Aditi Rao Hydari on Taj: Divided by Blood: Being compared to Madhubala is inevitable

Aditi Rao Hydari, who plays the historical character Anarkali in the upcoming web series Taj: Divided by Blood, says she is aware that her performance will be compared with that of two legendary actresses - Madhubala and Bina Rai. But Aditi sees it as a blessing and an opportunity.

Madhubala played the courtesan Anarkali in the iconic 1960 film Mughal-e-Azam, which also starred Dilip Kumar and Prithvi Raj Kapoor. Bina Rai played the character in the 1953 film Anarkali.

When asked if she fears being compared to the legendary actresses post-release of Taj: Divided by Blood, Aditi said, "I wasn't thinking about the comparison, although it is inevitable. Madhubala ji's performance is iconic and will remain in our minds forever; it changed the way we look at cinema and performances. But rather than being afraid of any kind of comparison, I look at it as inspiration. They portrayed Anarkali beautifully, and I take it as a blessing to be able to play this character."

Aditi added that she played Anarkali in a different way. "I have a different director, and this is 2023, and we live in a different era. Of course, if people want to compare, they will. I know I have to deal with it, and I will do so with complete humility, because I know what Madhubala ji and Beena Roy ji's performances are like. They were incredibly beautiful," the actress added.

Taj: Divided by Blood, a web series, is directed by Ron Scalpello and stars Dharmendra, Naseeruddin Shah, Rahul Bose, Zarina Wahab, Sandhya Mridul, Aashim Gulati and Taaha Shah, along with Aditi. It will be available to stream on OTTplay and ZEE5 on March 3.