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.
"One day Akshay was sitting next to me waiting for a shot, and he kept staring at me. I asked, 'What is wrong with you? Why are you staring at me?' And he replied, 'Lara, I am feeling so weird'. He said he was amazed by the precision of the make-up. I felt so strange. Akshay goofs around a lot, but nothing of that sort was happening this time. I was suddenly the most-respected person on set. At that time I knew the experience would be different".Lara Dutta, Actor
Lara Dutta's 'Personal' Connection With 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.
"My father, who was in the Air Force, used to be Mrs Gandhi's personal pilot. He had interacted with her multiple times. My dad became a huge source for me to know Indira Gandhi better. The details he knows, public footage won't have those. For an actor to know somebody who knew Mrs Gandhi personally is a huge win. My father flew her for multiple elections. He knew things like her discipline, her routine, what she liked to eat. It helped me get into her mind a bit. Imitating somebody in terms of looks, body language is one thing but getting into someone's mind is also necessary, especially when we are showing something that happened during Mrs Gandhi's tenure. It was important for me to understand the environment Mrs Gandhi was in, in 1984. A plane to be hijacked and her having to deal with a crisis like that. I had to constantly keep in mind how she would react".Lara Dutta, Actor
Bell Bottom is set for a theatrical release on 19 August.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)