Aditi Rao Hydari is an Indian actress who works mainly in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu films. She made her film debut with the Malayalam film Prajapathi (2006). She went on to have major to minor supporting roles in several Hindi films, including the musical romantic drama, Rockstar (2011), the horror-thriller Murder 3 (2013), the thriller Wazir (2016), and the historical period film Padmaavat (2018).
Hydari made her Tamil film debut with Mani Ratnam’s Kaatru Veliyidai (2017), for which she won SIIMA Award for Best Debut Actress – Tamil. She received Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu nomination for her Telugu debut Sammohanam (2018). She has since played the lead in several films including Chekka Chivantha Vaanam (2018), Sufiyum Sujatayum (2020), Maha Samudram (2021) and Hey Sinamika (2022).
Early and Personal Life
Aditi’s parents separated when she was two years old, and she has no siblings. While her father remained in Hyderabad, her mother took Aditi with her and moved to New Delhi, giving rise to a bitter legal battle for custody and father’s visiting rights. At one point, when Aditi (a mere child) was brought to court by her mother to tell the judge that she did not want to spend any part of her school vacation with her father, the judge felt moved to tell Aditi that she was being “brain-washed” and that she should spend time with her father. However, this did not happen. Due to the bitterness between her parents, Aditi saw little of her father in childhood, and had a difficult relationship with him in her adulthood. After many years, her father remarried, but he never had any other children. Aditi’s mother never remarried, but she had an active social life and career, and so, after custody issues abated and Aditi was old enough, she sent Aditi away to boarding school. This was the Rishi Valley School near Madanapalle in Andhra Pradesh. Aditi later graduated from Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi.
Hydari spent her early childhood and later school vacations in New Delhi and also Hyderabad, where much of her family lived. She started learning Bharatanatyam at age six and became a student of acclaimed Delhi-based exponent Leela Samson. Hydari uses both of her parents’ surnames. She explained, “I wanted to keep both, as my mom has brought me up, but my father is also a part of me. Hydari is a rare name so I kept both Rao and Hydari.”
In 2004 and again in 2009, it was reported that Aditi was married to Satyadeep Mishra, an Indian lawyer and former actor. The actress had declined to comment on her marital status in a 2012 interview, but in a 2013 interview, she mentioned that she and Mishra were now separated. Hydari had met Mishra when she was 17 years old, and it was with him that she had her first serious relationship. She married him at the age of 21, but they kept the marriage a secret, since she was trying to be an actress. Although now separated, the two have kept in touch over the years and remain close friends.
Aditi Rao Hydari Affair Measurements Height Weight Bra Size Age
| Bio | |
|---|---|
| Real Name | Aditi Rao Hydari |
| Nickname | Not Known |
| Profession | Actress |
| Physical Stats & More | |
| Height | in centimeters- 165 cm in meters- 1.65 m in Feet Inches- 5’ 5” |
| Weight | in Kilograms- 52 kg in Pounds- 115 lbs |
| Figure Measurements | 34-26-34 |
| Eye Colour | Dark Brown |
| Hair Colour | Black |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 28 October 1986 |
| Age (as in 2023) | 37 Years (As per our research, she was born in 1978, but according to internet sources she was born in 1986) |
| Birth Place | Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India (now in Telangana) |
| Zodiac sign/Sun sign | Scorpio |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Hometown | Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India (now in Telangana) |
| School | Rishi Valley School, Madanapalle, Andhra Pradesh |
| College | Lady Shri Ram College for Women, New Delhi |
| Educational Qualifications | Graduated |
| Debut | Film Debut: Prajapathi (2006, Malayalam film) Delhi 6 (2008, Bollywood) |
| Family | Father– Late Ehsaan Hydari Mother– Vidya Rao Brother– N/A Sister– N/A |
| Religion | Not Known (Her father was a Muslim and her mother is a Hindu) |
| Hobbies | Yoga , dancing, singing |
| Controversies | • On the occasion of Indian Independence Day in 2015, Aditi posted a ‘Salute Selfie’. But, it got her into trouble as people criticized her for insulting the nation by saluting with the left hand. • In May 2016, she had to attend a fashion show event in Noida, but on her way to the venue, the traffic police caught her for driving her car on the wrong side of the road. • In 2016, there were rumours that the reason behind Farhan Akhtar’s divorce with Adhuna was due to his closeness to his ‘Wazir’ co-star Aditi Rao Hydari. |
| Favourite Things | |
| Favourite Food | Hot chocolate fudge, Charu with chawal, Neyi avakaya annamamman |
| Favourite Actor | Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Ranveer Singh |
| Favourite Actress | Dia Mirza, Richa Chadha |
| Favourite Film | Bollywood: Disney ABCD2, Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam, Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi Hollywood: Life is Beautiful, Iris, Pan’s Labyrinth, Love Actually |
| Favourite Directors | Imtiaz Ali, Anurag Basu, Shoojit Sircar, Aanand L Rai and Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Mani Ratnam |
| Favourite Musician | A.R. Rahman |
| Favourite TV Shows | Indian: Coke Studio |
| Favourite Colour | White |
| Favourite Book | Living the Dream: Bollywood by Mark Bennington |
| Favourite Perfume | Floral fragrances |
| Favourite Fashion Designer | Sanjay Garg, Bibhu Mohapatra |
| Favourite Restaurant | Busago in Mumbai |
| Favourite Destination | Turkey, London |
| Boys, Affairs and More | |
| Marital Status | Separated |
| Affairs/Boyfriends | Satyadeep Mishra (Actor) Arunoday Singh (Actor, rumour) Farhan Akhtar (Actor) |
| Husband/Spouse | Satyadeep Mishra (Separated) |
| Children | Son– N/A Daughter– N/A |
| Style Quotient | |
| Car Collection | Ford Endeavour |
| Money Factor | |
| Salary | 60-70 lakh/film (INR) |
| Net Worth | $7 million |
Background and Family
Aditi Rao Hydari was born in Hyderabad to Ehsaan Hydari and his wife Vidya Rao. Aditi’s father, who died in 2013, was a Sulaimani Bohra Muslim. Aditi’s mother, Vidya Rao, is a practicing Buddhist who was born the daughter of a Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin father from Mangalore and a Telugu mother. Hydari is thus of mixed lineage whether in terms of religion (Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist), community (Bohra, Brahmin, Telugu) or language (Konkani, Telugu, Kannada, Urdu).
Both of Hydari’s parents belong to the nobility of erstwhile Hyderabad state. Aditi’s father, Ehsaan Hydari, was the grandson of Akbar Hydari, sometime Prime Minister of Hyderabad state, and the nephew of Muhammad Saleh Akbar Hydari, former Governor of Assam. Aditi’s mother, Vidya Rao, is a classical singer accomplished in the thumri and dadra genres of Hindustani music. Her mother (Aditi’s maternal grandmother), Shanta Rameshwar Rao (not to be confused with the writer Shanta Rama Rao), was the founder of Vidyaranya High School in Hyderabad and chairperson of the publishing house Orient Blackswan (owned by her father, the Raja). Shanta Rameshwara Rao was the daughter of J. Rameshwar Rao, last ruling Raja of Wanaparthy. He was one of the four highest-ranking nobleman in the court of the Nizam of Hyderabad. His ancestral Jagir, Wanaparthy, was one of the four largest feudal estates under Hyderabad state; the holders of these estates held the title of “Maharaja.” Incidentally, filmmaker Kiran Rao, one of the former wives of actor Aamir Khan, is Aditi’s maternal first cousin.
Breakthrough and success
In 2016, Hydari starred alongside Amitabh Bachchan and Farhan Akhtar in Bejoy Nambiar’s crime thriller film Wazir. The film tells the story of two unusual friends, a chess grandmaster who uses a wheelchair, played by Bachchan, and a grief-stricken ATS officer, played by Akhtar. Hydari played the love interest of Akhtar’s character. The film released on 8 January 2016 to mostly positive reviews and had the box office collection of around ₹620 million (US$7.8 million). Hydari also garnered praise for her performance. Gayatri Gauri in her review for Firstpost called Hydari’s performance a “welcome change from glamorous heroines we usually see on screen.” Abhijit Bhaduri of The Times of India said that despite the lack of focus on her character, she did justice to her part by “conveying stuff with her eyes.” Ananya Bhattacharya of India Today gave Hydari the highest praise saying that she “brings vulnerability to her Ruhana” added that she “has to her credit several strong sequences.”
Hydari next starred in Abhishek Kapoor’s tomantic drama film Fitoor, along with Tabu, Aditya Roy Kapur and Katrina Kaif. The film based on Charles Dickens’ novel Great Expectations, had Hydari play the role of the younger Miss Havisham (later played by Tabu). The film was released on 12 February 2016 to mixed reviews and underperformed at the box-office. However, Hydari garnered praise for her performance. Sarita Tanwar of Daily News and Analysis in her review wrote: “Aditi Rao Hydari does full justice to the part of young Begum”, and Surabhi Redkar of Koimoi deemed her “stunning”. Her third film of 2016, The Legend of Michael Mishra had a poor response from critics, with the critic from The Times of India noting “Aditi Rao Hydari’s good looks is the only good thing about this amateurish attempt, masquerading as a feature film, aimed for adults.”
Hydari’s first project of 2017, Kaatru Veliyidai, marked her first collaboration with director Mani Ratnam and second film in Tamil Cinema. She played the role of Leela Abraham, a doctor based in Kargil during the 1999 war, who has a tumultuous and abusive relationship with a fighter pilot, played by Karthi. Upon release, Kaatru Veliyidai garnered mixed reviews; though critics predominantly praised the performance of Hydari along with A. R. Rahman’s music and Ravi Varman’s cinematography. She next appeared as the titular lead in Omung Kumar’s Bhoomi, with Sanjay Dutt.
Hydari then played the role of Alauddin Khalji’s first wife, Queen Mehrunisa, opposite Ranveer Singh in the epic film Padmaavat directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. The film released on 25 January 2018 amidst numerous controversies and protests. Padmaavat received mixed reviews from critics but was a box office success. Hydari received much praise for her portrayal of Mehrunisa.
2018 also marked Aditi’s second film with Mani Ratnam and third film in Tamil Cinema with Chekka Chivantha Vaanam. She played Parvathi, one of the eight lead roles. She was paired with actor Arvind Swamy. Meanwhile, her other co-stars of Chekka Chivantha Vaanam included Vijay Sethupathi, Arun Vijay, Silambarasan, Jyothika and Dayana Erappa. The film had a worldwide release on 27 September 2018. She did her Tollywood debut with Sammohanam which was critically acclaimed directed by Mohan Krishna Indraganti. She was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu and SIIMA Award for Best Actress (Telugu). She won Best debut actress award at the Zee Cine Awards Telugu and Special jury award at TSR TV9 awards. Aditi Rao Hydari was also part of Telugu space thriller film Antariksham 9000 KMPH. Hydari next starred in Sudhir Mishra’s political thriller film Daas Dev, which is an adaptation of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s 1917 novel Devdas. She essayed the part of Chandramukhi in the film opposite Rahul Bhat.
In 2021, Aditi Rao Hydari’s appeared in suspense film The Girl On The Train, directed by Ribhu Dasgupta. The film starring Parineeti Chopra, Kirti Kulhari, Avinash Tiwary, and Sammy Jonas Heaney alongside her, is based on British author Paula Hawkins 2015 novel of the same name. Her next film the same year, was the Netflix film Ajeeb Daastaans, for which she received positive reviews. She next played a cameo role of Young Sardar Kaur in Sardar Ka Grandson. Her final film of the year was Telugu film Maha Samudram
In 2022, she played Mouna, in the Tamil film Hey Sinamika, It received mixed reviews.
Hydari will next star in Vikramaditya Motwane’s web series Jubilee. She will also appear alongside Vijay Sethupathi and Arvind Swamy in the silent film Gandhi Talks.
Filmography
Films
| Year | Title | Role | Language |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Prajapathi | Savithri | Malayalam |
| 2007 | Sringaram | Madhura/Varshini | Tamil |
| 2009 | Delhi 6 | Rama | Hindi |
| 2010 | Dhobi Ghat | Guest at art gallery | Hindi |
| 2011 | Yeh Saali Zindagi | Shanti | Hindi |
| Rockstar | Sheena | Hindi | |
| 2012 | London, Paris, New York | Lalitha Krishnan | Hindi |
| 2013 | Murder 3 | Roshni | Hindi |
| Boss | Ankita Thakur | Hindi | |
| 2014 | Khoobsurat | Kiara | Hindi |
| Rama Madhav | Herself | Marathi | Special appearance in song “Loot Liyo Mohe Shyam” |
| 2015 | Guddu Rangeela | Baby | Hindi |
| 2016 | Wazir | Ruhana Ali | Hindi |
| Fitoor | Young Begum Hazrat | Hindi | Cameo appearance |
| The Legend of Michael Mishra | Varshali Shukla | Hindi | |
| 2017 | Kaatru Veliyidai | Leela Abraham | Tamil |
| Bhoomi | Bhoomi Sachdeva | Hindi | |
| 2018 | Padmaavat | Mehrunisa | Hindi |
| Daas Dev | Chandni | Hindi | |
| Sammohanam | Sameera | Telugu | |
| Chekka Chivantha Vaanam | Parvathi | Tamil | |
| Antariksham 9000 KMPH | Riya | Telugu | |
| 2020 | Psycho | Dagini | Tamil |
| Sufiyum Sujatayum | Sujatha | Malayalam | |
| V | Saheba | Telugu | |
| 2021 | The Girl on the Train | Nusrat John | Hindi |
| Ajeeb Daastaans | Priya Sharma | Hindi | |
| Sardar Ka Grandson | Young Swanmeet “Sardar” Kaur | Hindi | Cameo appearance |
| Maha Samudram | Mahalakshmi | Telugu | |
| 2022 | Hey Sinamika | Mouna | Tamil |
| 2023 | Gandhi Talks  | TBA | Silent |
Web series
| Year | Title | Role | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Taj: Divided by Blood | Anarkali | ZEE5 |
| Heeramandi | TBA | Netflix | Filming |
| Jubilee | TBA | Amazon Prime Video | Completed |
Dubbing
Discography
| Year | Film | Song | Music Director | Language | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Jail | “Kaathodu Kaathanen” (co-singer Dhanush) | G. V. Prakash Kumar | Tamil |