Aditi Rao Hydari

Acting

Aditi Rao Hydari

Born 1978-10-28 · Hyderabad, Telangana, India

Aditi Rao Hydari (born October 28, 1978) is an acclaimed Indian actress who works predominantly in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam films. Born in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, she hails from two royal lineages, belonging to the Tyabji-Hydari family. Her paternal grandfather was Akbar Hydari, the former Prime Minister of Hyderabad state, and her mother is the renowned Hindustani classical singer Vidya Rao. Hydari completed her schooling at the Rishi Valley School and graduated from Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi. A classically trained Bharatanatyam dancer under the legendary Leela Samson, she began her acting career with the Malayalam film *Prajapathi* (2006) and the National Award-winning Tamil film *Sringaram* (2007). Hydari made her foray into Hindi cinema with Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's *Delhi-6* (2009). She gained significant critical acclaim and won the Screen Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Sudhir Mishra's thriller *Yeh Saali Zindagi* (2011). Throughout the 2010s, she established herself in Bollywood with memorable roles in Imtiaz Ali's musical *Rockstar* (2011), the romantic thriller *Murder 3* (2013), the action-thriller *Wazir* (2016), and the romantic drama *Fitoor* (2016). She achieved massive mainstream success and earned the IIFA Award for Best Supporting Actress for her graceful portrayal of Queen Mehrunisa in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's historical epic *Padmaavat* (2018). Simultaneously, Hydari built a highly successful career in South Indian cinema, making a spectacular return to Tamil films with Mani Ratnam's romantic drama *Kaatru Veliyidai* (2017), which won her the SIIMA Award for Best Female Debut – Tamil. She quickly became a sought-after leading lady in the South, delivering acclaimed performances in the Telugu romantic drama *Sammohanam* (2018), Mani Ratnam's Tamil multi-starrer *Chekka Chivantha Vaanam* (2018), the Malayalam musical romance *Sufiyum Sujatayum* (2020), and the Telugu action drama *Maha Samudram* (2021). Her ability to seamlessly transition across multiple language industries and her striking, expressive screen presence made her a distinct talent in contemporary Indian cinema. In recent years, Hydari has found immense success in the premium digital streaming space. She delivered a phenomenal performance as the ambitious film star Sumitra Kumari in Vikramaditya Motwane's acclaimed period drama series *Jubilee* (2023), winning the ITA Award for Best Actress (OTT). She followed this with a highly praised role as the courtesan-turned-freedom-fighter Bibbojaan in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's grand Netflix series *Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar* (2024). Looking ahead, her diverse upcoming slate through 2025 and 2026 includes the silent comedy film *Gandhi Talks* (2026) alongside Vijay Sethupathi and Arvind Swamy, the Indo-British production *Lioness*, the comedy *Parivarik ManuRanjan* (2026), and *Lust Stories 3* (2026). Known for her classic beauty and nuanced performances, she remains a prominent pan-Indian artist.

Acting credits

Gandhi Talks poster
7.3

A silent black comedy, about the monetary needs of a character & how it impacts the others. A young, unemployed graduate Mahadev’s struggle to land a job through any means possible and crosses paths with a businessman and petty thief. A subject wherein silence speaks much louder than words. Although a work of fiction by the writer, all the characters in the film are sketched out to seem very real and relatable ensuring an enriching journey as well a laugh riot as the cat and mouse guffaws amongst them unfold. Gandhi Talks aims at telling a story by switching off the device of dialogue, which is not only scary but also interesting and challenging.

Gandhi Talks

2026

Delhi-6 poster
6.0

Roshan, an NRI, arrives in Old Delhi with his ailing grandmother and starts to rediscover himself before getting caught in a religious dispute that shakes the once peaceful neighborhood.

Delhi-6

2009

Padmaavat poster
6.9

Rajputana, India, 13th century. The tyrannical usurper Alauddin Khilji, sultan of Delhi, becomes obsessed with Queen Padmavati, wife of King Ratan Singh of Mewar, and goes to great lengths to satisfy his greed for her.

Padmaavat

2018

Sammohanam poster
6.8

A cartoonist, who detests films and movie stars, finds himself in an awkward situation when he falls in love with a film actress

Sammohanam

2018

Fitoor poster
5.5

A young artist tries to win the heart of his muse, while her mother hatches a scheme to end his quest for true love.

Fitoor

2016

Boss poster
5.6

Disowned by his father as a boy, Surya is taken in by a crime boss. When his brother Shiv is wrongly imprisoned, his father pleads for Surya's help.

Boss

2013

Rockstar poster
7.3

College student Janardhan is a simpleton who desperately seeks inspiration for the musician inside him. Although heartbreak helps him reach his goal, it also leads him to self-destruction.

Rockstar

2011

The Girl on the Train poster
5.7

When a voyeuristic divorcee fixates on the lives of a perfect couple a far, she soon gets embroiled in a murder mystery that unfolds revealing truths about her own life.

The Girl on the Train

2021

Kaatru Veliyidai poster
5.6

Romance is in the air as the lives of Fighter Pilot Varun & Medical Doctor Leela collide amidst the scenic beauty of Kashmir. While Leela yearns for Varun’s affection in the delicate of ways, Varun’s idea of love is all give-give, not give-take. Just as the avalanche of built-up emotions sets rolling, Varun becomes a PoW post the Kargil episode. Do their paths cross later?

Kaatru Veliyidai

2017

No artwork available
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Parivarik Manoranjan

V poster
6.6

A celebrated cop, DCP Aditya, faces his toughest challenge when a taunting serial killer begins targeting victims and leaving notes meant for him. Teaming with an aspiring crime novelist, he must stop four more murders to save his medals, career, and reputation while uncovering the killer's past.

V

2020

Ajeeb Daastaans poster
6.1

An anthology of four stories that explore the surprising ways in which unexpected catalysts inflame the uncomfortable emotions simmering under fractured relationships.

Ajeeb Daastaans

2021

Chekka Chivantha Vaanam poster
6.5

A bloody power struggle erupts between three brothers who are vying to take over the family business following the death of their father.

Chekka Chivantha Vaanam

2018

Hey! Sinamika poster
5.7

A wife who feels suffocated by her husband's incessant attention hires a psychologist to make him fall in love with her so that she can separate from him.

Hey! Sinamika

2022

Sardar Ka Grandson poster
7.1

A devoted grandson's mission to reunite his ailing grandmother with her ancestral home turns into a complicated, comic cross-border affair.

Sardar Ka Grandson

2021

No artwork available
NR

Through four bite-sized yet emotionally resonant films, the anthology once again explores lust, love, relationships, and repressed desire, offering fresh perspectives on intimacy, longing, and human connection in all their complexity.

Lust Stories 3

2026

Murder 3 poster
3.7

A hot-shot fashion and wildlife photographer Vikram gets into a relationship with Nisha. She moves in with him in his palatial house outside of the city. The old world house, made decades ago is as beautiful as it is scary. It holds many secrets which Nisha is soon to unearth; of the life of the man who made it and of Vikram, who is dealing with the mysterious disappearance of his former girlfriend Roshni

Murder 3

2013

Bhoomi poster
6.0

A shoe-smith Arun Sachdeva is shattered when he discovers that his daughter, Bhoomi has been raped by Dhauli and his gang of three. The father and daughter grieve for a bit before planning revenge.

Bhoomi

2017

Khoobsurat poster
6.6

A vibrant, hopelessly romantic physiotherapist meets a handsome young Rajput prince who is the complete opposite of her – and is engaged to someone else.

Khoobsurat

2014

Antariksham 9000 KMPH poster
5.6

The coordinates of an old satellite from India, Mihira, are lost with the potential for it to wreak havoc with communications worldwide. Astronaut Dev’s life was turned upside down five years ago and he now teaches science at a government school. He’s brought in to fix the satellite but is that the only reason he agrees to come back?

Antariksham 9000 KMPH

2018

Psycho poster
5.1

Based on the Buddhist tale of Angulimala, a dreaded serial killer, Psycho tells the story of a blind man who gets involved in a murder mystery. trying to save his lover from a psychopath who has kidnapped her.

Psycho

2020

Wazir poster
6.8

'Wazir' is a tale of two unlikely friends, a wheelchair-bound chess grandmaster and a brave ATS officer. Brought together by grief and a strange twist of fate, the two men decide to help each other win the biggest games of their lives. But there's a mysterious, dangerous opponent lurking in the shadows, who is all set to checkmate them.

Wazir

2016

The Legend of Michael Mishra poster
6.6

Michael Mishra, a kidnapper from Patna, falls for a girl, Varsha Shukla, at a very young age. He got arrested and sent to jail. After releasing from jail, he searched for her but couldn't find her. He then finds her in a talent show. The story revolves around as to how he gets his love and what he has to go through.

The Legend of Michael Mishra

2016

Mama's Boy poster
NR

A modern take on the Indian legend Mahabharata.

Mama's Boy

2016