For an actor belonging to a royal lineage herself, Aditi Rao Hydari can’t get enough of being a part of period dramas. Last seen playing Alauddin Khilji’s wife Mehrunisa in Padmaavat (2018), she has now transformed into the iconic dancer Anarkali for the latest web series, Taj––Divided by Blood. “It’s incredible to be part of stories pertaining to our culture and history. Every time I am chosen for it,
I take it as a huge compliment,” says Hydari.
The show, which was released on Zee5 on March 3, also stars Naseeruddin Shah, Dharmendra, Sandhya Mridul and Rahul Bose. Directed by British filmmaker Ron Scalpello, it chronicles the history of the Mughal dynasty in the subcontinent, with a focus on Akbar’s reign.
While it was Bina Rai who first played Anarkali in the 1953 eponymous film, the role was immortalised on screen by Madhubala in Mughal-e-Azam (1960). Unfazed and excited, Hydari admits feeling flattered for being given an opportunity to bring something of her own to the character. “It was quite a pinch-me moment, but I don’t mind the comparisons. They (Rai and Madhubala) have changed the way we look at a certain kind of cinema and remain a constant inspiration,” she says.
From making her Bollywood debut as an unwed woman of marriageable age in Delhi 6, to playing an impulsive reporter in Rockstar, and a traumatised mother who loses her child in a terror attack in Wazir, the 36-year-old has come a long way in her quest to make a mark in the industry. Even in southern cinema, where she has more roles under her belt than Bollywood, her talent was recognised twice by Mani Ratnam in Kaatru Veliyidai and Chekka Chivantha Vaanam. Small or big, Hindi or regional, she has a way of making her characters memorable, and her Anarkali is no exception.
Hydari insists that Scalpello brings freshness to the age-old tale. “We have all heard about Anarkali’s tragic love story, but the series captures her humanness. She is a fearless girl longing for love and freedom. That’s what excited me about the role,” she says.
That Taj––Divided by Blood is an OTT series, her first, was another factor that worked for the actor. “There’s a lot of creative freedom in the format. Viewers are hungry for good stories and we too are making some incredible stuff for OTT. Whether films or shows, it’s a great time for everybody, from writers to actors and cinematographers,” she says, adding, “I love theatres, but here you are reaching the audiences on a global level.”
The actor’s training as a Bharatnatyam dancer has also come in handy for the series. “Anarkali’s heart and mind is all about dance and music. The moment she thinks about her freedom, her love, that’s when she dances,” says Hydari, who will be seen as a courtesan also in her upcoming project, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi—a historical drama set in the 1940s. There’s also Gandhi Talks, a silent film, directed by Pandurang Belekar, and Jubilee with Vikramaditya Motwane, another period film about the birth of Bollywood.