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Lara Dutta's transformation to Indira Gandhi for Bell Bottom has been the talk of the town ever since the film's trailer dropped. People have taken to social media to congratulate the make-up team for achieving this level of perfection.
Speaking to The Quint, Lara opened up about how her husband Mahesh Bhupathi refused to hug her in her Indira Gandhi make-up. "Mahesh had seen the photos from the look test, but he didn't see me in person. The first day he came to the set during lunch. I was wearing an apron around my saree because I was going to eat. I was also wearing full make-up because it took around three hours to get into it and we obviously couldn't take that off. My husband completely freaked out. He was like, 'I can't hug you to say hi. I mean, where is my wife? It is so weird. I am not hugging you'".
Lara added that her daughter was amused about the whole transformation process. "Only when I would be completely ready she would say, 'You look weird'".
Lara also went on to say that before Bell Bottom she was never subjected to such curiosity about the appearance of her characters. "I have been a part of so many films and played different characters, but I have never seen people around me react the way they did when I was on the sets this time. It was weird because I wan't looking at myself in the mirror, and I couldn't guage how the transformation was coming across. So I would be amused by the reactions around me. Everybody stood straight, they were very polite. That is the power of Mrs Gandhi. I didn't realise it initially".
The actor explained how Akshay Kumar reacted when he saw her as Indira Gandhi.
When asked about how she managed to pick up Indira Gandhi's mannerisms Lara Dutta said, "Both Ranjit Tiwari (director) and I watched hours of footage on Indira Gandhi. We watched everything we could find - interviews, Mrs Gandhi at events, her interactions with different people. I noted down every minute detail - from Gandhi's eye and hand movements to the way she tilted her head and wore her glasses. The way she spoke, her tone, the way she stood - I tried to perfect all that".
The actor added that she had a huge advantage because of her father.
Bell Bottom is set for a theatrical release on 19 August.
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