When saree-clad Lara Dutta bashed up a man who pinched her in Delhi

Lara Dutta Pic/Instagram

Bollywood actress Lara Dutta, who once ruled the big screens with her beauty and charisma, is back with multiple work opportunities on her platter. She made her debut in 2003 with the film 'Andaaz' alongside Akshay Kumar and Priyanka Chopra Jonas. In an interview, the former Miss Universe recalled how she bashed up a man who pinched her during the film's promotions in Delhi.

Lara told Hautterfly, "I've faced a lot of eve-teasing incidents of course, and I've also talked about them. During the music release of my debut film Andaaz, Priyanka (Chopra), Akshay (Kumar), and I went to Rhythm House at Chandni Chowk in Delhi. I was wearing a sari. As we were trying to get into Rhythm House, a huge crowd had erupted since Miss World (Priyanka) and Miss Universe were coming together on screen for the first time, and there was Akshay Kumar. So someone pinched me. I realised something's wrong, and probably due to my army background training, I pulled him out and he fell down on the road. But then I bashed him up so badly, in a sari. Akshay got very worried, and he pulled me away from him, and said, ‘What are you doing? You're an actor now. You can't be doing all this'."

Meanwhile, on the work front, Lara will next be seen in the upcoming web series, 'Ranneeti: Balakot & Beyond'. She portrays the role of a power broker, delving into the intricacies of modern warfare and geopolitical dynamics.

Directed by Santosh Singh, the series promises to unravel untold stories behind a major defensive operation, shedding light on the amalgamation of traditional and contemporary warfare tactics.

Speaking about her involvement in the project, Lara Dutta, in an exclusive interview with ANI, shared her deep-rooted connection to the subject matter.

Hailing from a military family background, with her father and sister serving in the Air Force, Lara emphasises her innate sense of patriotism and duty towards the nation. She remarked, "First comes your country, and then comes your family or whatever will always be in the number two position."

"For me, choosing this story was a special thing because when the Balakot air strike happened, we got more insider information while being in the Air Force than civilians," she said.

Besides this, Lara Dutta has an exciting lineup of projects in the pipeline, including 'Welcome To The Jungle', 'Suryast', and 'Ramayana'.