Aditi Rao Hydari: I wasn’t an actor when I did my first film.

Of late, Aditi Rao Hydari has been exploring projects down south too. The actress who’s done notable work in Hindi films like Delhi 6 (2009), Yeh Saali Zindagi, Rockstar (2011), Murder 3 (2013), Padmaavat (2018) made her entry into showbiz with a south project. She was seen in Tamil film Sringaram in 2007.

Even though that film marked her debut on screen, Aditi points out that the movie only introduced her as a dancer. She says, “I wasn’t an actor when I did my first film Sringaram. I had been dancing since I was 5-years-old. The film needed a trained classical dancer and they saw me dancing in Chennai at a dance festival.”

Post Sringaram, the actress was seen in Delhi 6 and began her journey in Bollywood. It is only since 2017 that she started picking up Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam projects and has been a part of over half a dozen of regional films.

About her move, Aditi says, “Stories make you feel. These feelings have no language. In fact, feelings are universal. So, if I get a good script, a good co-star, a good director and a good team, I’ll push myself, learn whatever I need to and give into the process. I really enjoy that, it’s magical.”

In her repertoire of movies, the actor has teamed up with Mani Ratnam twice – Kaatru Veliyidai (2017) and Chekka Chivantha Vaanam (2018). The director being her favourite, Aditi always looks forward to working with the filmmaker. “The thought about working with him multiple times makes me do a victory dance,” she says.