At the trailer launch of BellBottom, the media personnel were trying to figure out the absence of Lara Dutta in the trailer as she was present at the launch. Media present at the event and people who saw the trailer were shocked to know that it was Lara Dutta who is playing the role of Indira Gandhi.

During the press conference post the trailer launch, Dutta was asked about the character she portrays in the film. She had said, “If anyone is able to guess, then I will take all their family members free to the theatres.” After being asked multiple times, she finally revealed that she is playing the former Prime Minister.

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Being an actor demands way more than just a rock-solid performance and Lara has gone that extra mile by taking up this role. She is unrecognizable and we had to rub our eyes in disbelief. Not just us, her husband Mahesh Bhupathi also got a shock of his life and even refused to hug her as he saw her in this particular makeup.

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She told Quint, “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'." She also shared that her daughter was amused seeing the entire transformation process.

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She also said that she has done so many characters in her life but playing the role of Indira Gandhi was completely different as she had never gone through such a massive transformation.

“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 wasn't looking at myself in the mirror, and I couldn't gauge 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 realize it initially,” she added.

When asked how did she lift her mannerisms, she 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.”

Well, we too were taken aback after we got to know she is playing Indira Gandhi and it will be interesting to see her nail the character.

BellBottom is set for a theatrical release on August 19.  

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