Royal style: Actress Aditi Rao Hydari discusses luxury, fashion and her travel bucket list

Pratishtha Rana

“In a world full of Kardashians, be an Audrey,” reads Aditi Rao Hydari’s Instagram bio. A highly acclaimed actress, singer and a trained Bharatnatyam dancer, it is no secret that her allure and grace inherently comes from her proud royal lineage; her late father was Sir Akbar Hydari’s son and her mother belonged to the family of Raja of Wanaparthy (present Wanaparthy district in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh). She made her on-screen debut in a Malayalam movie Prajapathi (2006), while her first Bollywood project was Sonam Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan starrer Delhi-6 in 2009. Since then, she has been applauded for her many performances and even won the 2019 IIFA Award for Best Supporting Actress for Padmaavat (2018).

The ever-so-poised Hydari is also a fashion runway favourite. She has walked the ramp for celebrated designers Tarun Tahiliani, Payal Singhal, Gaurav Gupta and last February for Ritu Kumar at Lakmé Fashion Week 2020.

Aditi Rao Hydari talks to LuxeBook about style, fashion, travel and her royal heritage.

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My idea of sustainability is about the choice that one makes and wants to follow. I have grown up in an atmosphere where people have made sustainable choices, be it, my mother, grandmother or my aunt, their choices were rooted in craft and textiles of this country and they always wore handloom. Similarly, for me, I believe in re-wearing clothes and in picking handloom over fast fashion.

There is so much inspiration in India that if you can keep looking for newer creations, you will keep finding it; it is endless. There is also no end to the creativity of our Indian craftsmen.

I like to describe my personal style as effortless; in whatever it is that I wear.

My style icon is my mother. I remember that she used to take me to crafts bazaar in Hyderabad and I used to sit and spend time with the craftsmen. So, all my aesthetic sensibilities have majorly come from her. I also am very inspired by Audrey Hepburn, she’s timeless.

One of the first designer labels I was introduced to was Ritu Kumar. I have known her since my childhood and she has steadfastly and determinedly been sustainable in her work and her aesthetic has always drawn from India. I also really like Sabyasachi’s work and Gaurav Gupta because I love the way their clothes fit me.

My favourite travel destination firstly is my home Hyderabad, and second is London. My favourite shopping destination is London as well. I am reading ‘The Forty rules’ of love by Shafak Elif.

Three things I am most passionate about is the art of all kinds, love and food.

My guilty pleasure is sweet; I love sweet like an ant.

Luxury to me is in the details. In the context of fashion and ensembles, it’s the lining of the outfit. Everybody looks at the outside, but what is on the inside is what makes it luxurious.

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