Lara Dutta opens up about potential uproar for playing Indira Gandhi, says 'it's impossible to keep everybody happy'

Lara Dutta has commented on whether she is worried about attracting backlash for playing Indira Gandhi in BellBottom.

Actor Lara Dutta, who will be seen as former prime minister Indira Gandhi in the upcoming spy film BellBottom, has said that it is 'impossible' to please everyone, when asked about the scrutiny that usually comes with playing a political figure.

Side-by-side photos of Indira Gandhi and Lara Dutta.

Lara Dutta took fans by surprise when she revealed at BellBottom's trailer launch event that she was the one behind the prosthetics all along. Later, she gave fans a peek inside the makeup process for the film.

Asked about potential backlash for playing a political figure, Lara told SpotboyE, “It’s impossible to keep everybody happy all the time. Even if I want to, I can’t do that."

She added, "Of course, I knew that I am paying an iconic, historical figure who is admired and revered very much in the history. Bell Bottom’s story is inspired from a true incident that occurred during her tenure, and we have taken some cinematic liberty, but to play a character that people know so well and feel a connection to, it definitely adds a huge responsibility to make it believable.”

Lara admitted that it was challenging to depict the former Prime Minister's 'poise, grace, and command' on screen and that the goal was to be as authentic as possible.

Previously, Lara had spoken about her husband Mahesh Bhupathi and their daughter Saira's reaction to her look. “My husband was shocked. He probably felt very unsettled with the look. He was like I don’t want to hug you. You don’t really look like yourself,” she told Zoom, adding that Saira 'was intrigued'. "She saw it come alive in front of her... She came in and she saw whole silicon on my face and said, ‘Mum they are going to kill you, you can’t breathe.’ She was so worried. Ya, but having said that, she was also very intrigued and was like, ‘Can I touch the nose, the eyebrows? Can I do this, that?’” Lara said.

BellBottom, starring Akshay Kumar, Huma Qureshi and others, is slated for an August 19 release in theatres.