Would work repeatedly with Mani Ratnam and Sanjay Leela Bhansali: Aditi Rao Hydari

Mumbai: Actor Aditi Rao Hydari says she is blessed to have "incredible" directors such as Mani Ratnam and Sanjay Leela Bhansali choose her to be part of their vision more than once.

While the actor worked with Ratnam in two Tamil movies “Kaatru Veliyidai” and “Chekka Chivantha Vaanam”, she collaborated with Bhansali on “Padmaavat” and his upcoming debut web series “Heeramandi”.

“When incredible directors such as Ratnam sir and Bhansali sir pick me to be a part of their vision, I am truly grateful and blessed. And I would pick those opportunities again and again because I love to be nurtured and I love to be challenged.

"These directors do that and, in a heartbeat, I would work with them repeatedly, all the time. I'm happy to stand on their set every day,” Hydari told PTI in a virtual interview.

Describing herself as a director’s actor, the 36-year-old said she owes her growth as a performer to the storytellers she has collaborated with across industries.

“I feel that whatever I am or however people perceive me, it has a lot to do with the directors I have worked with and the way they have moulded me into their world and into the characters. I am a director's baby and I like being like that. I love to be able to surrender to a director's vision,” she added.

Hydari said her attempt is to build a diverse filmography.

“In the South, each film is different, each heroine that I have played is different. I am happy that I am working in so many industries and with so many directors who are pushing me in different directions, I love the challenge.

"I have always believed that I am an Indian film actor and films are stories and stories have feelings and feelings don’t have language,” she said.

The Hyderabad-born actor, who also has Vikramaditya Motwane's web series "Stardust" in the pipeline, said she hopes more exciting opportunities come her way from the Hindi belt.

“People say I am underrated, but I am working with Sanjay sir, Vikramaditya Motwane and some really lovely people. Maybe the opportunities are less, but not in my head. If more varied work comes to me in Hindi, I will jump at it,” she added.

Her latest work is the Hindi web series “Taj – Divided by Blood”, in which she plays the role of courtesan Anarkali.

The 10-episode series is described as a revelatory tale about the inner workings and the succession drama that played out in the hallowed chambers of the Mughal empire. The story encapsulates the reign of Emperor Akbar, played by Naseeruddin Shah, who is on a quest to find a worthy successor.

Hydari said her version of Anarkali is slightly different from screen legend Madhubala’s rendition in K Asif's blockbuster movie “Mughal-E-Azam” (1960), also starring Prithviraj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar.

She was initially sceptical to play the iconic role but after she heard the narration, she realised the story was beyond the much-talked-about Salim-Anarkali romance.

When her manager first informed her about the historical series, the actor recalled saying she didn't want to get "shoes thrown at me".

Hydari said the team of the series -- which has William Borthwick as showrunner, Simon Fantauzzo as writer and Ronald Scalpello as director -- didn't have the cultural context for Anarkali as a character.

"... They didn’t look at these characters as larger-than-life, iconic. They looked at them as flawed human beings with flawed relationships. I realised it was a different take and it was a different Anarkali,” she added.

Often projected as a tragic heroine, Anarkali was described as an ethereal, mystical and fearless character to Hydari, she recounted.

“Even though she's vulnerable, she's fearless about standing up and taking the punishment, and that gives her agency. It is a story that is based in history but it is creatively reimagined,” she said.

“Taj…” also stars Aashim Gulati as Prince Salim, Taaha Shah as Prince Murad, Shubham Kumar Mehra as Prince Daniyal, Sandhya Mridul as Queen Jodha Bai, Zareena Wahab as Queen Salima, and Dharmendra as Sheikh Salim Chishti, among others.

Produced by Contiloe Digital, the show is streaming on ZEE.