[2] She subsequently appeared in the musical Rockstar (2011), the horror film Murder 3 (2013), the thriller Wazir (2016), as well as the period drama Padmaavat (2018), which was commercially successful and earned her an IIFA Award.

[citation needed] Indian film producer, screenwriter, and director Kiran Rao, ex-wife of actor Aamir Khan, is Aditi's maternal first cousin.

[16][17] Hydari grew up around a lot of classical arts, started learning Bharatanatyam at age five, and became a student of acclaimed dancer Leela Samson.

She worked as a part of Samson's dance group, Spanda, teaching students and travelling through India and abroad to perform in stage events.

[20][21] In early 2004, Hydari completed work on her first acting project titled Sringaram, where she portrayed the lead role of a devadasi, a temple dancer of the 19th century.

Hydari was offered the role after Ramanathan saw her dance performance at a conference, and was also impressed with her "vulnerable and fresh face" and her resemblance to dancer Shobana.

[23] Sringaram had a limited theatrical release in October 2007, but won positive reviews, with one critic noting that "the film has brilliant acting from the lead, Aditi Rao".

[26] Hydari portrayed an orphan girl who falls in love with the character played by Mammootty, but her role was considered minimal, with a critic from Rediff stating she "has nothing to do with the overall plot".

[27] In 2009, she was cast by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra in his Hindi drama film, Delhi-6, where she portrayed a supporting role of an unmarried woman living in a community where spinsterhood was frowned upon.

Featuring in an ensemble cast alongside Abhishek Bachchan and Sonam Kapoor, Hydari was selected by Mehra after he was impressed with her performance in Sringaram.

[31] Hydari initially had met Ali to discuss the leading female role of a Kashmiri girl, but he chose to cast newcomer Nargis Fakhri instead.

[30][32] Several of Hydari's scenes in the film were trimmed before its theatrical release, much like her appearance in Delhi-6, and a critic noted her role "suffers due to an undeveloped characterization".

[38][39] During the period, she also sung the Hindi version of the song "We Are Family" for the Hollywood animation film Ice Age 4: Continental Drift.

"[54] Ananya Bhattacharya of India Today gave Hydari the highest praise saying that she "brings vulnerability to her Ruhana" added that she "has to her credit several strong sequences.

[56] The film based on Charles Dickens' novel Great Expectations, had Hydari play the role of the younger Miss Havisham (Tabu replaced Rekha).

Sarita Tanwar of Daily News and Analysis in her review wrote: "Aditi Rao Hydari does full justice to the part of young Begum".

Upon release, Kaatru Veliyidai garnered mixed reviews; though critics predominantly praised the performance of Hydari along with A. R. Rahman's music and Ravi Varman's cinematography.

[61] Malini Mannath of The New Indian Express opined: "Hydari's exotic looks and vulnerable demeanour is a perfect foil to Karthi's mercurial ways.

[63] In her first release of 2018, Hydari played the role of Alauddin Khalji's first wife, Queen Mehrunisa, opposite Ranveer Singh in the epic film Padmaavat directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

"[68] Hydari next starred in Sudhir Mishra's political thriller film Daas Dev,[69] which was an adaptation of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's 1917 novel Devdas.

[77] Nitya Punnackal of Manorama Online said, "While Aditi plays adult Sujatha beautifully, she fails to bring freshness in her younger version.

"[78] In her final film that year, Hydari played Nani's wife Saheba in V.[79] Janaki K. of India Today noted, "With limited screen time, Aditi's character arc makes the story more interesting towards the climax.

The film starring Parineeti Chopra, Kirti Kulhari, Avinash Tiwary, and Sammy Jonas Heaney alongside her, is based on British author Paula Hawkins 2015 novel of the same name.

[86] Suchandra Bose for The Quint criticised the character's importance and added, "Aditi doesn't have much to do other than look gorgeous and gaze longingly at her prince.