An Era of Her Own

Aditi Rao Hydari talks about playing Anarkali and her love for period dramas 

- Suhani Singh

Aditi Rao Hydari didn't plan it so, but it is what it is. Audiences cannot escape her in 2023, as the actress features in not one but three web series on three different streaming platforms. It's a coincidence that they are all period pieces mounted on a big scale. In the first to release, Taj: Divided by Blood (ZEE5), she plays the iconic character of Anarkali, the cause of friction between Emperor Akbar (played by Naseeruddin Shah) and his son, Salim (played by Aashim Gulati). Thereafter, she plays a yesteryear Hindi film actress in the Vikramaditya Motwane-directed Jubilee (Amazon Prime Video), and a courtesan in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's much-awaited Heeramandi (Netflix).