Aditi Rao Hydari On Playing The Brutal Bi-Sexual Bad Shah’s Begum
The very beautiful Aditi Rao Hydari is dazzled by the compliments she has received for her brief yet evocative role inSanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat.
“I never expected so much praise for such a brief role. But then Sanjay Sir had told me I’d be happy with my role. I am not just happy. I am overjoyed. The response has been tremendous.And I can see why. My character Mehrunissa comes across as the only source of positivity that’s pure and honest in Khilji’s life.”
Aditi is happy to be the light of Ranveer Singh’s life.
“Ranveer Singh’s Khilji is such a dark evil character. There’s no light in his life.Except his wife. Played by me. She is the light in that deep well of Khilji’s consciousness,” says Aditi who is billed as a ‘guest appearance’ in the credits of Padmaavat.
Says the actress, “That’s Sanjay sir’s decision to give me that respect because of the limited footage I had. While shooting also I felt I was hardly there since I was hardly called to shoot. I never realized until I saw the film what a brilliant director can do to a character when even in the limited space provided by the plot.”
Aditi feels the impact of her character in Padmaavat is due to the writing. “You see, there is so much to Mehrunissa than meets the eye. She marries the monster knowing what he’s like. There’s a back-story to their alliance. They’re supposed to be childhood friends.”
What Aditi really loved about her character was its progressiveness. “She knows her husband is a monster.She knows he’s a bi-sexual. But she is not scared of him. She looks into his maniacal eyes without flinching and she wears the crown that her father once wore and which has now been usurped by her unscrupulous husband , with dignity even if is too large for her petite head.”
Aditi gives all the credit for the impact of her role to her director. “Sanjay Sir made Mehrunissa much more than just a victim of a sadistic marriage. She understands her responsibilities as royalty and fulfills them with great dignity under pressure.”