The web series Ranneeti: Balakot & Beyond, starring Lara Dutta, debuted in the OTT space recently, with her playing the role of a power broker in the show. The actress has been receiving positive responses for her performance in the show.
In an exclusive interview with Pinkvilla, Lara revealed that she was not interested in playing characters that were younger than her actual age. Disclosing the reason behind the same, she opened up about the representation of women in cinema.
Lara Dutta on women getting to play characters of their real age
In an exclusive conversation with Pinkvilla, Lara Dutta was asked if she had been subjected to getting roles pertaining to her real age, unlike male actors, who often get the opportunity to play characters younger than their age.
In response, Lara expressed that it was a positive thing that female actors were getting roles for their age. She said, “I think it’s great. And I hope it happens more.”
Regarding the reason behind her thought, Lara shared, “Because for the longest time ever, we never ever, ever represented women in this country over a certain age. It was always the college-going or the 20-year-old falling in love for the first time. Any representation of women on screen was either the mother who had sacrificed everything, or the horrible saas or the suffering bahu; there was just no representation of actual women.”
Talking about how women’s representation has changed in today’s times, Lara stated, “So I love the fact that today there are women on screen who are in all forms, you know, powerful women, vulnerable women, diabolical women, but women who are 40, 50, 60, 70, and you’re finally being seen on screen.”
She emphasized, “So I have no interest in playing a character that’s any younger than I am right now.”
Watch the full interview with Lara Dutta here!
Lara Dutta’s professional front
Lara Dutt’s war drama series Ranneeti: Balakot & Beyond is directed by Santosh Singh. The cast of the show also includes Jimmy Shergill, Ashutosh Rana, Ashish Vidyarthi, and many other talented actors. The series premiered on JioCinema on April 25, 2024.
Looking ahead, Lara is set to be a part of the third film in the highly popular Welcome franchise, Welcome To The Jungle. The adventure comedy is directed by Ahmed Khan and produced by Firoz Nadiadwallah and Jyoti Deshpande.
The stellar ensemble cast of the film includes Akshay Kumar, Disha Patani, Jacqueline Fernandez, Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, Suniel Shetty, Raveena Tandon, Paresh Rawal, Tusshar Kapoor, Shreyas Talpade, Johnny Lever, Rajpal Yadav, Kiku Sharda, Daler Mehndi, Mika Singh, and more.
Earlier, Pinkvilla exclusively reported that Lara has come on board as Princess Kaikeyi for the highly anticipated epic Ramayana, directed by Nitesh Tiwari. In the film, Ranbir Kapoor will be seen portraying Lord Ram, with Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Ravana.
A source close to the development revealed, “Nitesh Tiwari wants to cast actors who are apt to play the characters belonging to the most timeless tale of Indian history. He feels Lara Dutta is perfect to play the part of Princess Kaikeyi, the third consort of King Dasharatha. It’s a pivotal character that leads to the entire conflict in Ramayana, and Lara is excited to enter the fantastical world of Nitesh Tiwari.”
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