Aditi Rao Hydari On Love, Siddharth And The Tiny Feline Dictators Running Her Home
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Aditi Rao Hydari opens up about her relationship with Siddharth, her belief in effortless love, and how her cats Iggy and Ollie taught her patience, connection, & mindful affection
Aditi Rao Hydari opened up about being a cat mom to Iggy and Ollie, and revealed why Siddharth thinks she resembles a golden retriever.
There’s a softness to Aditi Rao Hydari when she speaks about love. Not the performative kind that arrives polished for interviews, but something quieter, deeply lived-in, almost instinctive. Whether she’s talking about Siddharth, her family, or her famously unpredictable cats, Iggy and Ollie, every answer circles back to one thing: connection that feels effortless, intentional, and deeply grounding.
Fresh off the internet swooning over her heartfelt birthday note to Siddharth, Aditi opens up about what love means to her today, why respect matters just as much as romance, and how two emotionally unavailable cats unexpectedly became her greatest lesson in mindful affection.
And somewhere between conversations about companionship, cuddles, and cat attitude, emerges a portrait of a woman who believes that love isn’t about grand declarations. It’s about consistency. Presence. Care. And sometimes, about patiently waiting for your cat to acknowledge your existence.
“Our Worlds Revolve Around Love”
When asked whether love has begun to feel more meaningful lately, Aditi doesn’t hesitate before speaking about Siddharth with unmistakable warmth.
“Siddu is a very special being,” she says, smiling. “And I’m not saying this because he’s family. I’m saying this because he’s just a really, really incredible being.”
For Aditi, love isn’t rooted in drama or dependency. It’s rooted in belonging. “To find a person that you just naturally, effortlessly belong to is very lucky,” she reflects.
What makes their relationship work, she says, is the alignment at their core. Despite individual ambitions and demanding careers, both of them prioritise the same emotional values.
“I think love is what drives both our worlds, and that’s very important.” There’s also immense admiration in the equation. Siddharth’s experience, perspective, and creative journey continue to inspire her, something she considers essential in any meaningful partnership.
“For me, it’s very important to respect someone, to be inspired by them.”
Yet their home life isn’t exactly ruled by cinematic romance. According to Aditi, the real stars of the household are Iggy and Ollie — the cats who have completely taken over their lives.
“They run the house,” she laughs. “Siddharth and I are basically designated treat dispensers.”
Love, According to Cats
If dogs represent unconditional adoration, cats, according to Aditi, represent emotional humility. And Iggy and Ollie? They’re masters of the art. “I’m always running after them, always chasing them,” she says. “It’s like the universe’s way of grounding you.”
Unlike the effortless affection she associates with family and relationships, feline love comes with conditions or at least negotiations.
“With cats, you have to earn their love,” she explains. “You can do everything, but you’ll never know if they’ll bestow some love on you or just walk past you.”
The irony isn’t lost on her. A woman who has grown up constantly surrounded by warmth and reassurance suddenly found herself seeking approval from two tiny creatures with superiority complexes.
“Cats always give you a reality check,” she jokes. “Dogs make you feel like you’re an angel who descended from heaven. Cats are like, ‘I’m allowing you to live in my house.’”
And honestly, every cat parent reading this probably nodded in agreement.
When Feeding Became Connection
A recurring thread through the conversation is Aditi’s experience with the Sheba 7 Day Ignored to Adored Challenge, something she says genuinely changed the way she interacted with Iggy and Ollie. What began as feeding time slowly transformed into intentional quality time.
“It made me realise that meal times can become more than just a routine,” she says. “It can become about connection.”
Instead of seeing care as automatic, she began approaching it with more mindfulness, more patience, and more emotional attentiveness.
And according to Aditi, the cats noticed. “I’m now getting those soft, blinky eyes from Iggy and Ollie,” she says triumphantly. “I’m getting more cuddles. They became more reciprocative and gave me less attitude.” Though she laughs while admitting it, there’s genuine affection in the revelation. “They probably think I am Sheba cat food now, and honestly, I’m fine with that.”
Love That Feels Effortless
Despite speaking so deeply about earning affection from her cats, Aditi’s personal philosophy on human relationships remains beautifully simple: love should feel easy.
Not careless. Not passive. But natural.
“I think both loving deeply and receiving that depth matter,” she says. “But it shouldn’t feel forced.” She describes growing up in an environment where love was never uncertain, where affection, care, and belonging were constants rather than things to chase.
“I’ve never had a day where I doubted that I was loved,” she says thoughtfully. “And I know I’m very lucky to be able to say that.”
Perhaps that emotional certainty is why she gravitates toward relationships that feel grounding rather than performative. Whether it’s with Siddharth, her family, or her cats, the throughline remains the same: love expressed through presence, attention, and emotional safety.
Aditi Rao Hydari’s Softest Role Yet
There’s something refreshing about hearing a celebrity speak about love without cynicism. Aditi Rao Hydari doesn’t intellectualise it. She doesn’t romanticise pain or chaos. Instead, she talks about affection as something nurturing, playful, intentional, and deeply human.
And oddly enough, some of her biggest lessons about it seem to have come from two cats who occasionally ignore her.
Between stories about Siddharth, conversations about companionship, and confessions about chasing feline validation, Aditi reveals a version of herself that feels unfiltered and deeply relatable.
One that believes love can exist in grand gestures and tiny routines alike. Sometimes in a birthday note. Sometimes in a quiet meal shared at home. And sometimes in finally getting a soft blink back from your cat.
