Aditi Rao Hydari opens up about working with Ranbir Kapoor, ‘It was mad’

Aditi Rao Hydari, who worked with Ranbir Kapoor in Imtiaz Ali's Rockstar, spoke highly of the ‘Ramayana’ actor and said he is one of her favourite co-stars.

Aditi described Ranbir as one of the finest performers in the industry — noting his ability to stay completely immersed in a scene — in an old interview with Humans Of Bombay.

“Working with Ranbir was mad. He's incredible, so incredible,” Aditi told Humans Of Bombay. “He's one of my favourite actors, and he's so present. He can convince you of anything.”

Ranbir Kapoor's Ramayana

Ranbir Kapoor will next be seen in Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana — the grand cinematic adaptation of the Indian mythological saga. Made on a reported budget of ₹4,000 crore, one of the most expensive Indian productions, will combine cutting-edge special effects with the age-old story of the war between good and evil.

It features Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama while Yash plays the role of the main antagonist, Ravana. Sai Pallavi is playing the role of Sita. Ravi Dubey steps in as Lord Rama's brother, Lakshman, and Rakul Preet has been cast as Surpanakha.

The recently released trailer opens with Yash's Ravana fighting his way to become as one of the most powerful kings on Earth before cutting to Dashrath, the king of Ayodhya.

Ranbir's Ram enters the frame as a blindfolded archer practising his target. He is announced as the next king and wins Sita's (Sai Pallavi) hand in a 'swyamvar', but the celebrations take a turn when his step-mother Kaikeyi (Lara Dutta) demands that he be exiled for 14 years.

The trailer then cuts to Ram, Lakshman (Ravie Dubey), and Sita's years in exile as they encounter all kinds of monsters and have a run-in with Suparnakha, Ravana's sister, played by Rakul Preet Singh.

After her fight with Lakshman, Ravana promises to avenge her by kidnapping Sita. The trailer ends with Ram declaring that he will defeat Ravana and bring back his wife.

Sunny Deol plays Hanuman, but he is not shown in the trailer. He will probably make an appearance either at the end of the first part or in the second part of the movie.

"Ramayana: Part One" will release worldwide on Diwali 2026.

The other cast members in the movie include Ajinkya Deo as sage Vishwamitra and Kunal Kapoor as lord Indra.

What's next for Aditi Rao Hydari?

Aditi Rao Hydari, last seen in the silent social drama Gandhi Talks, is gearing up for her next major digital release. She will next be seen in Prime Video's highly anticipated project, Welcome to Khoya Mahal.

Created by the dynamic duo of Konkona Sensharma and Jaydeep Sarkar, the upcoming series features a strong ensemble cast, with Hydari sharing the screen alongside Barun Sobti and Rachit Singh.

The story centres on Kanishk and Kanupriya—ex-royals and half-siblings bound together by a crumbling inheritance. When they are forced to take over the management of their family's remote heritage hotel, The Khoya Mahal, the desperate duo hatches a reckless plan to escape their new responsibilities. However, they remain entirely unaware that the mysterious Khoya Mahal has plans of its own.