’s “Wazir”, which also stars megastar Amitabh Bachchan and Farhan Akhtar.

The “Murder 3” actress bagged the drama-thriller by auditioning for the role, but she has no qualms about it.

“I have no ego about auditions. As an actor I think it is right to do an audition, it is fine. I am not talking about going to an audition with 85 people already standing in the line. I don’t believe in that kind of process, because that is ridiculous. But you have to feel the character and the person has to see you that way,” she said.

In “Wazir”, Aditi will be seen playing a young mother. The actress is happy she is doing different roles as it is easy getting stereotyped in Bollywood.

“Stereotyping is a bit of an issue. The problem is people give terms to things – niche film, bubbly girl, intense actress, big star movie… I wish we don’t trap ourselves in these terms, because we limit ourselves badly,” she added.

Inputs by PTI