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.
