Vidya Rao is an Indian
Hindustani classical
Hindustani classical music is the classical music of northern regions of the Indian subcontinent. It may also be called North Indian classical music or, in Hindustani, ''shastriya sangeet'' (). It is played in instruments like the violin, sita ...
singer and writer. She is popular for her
Thumri
Thumri () is a vocal genre or style of Indian music. The term "thumri" is derived from the Hindi verb ''thumuknaa'', which means "to walk with a dancing gait in such a way that the ankle-bells tinkle." The form is, thus, connected with dance, dra ...
and
Dadra
Dadra is associated with the Hindustani classical music of the Indian subcontinent.
Dadra tala
This is a Hindustani classical '' tala'' (rhythmic cycle), consisting of six beats in two equal divisions of three. The most commonly accepted theka ...
. She wrote a book on the late
Naina Devi
Mata Naina Devi is a town and a municipal council in Bilaspur district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.
Demographics
As of the 2001 India census, Naina Devi had a population of 1161. Males constitute 63% of the population and females 3 ...
, ''Heart to Heart: Remembering Nainaji.'' Her daughter
Aditi Rao Hydari
Aditi Rao Hydari is an Indian actress who works mainly in Hindi and Tamil film industry. She made her film debut with the Malayalam film '' Prajapathi'' in 2006. She went on to have major to minor supporting roles in several Hindi films, includ ...
is an actress.
Early life
Vidya Rao was born in Wanaparthy and grew up in
Hyderabad
Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...
. She did her graduation from Madras and later joined the
Delhi School of Economics
Delhi School of Economics (DSE), popularly referred to as "D School", is a Higher Educational Institution within the University of Delhi. The Delhi School of Economics is situated in University of Delhi's North Campus in Maurice Nagar. Establ ...
to do M.A. in
Sociology
Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of Empirical ...
.
Career
She worked with Centre for Women's Development Studies as a researcher for five years before quitting to concentrate on music.
She renders poetry of mystics like,
Amir Khusro
Abu'l Hasan Yamīn ud-Dīn Khusrau (1253–1325 AD), better known as Amīr Khusrau was an Indo-Persian Sufi singer, musician, poet and scholar who lived under the Delhi Sultanate. He is an iconic figure in the cultural history of the Indian s ...
,
Kabir
Kabir Das (1398–1518) was a 15th-century Indian mystic poet and saint. His writings influenced Hinduism's Bhakti movement, and his verses are found in Sikhism's scripture Guru Granth Sahib, the Satguru Granth Sahib of Saint Garib Das, ...
etc.
She was set to make her acting debut through
Mani Ratnam
Gopala Ratnam Subramaniam (born 2 June 1956), known professionally as Mani Ratnam, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema and few Hindi, Telugu and Kannada films. Ratnam has won six Nat ...
's ''
Raavanan
Ravana (; , , ) is a rakshasa king of the island of Lanka, and the chief antagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana'' and its adaptations.
In the ''Ramayana'', Ravana is described to be the eldest son of sage Vishrava and Rakshasa, rakshasi Kaik ...
'' (2010) as the mother of
Aishwarya Rai
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan ( Rai; born 1 November 1973) is an Indian actress who is primarily known for her work in Hindi and Tamil films. The winner of the Miss World 1994 pageant, she has established herself as one of the most popular celebritie ...
's character. However, her scenes were cut from the film's final version.
Personal life
She was married to Ehsaan Hydari. They have a daughter, Bollywood actress,
Aditi Rao Hydari
Aditi Rao Hydari is an Indian actress who works mainly in Hindi and Tamil film industry. She made her film debut with the Malayalam film '' Prajapathi'' in 2006. She went on to have major to minor supporting roles in several Hindi films, includ ...
.
References
External links
Official siteThe Love Life of Vidya Rao, Thumri Singer
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rao, Vidya
Living people
Hindustani singers
Thumri
Indian women classical singers
Indian women non-fiction writers
Women biographers
Delhi School of Economics alumni
Singers from Hyderabad, India
Women writers from Telangana
Women Hindustani musicians
20th-century Indian biographers
Year of birth missing (living people)
Women musicians from Andhra Pradesh
20th-century Indian women singers
20th-century Indian singers
20th-century women writers