When Aditi met Sabyasachi

Fashion and film have always been a winning combination. Here, the old-world charm of award-winning actor Aditi Rao Hydari meets the timeless creations of the country’s leading couturier, Sabyasachi Mukherjee—an apt homage to the classic Indian bride.

- Nupur Sarvaiya

Aditi Rao Hydari had a good 2020. In fact, she’s been having a few good years now! Often times, the tenure of an actor in the lm industry can be excruciatingly brief: a spate of curiosity, a  amboyant debut and then a discreet retreat to anonymity. But with each new release, whether in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu or Malayalam lm industry, Rao Hydari has only dug her heels further in. Working indie cred with commercial success, the actor, dancer and singer has refused to play it safe—and with good reason. She has arresting looks, the poise and the grace of a classicallytrained dancer as well as stellar acting chops to carve a niche for herself. Her almost-perfect demeanor reminds you that she comes from two royal lineages, while her nonchalance reinstates she’s every inch the witty, charming girl-nextdoor.

Spend a few minutes with her, and her infectious positivity takes hold. And it is this mettle and honesty that have won the multi-hyphenate a legion of fans, including 5.9 million followers on Instagram (at the time of going to press). Here, she paints a picture of her life in lockdown, her love for cinema, and tells us about her love for handlooms and why it was a dream-come-true to play the quintessential Sabyasachi bride.

“Difcult times help us recognise our priorities”