Extraordinary Aditi

The young actress who insists she is an artiste before she is a star, lets her hair down in the naturally luxurious ecotel SonevaFushi in the Maldives. Hello! Captures the less known facets of a talent indifferent to the BollyjungleHustle.

- Sangeeta Wadhwani

Happiness! It’s always the little things – walking barefoot, feeling the earth, the dappled sun on your face, a surprise basket of fruit on your dinner table, a cycle ride, the sound of the ocean, the wind in your hair, a tight never-ending hug, smiling faces, food fresh from nature, dolphins in the ocean, rabbits peeking from behind the trees… the belief that everything is always magical…always!” she posted on her Instagram account, just days after our HELLO! photoshoot.

Aditi Rao Hydari is a chatty girl, who can convince you that a fairy lurks just beyond the pale. A hippie in a halcyon whirl, she clearly values transparency and sincerity in her psycho-ecological environment, the ultimate luxury offered by island living. Our four day photo-expedition truly saw her absorb and flow with the energies around her. “I do not really take my own decisions so seriously,” she said, at one point, admitting that this may sound a tad silly; “...but rather, I want to enjoy the journey, working with my instinct and intuition.” Clearly, she doesn’t mean killer instinct...

Most seasoned film wallahs would know that mainstream cinema is anything but island living. It is a jungle of nepotism, tough-talking star managers, predators, ever ready to take a bite out of a ‘Bollywould’ sans sugar daddies or filmi family. Just being in this jungle is an act of courage. Aditi has that and even more courage, to insist on working from a space of dignity. “What upset me more was that they even spoke to me like that; how dare they speak like that? How dare they force and threaten you. I feel it’s okay to get your point across, to proposition, but you cannot threaten someone and be aggressive if they say ‘no compromise’. You leave and you know it will be okay. I did cry a lot, but deep inside I knew it would be fine.”