Who is Deepika Padukone’s Padmaavat co-star Aditi Rao Hydari, a royal like Saif Ali Khan – and Bollywood’s new favourite?

Sep 4 , 2020

Bollywood actress Aditi Rao Hydari comes from not one but two royal families. Photo: @aditiraohydari/Instagram

Fresh-faced Bollywood actress Aditi Rao Hydari, born into a family of prime ministers and royalty, has been winning hearts ever since her role in Padmaavat alongside Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh

B-Town is already studded with glitz, glamour and gorgeous actors, but things take on an irresistible dazzle when one hails from a royal family.

Until recently it was dashing A-lister Saif Ali Khan – his father was both a cricket legend and Nawab – who hails from the illustrious Pataudi family (his father, the late Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi was a Nawab). These days, however, it seems to be royal star Aditi Rao Hydari who has stolen the spotlight, and who has been winning hearts across Bollywood for all the right reasons.

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Where did she come from?

Born in the southern state of Hyderabad to Ehsaan Hydari and Vidya Rao (an acclaimed singer known for the thumri and dadra genres of Hindustani classical music), Aditi belongs to not one, but two, royal lineages.

Her father’s side of the family (she is pictured with him above) is Bohri Muslim, and she is the great granddaughter of Akbar Hydari, former prime minister of Hyderabad during colonial rule. On her mother’s side, Aditi is the granddaughter of Raja (King) Janumpally Rameshwar Rao, who was born to Raja Krishnadeva Rao and Rani Sarala Devi, both belonging to the Wanaparthy Samasthanam. Her cultural background is therefore a mix of Bohri, Chitrapur Saraswat and Telugu.

How did she get her break?