Had to tell makers I won't do certain things: Aditi Rao Hydari on Bhoomi debacle

Aditi Rao Hydari is in seventh heaven. In 2017, she got a chance to live out some of her dreams. “I always dreamed of what it would be like to sing with A.R. Rahman sir. I got that chance at his One Heart concert in New York. It was like a dream come true. Of course, I was frightened and nervous, but it’s something I’ve always looked forward to,” she smiles.

And of course, singing is in Aditi’s genes. “My mother was a classical vocalist. So I guess I imbibed her talent. But having said that, I must confess, I have no training in singing. So what I warble, I do from feeling and not practice,” she adds.

But singing with Rahman isn’t the only dream Aditi realised this year. “I also got to work with two of my favourite directors. Mani Ratnam’s Tamil movie Kaatru Veliyidai got me tremendous recognition. And as far as I’m concerned, it was a fulfilling experience. As for the other dream, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmavati, it’s disappointing that the film couldn’t release in 2017. But the thrill of working with Mr Bhansali is undiminished.”

Despite this, 2017 has been a mixed bag for her, considering Bhoomi met with a disastrous reception at the box office. “All of us associated with the film had high expectations from it,” she asserts. “I took it on because I wanted to show the audience that a girl from a small town can fight back when pushed into a corner.”

But somewhere, Aditi feels, the message was lost. “I feel I was in a different universe from the film’s makers. There were times I had to intervene and say that I won’t do certain things. But, in spite of the film’s actual intentions — or what I thought was the actual intention — it got drowned in a lot of noise. Still, I have no regrets about doing Bhoomi. Everything that happens in life is for a reason.”