Lara Dutta reveals dad was Indira Gandhi's personal pilot, 'felt connection' even before playing former PM in BellBottom

Lara Dutta has spoken about the 'indirect personal connection' she felt to former PM Indira Gandhi, whom she will play in BellBottom.

Actor Lara Dutta has revealed that her father flew former prime minister Indira Gandhi several times as her personal pilot and that she 'felt an indirect personal connection' with her even before she got to play her in the upcoming film BellBottom.

Lara Dutta as Indira Gandhi in BellBottom.

Lara Dutta shocked viewers when she revealed that it was indeed her behind all the prosthetics as Indira Gandhi, in the film's trailer, which was released earlier this week.

In an interview with Pinkvilla, she revealed that the process took three hours in the morning, and one hour after the shift had ended, every day. But she said that she didn't have a problem with 'getting up so early', as she'd already worked with Akshay Kumar in 13 films already.

She also revealed her personal connection with the former PM and said that her father, Wing Commander LK Dutta, was Indira Gandhi’s personal pilot. “He had flown her many times and knew her personally. I grew up as a kid hearing stories about her. So, in a way, I felt an indirect personal connection with her," she said.

Lara on Thursday shared a behind-the-scenes time-lapse video that provided a peek into her physical transformation. Sharing the video on Instagram, she wrote, "Never had I imagined portraying a personality this pivotal & when I saw how this transformation translated on the screen, everything felt surreal & worth it. Can’t wait for y’all to watch my performance in #BellBottom on the big screen in 3D on 19th Aug."

However, not everyone was impressed by Lara's look in the film. Hair stylist and former Bigg Boss contestant Sapna Bhavnani wrote in a tweet, "Such a bad wig though can see the lining of it. But of course, you wouldn’t as you’re not a hair person. We haven’t come close to mastering hair yet."

BellBottom, also starring Huma Qureshi, Vaani Kapoor, and others, is slated for an August 19 theatrical release.