Aditi Rao On Working With Her Two Dream Director Bhansali & Ratnam

For a girl with  no Bollywood connections at all, Aditi Rao has made fabulous headway. With Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Mani Ratnam directing her simultaneously, Aditi couldn’t have asked for more.

Not that she is smug about her singular achievement. “There is so much more to do!” she sighs  nursing a throbbing head and a clogged nose on a feverish Friday afternoon. “I agree, working with Mani Sir and Sanjay sir is every actor’s dream come true.When I think of how much I’ve learned from them my eyes well up.”

It is certainly Aditi’s dream come true. “I remember when I had come to Mumbai, I was this lost waif trying to find my way around, my best friend who has remained  my closest confidante over the years, asked me my wish-list of directors .I  vividly remember I had mentioned three  names Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Mani Ratnam and VishalBhardwaj.I’ve  already got two   of those on my wish-list . Soon I hope to get Vishalji to direct me.”

So how different was the experience  of working with  the two stalwarts? “Sanjay Sir and Mani Sir  are very different creative artistes….I mean, they are a world apart in terms of treatment.  My journey  with both of them was very different. But the destination was the same. Perfection. Or as close as humanly possible to get there.”

Aditi is now at home waiting for the crisis precipitated by premature protests against  Padmavati in Jaipur to be resolved.

“What  has happened is very distressful. Sanjay Sir is a true artiste and a  responsible artiste. He would never do anything to hurt anyone’s sentiments. It is sad that instead of granting an artiste of his caliber the freedom to fly some try to clip his wings,” says Aditi.