Aditi Rao Hydari: Not God's gift to mankind

Aditi Rao Hydari

Once perturbed by the hatred meted out to them on social media, industry folk have become increasingly skilled at dealing with trolls. Aditi Rao Hydari - the most recent victim of the vile culture - found herself battling derogatory comments for sharing tweets that praised her Padmaavat act.

Hydari, who'd often re-tweet fan messages that spoke well of her performance as Mehrunissa in the Sanjay Leela Bhansali-directed film, was taken aback when a user said it was disappointing to see her do so after delivering an "ordinary performance". Hydari tells mid-day that her decision to share such messages stems from her desire to acknowledge admirers. "I chose to respond to the troll this time to tell him that I wasn't sharing fan messages to praise myself. I was doing so to express my gratitude for them. For an actor like me, who has never enjoyed support from industry folk, it is the people's love, and the directors who I've worked with, that has enabled me to grow."

Her Padmaavat act, backed by a power-packed outing in Mani Ratnam's Kaatru Veliyidai last year, has brought Hydari under the spotlight again. However, she says her achievements haven't made way for arrogance. "I don't think I'm God's gift to mankind. I believe the directors and teams associated with the projects have made me shine. I contribute by surrendering to their vision."

With her upcoming venture, Sudhir Mishra's DaasDev, set to hit screens soon, Aditi Rao Hydari says she cannot turn down any offer by the director who gave her her first film - Yeh Saali Zindagi (2011). "He believed in me when I was new. Even if he asks me to play a broomstick in his film, I'll do it. When he called me for this venture, I didn't ask him any question before saying yes."

Also read: Aditi Rao Hydari receives prestigious award

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates