Bell Bottom: Director Ranjit M Tewari Reveals It Was Akshay Kumar Who Suggested Lara Dutta’s Name

Bell Bottom is inspired by a real-life hijacking of an Indian Airlines flight in 1984.

The transformation of Lara Dutta into Indira Gandhi was a big deal since the release of the trailer for 'Bell Bottom' by Akshay Kumar.

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Ranjit M Tewari, the film's director, explained why Lara was chosen for the role, despite her facial features being different from those of the late prime minister. He explained that the transformation was due to the advances in prosthetics science over the years.

Tewari stated that this was an important casting decision for my film. Lara is a strong person and carries herself with dignity. Initially, the idea of casting Lara came from Akshay sir, so the credit goes to him. Then, I wondered how to make her look like Mrs Gandhi. She doesn't look anything like her.

There were two choices: make Lara look exactly the same as Mrs Gandhi or create a look similar to Mrs Gandhi. After several photoshop sessions and discussions, Vikram Gaikwad, my makeup artist, suggested that we go for prosthetics.

When she was wearing 70 percent of her prosthetics, I saw Lara with her Mrs Gandhi look for the first time. It was perfect! We finally found the right look. I'm very grateful for the effort she put into it. Lara's performance added dignity to the character."

'Bell Bottom', inspired by a real-life hijacking of an Indian Airlines flight in 1984, also features Vaani Kapoor, Huma Qureshi and Adil Hussain in key roles. The film will be released theatrically on August 19.

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