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.”