At the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2022, Lara Dutta won Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her role of Late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in Pooja Entertainments’ espionage drama Bell Bottom (2021). The award ceremony took place on Sunday night, February 20. The event was attended by some of the prominent members of the Indian film industry, and it was a star-studded affair.
On social media, many stars congratulated the actress on her success. Co-star Akshay said, “Congratulations Lara, much deserved. Very happy for you. Hugs.”
Jackky Bhagnani said, “Congratulations LaraDutta. This is amazing, so so so well deserved! Kudos to you for your impeccable performance. No one could have played this character better than you. Let's celebrate this Soooooon!”
Producer Deepshikha Deshmukh said, “Congratulations soo well deserved no one could have played Mrs Gandhi better. Need to celebrate soon.”
Lara Dutta thanked the makers of Bell Bottom, director Ranjit Tewari for giving her the role of Late PM Indira Gandhi.
She said, “Always grateful for the opportunities the film industry gives me! Thrilled to win the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film award for Bell Bottom. A big thank you to Akshay Kumar, Pooja Entertainment, Producer Vashu Bhagnani, Jackky Bhagnani, Deepshikha Deshmukh, Director Ranjit M Tewari, for the opportunity to play Mrs. Gandhi on screen! And this wouldn’t be possible without Vikram Gaikwad and his amazing team of makeup and prosthetics artists. And for my fam- my greatest strength!”
The film Bell Bottom, directed by Ranjit M Tewari and written by Aseem Arrora and Parveez Sheikh, also stars Akshay Kumar, Vaani Kapoor, and Huma Qureshi. It was inspired by real-life hijackings by Khalistani separatists in India during the 1980s, such as the hijackings of Indian Airlines Flights 423, 405, and 421.