Aditi Rao Hydari was one of the chief guests at the closing ceremony of the 29th Kolkata International Film Festival at Rabindra Sadan on Tuesday. The goal of the festival this year was to present before cine lovers the contemporary faces of Indian cinema, and Aditi being one of them, was received with a warm welcome at the festival. Calcutta is a city she has been visiting since her childhood and loves coming back to at every opportunity she gets, revealed Aditi in her charmingly mellow voice with a hint of excitement. She loves the city, its people, culture, art, food and films. After spending a busy afternoon at KIFF, with a cup of black coffee in her hand, Aditi sat down for a tete-a-tete with The Telegraph, speaking her heart out:
What are your earliest memories of Kolkata?
I used to come with my mother to the place where we get all the saris…Gariahat. I have also danced with my teacher Leela Samson at Princep Ghat. I love to go to Sharma Tea a lot whenever I come here and also 6 Ballygunge Place, but it is always difficult for us to know the local places. I also love the phuchka from here.
Do you still pursue dance actively?
I dance and sing all the time! That’s so much a part of me. I was born listening to the tanpura and my mother doing riyaz every morning. I do it all the time. I do it in the van, I do it anywhere.
As an artiste, what helps you to express yourself best, dance or acting?
I think acting is a very beautiful mix of all the art forms. Between action and cut, there is rhythm in silence, there is music in silence. I see it as different forms of expression for me. I love to be in front of the camera. I find it very intimate and almost in a wonderland where I can do or be anything; find my own silences, own song and own rhythm. It is just such a beautiful, magical world.
Is there a particular turning point in your career that you love to look back at?
I think turning points keep coming and that is the best thing about being an artiste. It is about always evolving and always learning, but for me, I think my biggest dream was to be a Mani Ratnam heroine. I grew up with that dream. I wanted to be an actor because of that dream and he made me believe that dreams come true. Both Mani sir and Sanjay (Leela Bhansali) sir were instrumental in making me want to be a part of cinema and living that magical life. Also, Rituparno Ghosh. He is no more, so I never got that opportunity. But these are the three people I watched growing up and so wanted to be a part of their films.
Do you have a favourite Rituparno Ghosh film?
The film that I can remember now and was completely mesmerised by was Chokher Bali. I loved it so much. Also, Dosar… I have seen quite a few of his films.
As a contemporary actress, what is your thought on the different mediums you have the opportunity to explore now?
I think any medium where a writer can express themself and a director has the power to make and can take the risk to tell a story is a wonderful medium because it gives us actors the opportunity to work with different kinds of directors and be a part of different kinds of stories. But I will always love the theatre. It is so magical and it is amazing seeing myself act on that screen. But again, OTT mediums reach out to so many people in one day. There is such an intimacy. We keep going back to watching it over and over again. I believe, as actors we get into emotions and make you feel, so whether we make you feel on OTT or cinema, our job is the same. Where you watch it is different and for the directors and producers, it is a different way of working.
As viewers we love the subtlety in your acting. Do you as an actor also consider it your superpower?
That’s what people have to tell me. If I start talking about myself then I become self-conscious. I feel people who love me make me a star. They see the qualities in me. For me, I am just living in the moment and trying to be as full of life and honesty and love as I can.
You spoke about your working experience with Bumbada (Prosenjit Chatterjee)at KIFF. Is there anything in particular that you admire about him as an actor?
Bumbada has so much experience. What really struck me was his excitement to create a character. On set he is a student even though he possibly had the most experience on that set. There is a scene (in Jubilee) that he and Apar (Aparshakti Khurana) do where he is enacting a song. I feel that was a masterstroke, and I think I was lucky enough to work with him. He is still so curious and so excited to be on the set, that is very inspirational. He is so humble. He was the first person on set and the last person to leave. He was the frontbencher in our shoot. It is very difficult to talk about a legend. All I can say is he is very inspiring.
You are wearing a sari today and effortlessly carry everything that you wear. What’s your perspective on fashion?
There is nothing more fashionable than being authentic to yourself. Being who you are and there is nothing more fashionable than a sari. To me, fashion is not about trends. I don’t understand trends. I think fashion is about being timeless and loving and enjoying what you wear. For me, it is not a burden. If I like something, I wear it. I just have fun. And I am lucky that I get to wear such beautiful clothes, like today I am wearing a Sabyasachi sari. He is one of my favourite designers and I just love him. He is an incredible artist. I always look forward to wearing him and he makes the most incredible saris.
Pictures: B Halder