Priyanka Chopra, Aishwarya Rai, Deepika Padukone: what luxury jewellery brands do Bollywood’s brightest stars rock on the red carpet?

Where did she come from?

Born in the southern state of Hyderabad to Ehsaan Hydari and Vidya Rao (an acclaimed singer known for the thumri and dadra genres of Hindustani classical music), Aditi belongs to not one, but two, royal lineages.

Her father’s side of the family (she is pictured with him above) is Bohri Muslim, and she is the great granddaughter of Akbar Hydari, former prime minister of Hyderabad during colonial rule. On her mother’s side, Aditi is the granddaughter of Raja (King) Janumpally Rameshwar Rao, who was born to Raja Krishnadeva Rao and Rani Sarala Devi, both belonging to the Wanaparthy Samasthanam. Her cultural background is therefore a mix of Bohri, Chitrapur Saraswat and Telugu.

How did she get her break?

Before she was an actor, Aditi was a Bharatnatyam dancer. She began her training at the tender age of 11 under the watchful eye of critically acclaimed dancer and choreographer Leela Samson.

The physical grace and knowledge of traditional dance she acquired in her early years certainly helped her film career, because while most of her movies are southern Indian – including her latest, Sufiyum Sujatayum, the Malayali film where she plays a deaf and mute Kathak dancer – she is starred in projects across the spectrum, from Bollywood and Kollywood to Mollywood.

What else has she been in?

Aditi stands out from the crowd thanks to her fresh-faced looks and innate elegance. While much of Bollywood is unashamedly brash and glamorous, Aditi has a subtle presence, and channels her characters effortlessly and naturally. Though she had previously worked on movies such as Delhi 6, Wazir and Rockstar, it was her portrayal as Queen Mehrunissa, the wife of Alauddin Khilji, in Padmaavat that let her talent shine through.

She may have achieved stardom and a strong fan following in Bollywood later in her career, but some of the key films that led her there were those she made with veteran Tamil filmmaker Mani Ratnam. It was making films with him that she claims really gave her clarity and perspective, as well as a certain fearlessness and instinct for doing movies.

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