Aditi Rao Hydari: Taj makers told me they didn't see another Anarkali apart from me | Exclusive

If history meets magic, you know Aditi Rao Hydari is that magic. The actress, currently receiving all the love for her web series Taj: Divided By Blood, speaks to OTTplay about refusing her role and then taking it up. She also talks about the little criticism the show has received, how Sanjay Leela Bhansali helped her bag Taj and what is the update on Jubilee.

Excerpts from her interview…

Finally, there was this grand announcement - a magnus opus by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and all the new faces in the movie, the female led film, of course I'm talking about Heeramandi, firstly what has the response for the announcement been like? I feel it would be crazy? Secondly, you were shining. Honestly, like I mentioned, all of them are new faces but you were already associated with SLB since Padmaavat and there are people with scars and you know everyone represents women of different kind and you were there in all your glory. I don't think anybody's eyes wavered there for a few seconds or rather minutes. To be associated with such a massive project, especially when you know there were so many names associated with it and then you are all there, what's that like?

I can't tell you anything about Heeramandi, except the fact that I love Sanjay sir a lot.

You stayed away from OTT and the one time when you make your debut, there are three web series releasing the same year. What are you feeling like, starting your innings with Taj?

It's been great. I didn't calculate anything. It's just about the people I'm working with and the content that is coming. I made instinctive decisions. Whatever I thought, they all seemed interesting and I was wanting to work in Taj, Jubilee and Heeramandi.

The response Taj got is beyond what I imagined. I'm so happy. Kudos to the makers for their conviction and for the fact that they were so convinced I should do this that they did not take no for an answer. They literally convinced me to be there. Once I heard what they were making, I knew it would be very interesting. There's such a different perspective.

It's so amazing that people are loving it so much and showing it all. They're really responding and writing such amazing stuff. It feels so good. It really does. I wish my whole team was here. I'm lapping up the love but it's for everybody.

Did you initially say no? Anarkali is definitely someone immortalized in Bollywood. Madhubala played it to perfection. Did that worry you while taking the baton from her?

Mughal-e-Azam as a film is so iconic that it's almost pristine. It should not be touched, is what we all feel. Over the years, stories and films like these become more legendary. For us, it's like too mammooth a task. That was 100% one of the reasons I said no because I didn't know who was making it and didn't know what it was. I just know somebody wants me to play Anarkali. That was when I said bye.

I was shooting in Chennai but the conviction of the makers was so strong. They came to meet me and just didn't take no for an answer. They were big fan of Sanjay sir's and they love Mehrunisa (from Padmaavat). They told me they can't see anybody else as Anarkali apart from me. This was while somebody was in LA and the other was in UK. I was almost embarassed to keep saying no and was humbled by the gestures. Then I heard the script and after the narration, I realised that they are making something very different, with a different perspective. There's also the fact that the cultural context is so different.

I love the fact that somewhere Anarkali is just a girl longing for freedom, who's trapped, innocent and so full of hope and love but also so courageous. She stands by her love and loyalty and takes whatever punishment she gets for it. You only dream of love like that - not the consequence but the love itself. To play her so human was hopefully going to be a special experience. At that time, I didn't think about how people would react to it but during the promotions, I did because people made me so aware. Today when I see the reactions, I'm so grateful. I really feel that audiences are so loving. Not only are they watching it but they're also showing their love. I can't tell you what it means to get that kind of love, encouragement and appreciation, especially because I felt it was going to be a mammoth task.

Take me through the process of taking Anarkali into this dark world, full of politics.

In the maker's minds, since they aren't from here, they looked at it as a gritty, human story of envy, betrayal, love, succession. They looked at it like that. The love between Salim and Anarkali fuels a lot of what happens. Anarkali is so important in the lives of these people. She's the biggest secret of that palace. Since Anarkali is not really historical, a lot of liberties have been taken with her and her journey. That in itself adds to the novelty of who this girl is and what all she can do. They have pretty much gone out there and created her character. The one thing I really worked on a lot was what she stands for as a girl in the 16th Century and a girl who seemingly has no agency but chooses it. I also worked on my lines, dialogues. Quite often, the team would call Anarkali an epic, tragic heroine. I would often say that for a girl in the 16th Century, to stand by her love, to stand up to the Emperor and take whatever punishment she gets, takes a lot of guts. That gutsy side of her is something that I really wanted to show. So, when the Emperor is talking to me, I requested them to allow me to not put down my eyes and to look at him. When somebody is talking to her about, say, falling in love with Salim, I felt that she should be unafraid to look them in the eye and stand by her love. Little things like that, I felt were so important to do, to show her heart. She had a very steady, solid, strong heart - to go through what she did, put her in a wall. If you tell her run, she will because she still has hope. If you kill her, she will die saying his name. It's quite cool. When nothing is going her way, everything is against her, she still chooses love and her destiny in many ways. For me, it was so important to have that and I did work a lot on the lines myself and with the help of Naseer sir and the writers. I did many sessions with them. I jogged my own Urdu, went to Naseer sir. I felt no matter how soft, delicate and poetic Anarkali is, she must be straight and sharp as an arrow and not mince her words even though they may come out poetically. I feel like I have taken that from Anarkali. Even today, I feel like you must say what you want to say but say it sweetly. Maybe people will listen.

Do you relate to Anarkali in that sense?

It's such a nice quality to be honest, real, courageous but also to have grace. It's very important.

The dialogues on the show are panned for being outdated. Did you feel that way when reading the script? What are your views on the reaction? Is it justified?

Everybody is justified in what they say, of course. Everybody must have an opinion. They have the right to have an opinion and speak it, kindly. I feel like we're in a creative field. We're not making a biopic. People take creative liberties even with biopics. History has been told and retold over the years. It's not ankhon dekhi for any of us. It was somebody's ankhon dekhi which is then passed on. Taj and movies like it have a historical framework but the reason they are interesting and creative is because they are embroidered with creativity. That's why, I guess, we like them. I'm saying that as a viewer. The framework is historical. Anarkali is also not a historical character. She's a mythical character in many ways. She's an amalgamation of various beautiful women in this one ethereal woman. So many people have pointed out the scene where even the musician was blinded when he went to play for her. These are all creative liberties. That's what makes it more interesting, right?

While the cast is receiving a lot of appreciation, a few have also stated that history has been altered to make the story relevant. What would you say to that? Was it called for?

These are choices that were made by the creative people - who should be cast, how the people should speak - because somewhere the makers looked at this as a global story, a universal story of succession and love. They wanted the language to be a little more accessible to people. These are the creative choices which they made. This is best explained by them. There were various team involved. There was an Indian team, a team from outside so it was a combination.

Tell me about your upcoming projects. What's happening with Jubilee on Amazon Prime Video?

There will be an update very soon. I hope that people like it. I'm very excited about it. I love Vikramaditya Motwane. He's an incredible director. The world he has created is hopefully going to be loved by everybody.