Aditi Rao Hydari is not a familiar name. In fact, most of us saw her for the first time in Delhi-6, which released last Friday.The actress played Ramaa bua – Bittu's unwed aunt – sans any make-up and sported a cotton sari throughout the movie.
It takes a few phone calls and a good deal of patience till you finally get her mobile number.
Later that evening you are standing before a man (presumably) in his late 20s as he opens the door. "Hello!" he says ushering you into a cosy apartment in Versova.
It's not the kind of houses that most out-of-town newcomers usually live in. For starters, it actually looks liveable! It's well decorated; a high-end music system is playing soft number in the backdrop and the walls have been freshly painted.
There's something about it that makes it a home and not just an accommodation. It's a place that has been decorated by someone who actually wants to live in it – and that's saying a lot by Bollywood standards.
The voice on the phone walks in. She's a far cry from her onscreen image – a subdued young Delhi girl waiting for life to happen to her.
In fact, the only thing common between her and Ramaa bua is the Delhi connection. But it ends there.
Aditi is a commerce graduate from Lady Sriram College and has completed her schooling from Rishi Valley, a school near Bangalore that imbibes the teachings of philosopher J Krishnamurthy.
The young actress – she refuses to divulge her age ('It's suicidal') – is married to a former bureaucrat-turned-lawyer-turned-aspiring actor (whew) who had opened the door earlier.
Having migrated from Delhi ('It is for good') the two spend their days auditioning for roles.
Unlike her husband Satyadeep, Aditi is not new to showbiz.
She has to her credit Sringaram a National Award-winning Tamil film. Set largely in the 1920s, Bharatnatyam and the Devdasi system, form the central themes of this movie.
Interestingly she has also acted in a Malayalam movie with Mammotty, which she refuses to talk about. "It wasn't a pleasant experience working in that film," is all she is willing to say.
Aditi says that Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra spotted her when he watched her in Sringaram. "When the film was at the National Awards, Rakeysh and Bharti saw me and got my number from somewhere," she says.
(Later that evening a friend calls up to say that Rakeysh saw her in 'some Mammotty film' and wanted to cast her)
Nonetheless, next thing Aditi was giving a screen test. "I was auditioned for three parts –that of the moneylender's (Prem Chopra) wife, Bittu (eventually Sonam Kapoor played the role) and Ramaa the unwed aunt," she says adding, "Actually they were thinking of expanding Sita's role in the Ram Leela too. But that didn't happen."
You ask her if she was aware that Shefali Shah was being considered for the role and she replies, "They had to make some changes in Ramaa's character. She was supposed to be older and a widow. I'm told Juhi Chawla was considered too."
After about 20-odd minutes of talking about her role we return to talking about her roots. She says her parents have been separated. With little or no inclination of getting into her personal space you want to change the topic when she says, "My mum runs a small publication house."
It turns out that the 'small' publication house is called Orient Longman (now called Orient Blackswan) a fairly prominent company by any standards.
There's a moment of silence.
Another connection about Orient Longman that Aditi doesn't mention is the fact that the company is run by an erstwhile royal family.
"So you're a princess," you ask slowly and somewhat excitedly. This was clearly becoming one of the most interesting interviews.
Another moment of silence.
"Er… yes!" she says hesitantly not expecting you to make this connection.
You assure her it was okay if she didn't want to talk about it. But she continues, "Raja J Rameshwar Rao was my maternal grandfather and Sir Akbar Hydari was my grandfather from my dad's side."
Anyone who knows a little about Andhrya Pradesh will tell you that these names are not to be taken lightly. Akbar Hydari was responsible for the establishment of the Osmania University and Rameshwar Rao was part of one of the prominent princely families around Hyderabad.
"My mum moved to Delhi. She's also a singer," Aditi says, "And she's playing Aishwarya Rai's mother in Ravana."
While she doesn't reveal anything about the much-talked about movie, interesting anecdotes keep tricking at regular intervals.
As it seems, as a child, Aditi caught the fancy of Muzaffar Ali. He was to cast her in Zooni, a film that never saw the light of the day. "I was to play Dimple Kapadia's daughter," Aditi says, "He hoped the film would be made. But it wasn't to be."
For now though, Aditi Rao Hydari spends her time with her pet Frodo and her husband Satyadeep are busy 'being unemployed'. At other times, she cooks Hyderabadi Biryani for her friends.
"I am in talks with a few filmmakers. But it's too early to speak about it," she ends with a Bollywood cliché. What the hell! A princess can take that liberty.
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