You first caught sight of this young, pretty Delhi girl in her debut film Delhi 6. But it’s her intense chemistry on-screen with ‘next big thing’ Arunoday Singh in Yeh Saali Zindagi that has the industry sitting up and taking notice of Aditi Rao. “I have always wanted to be a part of the film industry, but I had no connections. I didn’t know how I would get my first break,” says the petite actress who fills up the big screen adding, “Yeh Saali Zindagi will launch me as an actress.”
The opportunity to act in this film almost slipped out of her hands. “The day I was called to audition for this film, I had to fly to Sri Lanka for an ad. The casting director had told me to get in touch once I got back, but by then the auditions had closed. But I prayed hard and actually got the call, auditioned and got signed!”
The passionate young woman married to a small time gangster in the film, Aditi talks about her patakha role, “I play a feisty, fun Delhi girl who falls in love with this gunda sort of guy. The story is about their raw, physical, passionate relationship.”
The subtext to the role is that of the harassed wife, kept in the dark about her husband’s activities, who expresses her frustration by slapping him often. While Aditi relates to the character’s love of dance, she can’t quite identify with the anger.
There’s no doubt that it is the smoldering chemistry between Aditi and Arunoday that will have people talking. But for Aditi, it was all in a day’s work. “Arunoday and the director made me feel very comfortable on set and we got along really well. There wasn’t much attention given towards our kissing scenes either, they were just a part of the acting. If two people look good together and also share a good rapport, onscreen chemistry will be evident.”
While Aditi believes that passion is one of the cornerstones of every relationship, she’s not so sure about the passionate kiss the actors share in a rickshaw that has the punters jabbering excitedly. “I don’t think I would have the time to make a judgement about what’s right or wrong. Everything I do is in the moment, but the scene in the film was really crazy and adventurous,” she laughs.
Her only regret is that she missed out on the opportunity to work with powerhouse Irrfan Khan. “I wish I could get a chance to work with Irrfan sir. This movie is full of great actors, but most of my work is with Arunoday. Working with him was fun, but I would have loved to work with Irrfan sir and have a few more scenes with him.”
There’s no such regret apparent though for missing out on sharing a frame with the beautiful Chitrangada. Her director’s favourite actress is a magnet for the limelight and with this film being her comeback vehicle, her PR machinery is working overtime on her publicity. But Aditi says she does not view it as biased publicity, “There is no rift. Chitrangada has been around longer and has her PR machinery in place. I believe in concentrating more on my work and staying positive. I am the surprise package in the film, so I have been told to keep a low profile by Sudhir sir,” sighs the actress who doesn’t believe in putting down anyone and wants her work to talk for her instead.
Because her role in Delhi 6 was a blink-and-you-miss-it, Aditi considers this her big break in Bollywood. Not only is she waiting for the film to hit the screen, but she’s also curious and hopeful that it will open the door to more exciting offers. The actress has almost finished shooting for Imtiaz Ali’s Rockstar with Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif and Nargis Fakhri.