Aditi Rao Hydari takes her boldest risk with silent film Gandhi Talks

Aditi Rao Hydari has never been that girl. She has built a career doing the opposite. Long before “pan-India”, “content cinema” or “strong female roles” became the industry`s most popular buzzwords, Aditi was already pushing the narrative towards films where craft mattered more than noise.

Aditi Rao ditches dialogue in Gandhi Talks

Gandhi Talks, a silent film in 2026, isn’t a sudden act of bravery on her part but the most natural extension of a pattern she’s followed. This is an actor who has moved between the worlds of Mani Ratnam and Sanjay Leela Bhansali, among others and worked with filmmakers who demand diametrically different kinds of process and performances from her. Aditi has survived, thrived and stood out in all her work.

While many of her contemporaries carefully orbit commercial formulas, Aditi repeatedly steps into films where merit, credibility, craft and longevity take priority. Period dramas, intimate romances, socially relevant dramas, thrillers - her filmography has something for everyone.

Her newest offering, Gandhi Talks, takes that instinct and chases glory with it. By design, a silent film leaves an actor nowhere to hide. No punchy lines to manufacture impact. You are left with the face, the eyes, breath, stillness - tools Aditi has always thrived on, and been celebrated for.

The film`s newly dropped trailer makes the vision of every artist on it clear. Standing shoulder to shoulder with the deft Vijay Sethupathi, Aditi soars to match him. Their chemistry feels palpable. What makes this powerful isn’t merely that it is “different.” It’s that it’s consistent with who she has always been as an artist, someone more interested in experience than in the safety of a formula. In an era dominated by spectacle and scale, Aditi choosing a form that relies purely on presence feels almost subversive.

With A.R. Rahman’s music becoming the film’s emotional voice and Kishor Pandurang Belekar directing, Gandhi Talks may be an experiment. But for Aditi Rao Hydari, it feels like a homecoming to the kind of fearless performance space she’s been working towards all along! The film will release worldwide on January 30, 2026.

Aditi and the cast speak about Gandhi Talks

The film is headlined by Vijay Sethupathi, Arvind Swami, Aditi Rao Hydari, and Siddharth Jadhav.

Sharing his experience, Vijay Sethupathi says, “Gandhi Talks challenged me to express emotion without words. It’s a rare film where silence becomes the strongest dialogue.”

Echoing this sentiment, Arvind Swami adds, “In a world drowning in noise, Gandhi Talks reminds us that silence can still shake a conscience. This is a film where words step aside and truth walks in quietly. Rahman’s genius music becomes its language.”

Aditi Rao Hydari reflects on the film’s emotional core, saying, “What moved me most was how emotions are felt rather than spoken. The film allows vulnerability and silence to coexist beautifully.”