Trigger Warning: This article includes references to sexual abuse.
Lara Dutta is hitting the headlines these days for her latest web series, Ranneeti: Balakot & Beyond. The former Miss Universe recently talked about the time when she made her debut in Bollywood with the 2003 film Andaaz.
Lara recalled that during an event for the film in Delhi, someone from the crowd pinched her waist and ended up being thrashed by her. The actress also shared that her reaction to the harassment made her co-star, Akshay Kumar, feel worried.
When Lara Dutta thrashed a guy for pinching her waist and Akshay Kumar had to pull her back
Film stars often interact with the crowd during film promotions. During this time, some people take unfair advantage of stars' vulnerabilities, which puts them in tricky situations. During an interview with Hauterrfly recently, Lara Dutta talked about an incident that happened with her during the promotion of her debut film, Andaaz.
Lara recalled visiting Delhi's Chandni Chowk with Akshay Kumar and Priyanka Chopra for the film's music release. This is when she noticed someone in the crowd trying to pinch on her waist. "I almost had some intuition, maybe this was military training, that you can sense that something is wrong. The moment that hand came in, I held that hand, and I pulled out that guy from the crowd,” she said, further revealing that the guy who was trying to harass her fell, and she thrashed her badly.
Talking about Akshay's reaction, she shared that he got worried and pulled her back. "What are you doing? You are an actress; you can’t do this,” she said, recalling Akshay's words.
Lara Dutta's work front
Lara Dutta's web series Ranneeti: Balakot & Beyond, also starring Jimmy Shergill, Ashutosh Rana, Ashish Vidyarthi, and Prasanna in the lead, started streaming on Jio Cinema on April 25, 2024.
The actress is also working on the upcoming big comedy film Welcome To The Jungle, the 3rd installment of the much-loved comedy franchise Welcome. Welcome 3 also stars Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal, Suniel Shetty, Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, Raveena Tandon, Jacqueline Fernandez, and Disha Patani, among others.
Lara is also working on Nitesh Tiwari's ambitious Ramayana trilogy, which stars Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi, Sunny Deol, and Yash in the lead.
Disclaimer: If you need support or know someone who is struggling with domestic violence or assault or abuse, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist, NGO or speak to someone about it. There are several helplines available for the same.