Did you know before Priyanka Chopra, the former universe Lara Dutta was roped in for the Matrix series? Shocking, Right! But yes, the actress recently opened up about the opportunity that she got early in her career to feature in the Matrix franchise but unfortunately, she had to opt-out of the project. Lara revealed that she turned down the project because her mother was extremely unwell and she just wanted to be with her mom at that time.
In a recent interaction with Hindustan Times, the Bell Bottom actress talked about her first Hollywood project, ageism in the industry, and how her life changed after embracing motherhood. Talking about rejecting a role in Matrix, Lara said, “it was a tough time. I had not even started out in Bollywood. But I was very clear about what I wanted in life. Everything else came second, I just had to be with my mother at the time. I did not even think twice and came back to India. And, it wasn’t like I came here thinking we have Bollywood (as a backup, since I gave up on a huge Hollywood opportunity). I just had to be with my mother at the time since she was unwell, extremely unwell. Therefore I did not even think twice and came back to India.”
Taking a trip down memory lane, Lara recalled the time when she had to leave her daughter and go out for a shoot. She said it was difficult for her to leave Saira as she was breastfeeding her during the shoot of Bejoy Nambiar’s ‘David’. ALSO READ: Lara Dutta REACTS To A Fan’s Comment ‘Meko Laga Hum Jaise Log Hi Garib Hote Hai’ For Not Changing Her Phone Cover In Years
The actress further expressed her views on how her process of taking up projects has gradually changed with time. She stressed that earlier women were compartmentalized in certain images but with the coming of OTT, better scripts and content is being offered to the female leads. “With the OTT, a variety of content is being written and various kinds of people are writing. So, someone could think of a 40-year-old woman doing these roles. If you see me doing different kinds of roles now, that has a lot more to do with what is on offer now”, she added.
On the work front, Lara Dutta recently bagged Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Award for her spectacular performance as Indira Gandhi in Bell Bottom. She recently featured in a few digital projects including Hiccups and Hookups, Hundred, and Kaun Banegi Shikharwati.
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