Aditi Rao Hydari talks about Psycho, collaborating with Mysskin, Mani Ratnam and Dhanush

The talented Aditi Rao Hydari has been a noticeable presence in Tamil cinema over the last couple of years thanks to her work in Mani Ratnam’s films such as Kaatru Veliyidai and Chekka Chivantha Vaanam. She is now gearing up for the release of Psycho , directed by Mysskin. Aditi is also set to begin shooting for Tughlaq Darbar , in which she is paired opposite Vijay Sethupathi. The exquisite beauty is also busy with work in the Telugu, Malayalam, and Hindi film industries, and can be described as a true-blue pan-Indian actress. Firstpost recently caught up with the expressive actress for a freewheeling chat ahead of the release of Psycho, to talk about her working experience with auteur Mysskin, Dhanush’s long-in-the-making sophomore directorial, and starring in commercial entertainers. “Mysskin’s brain works uniquely, and he can say just about anything on the shooting spot. It took some time for me to get used to the vibe on his set. When I was in the frame, he once commented “chi” loudly on the mic and said that his frame isn’t supposed to look so beautiful and that his films are synonymous with being ugly and dirty. I took it as a compliment and also got to know about his vision and making style. His sense of humor is also quite remarkable; you wouldn’t think that a person who cracks such jokes would handle such dark, twisted topics in his films,” Aditi Rao told Firstpost. (Also Read: Mysskin on his upcoming thriller Psycho: I'm a fan of Alfred Hitchcock, this film is an homage to the master ) [caption id=“attachment_4444097” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Aditi Rao Hydari. Image from Facebook[/caption] Aditi termed working in Psycho as a very intense process due to the grim nature of the film. In fact, Mysskin has called the film the most violent feature in Indian cinema. “I used to take all these long showers at the end of the day. My scenes in the film were physically and emotionally demanding, as there is an element of torture involved in the story. But I don’t take a film’s part home and can detach myself from the film’s mood once the shoot is over. Mysskin is very clear in what he wants, and you just have to follow what he says; you don’t have to go overboard with your performance. I have a few combination scenes with hero Udhay, including the lovely melody Unna Nenachu. Most of my scenes are with newcomer Raj (who plays the psychopath in the film).” Aditi doesn’t get into the comparison game when asked to comment on working with stalwarts such as Mani Ratnam, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Imtiaz Ali, and now Mysskin. “When I decide to do a film, I have to be convinced by the director’s intent and vision. That has nothing to do with whether he or she is from the North or South of India. Ultimately it’s all art, and the director has to be truthful to what he is setting out to do. In general, I like being challenged as a performer, and I love working with demanding people. Mani sir is extremely demanding; working in two of his films has made me feel at home in his Madras Talkies premises. I go there and hang out with the ADs whenever I’m here in Chennai," she said. Aditi says that she is particularly happy when a filmmaker with whom she has worked once, calls her for one more film. “Though it doesn’t eventually materialize at times, it still gives me a high when a filmmaker expresses his interest in working with me again. That happened with Mani sir, in Tamil with Kaatru Veliyidai , and Chekka Chivantha Vaanam , and Mohanakrishna Indraganti in Telugu ( Sammohanam and the upcoming V).” Aditi is now collaborating with Mani Ratnam for the third consecutive time in Ponniyin Selvan . However, she refused to divulge anything about the film. “I’m really not supposed to talk about it,” smiles Aditi when asked about the magnum-opus. Aditi had committed to do Dhanush’s untitled sophomore directorial venture, which commenced with much fanfare a couple of years back. The film has now hit a roadblock due to issues surrounding the producers Sri Thenandal Films. She is still optimistic that the film will resume work and reach its finish line. “It’s not just optimism; I’m actually sure that the film will happen. My instinct is usually right. I loved working with Dhanush as a filmmaker. Being an ace actor himself, the way he extracted work from us was fantastic," she said. On a concluding note, Aditi also talked animatedly about commercial cinema and how she doesn’t look down upon the format. “Ultimately, cinema is all about telling stories and reaching out to people. Every film is commercial in its own way; the bigger commercial films reach out to more people and do more business. And, commercial cinema doesn’t mean that the heroine has to just look good on screen in the songs and a couple of scenes. The audience will get bored if they keep staring at a good looking heroine who doesn’t have much to do in the story.”