Ranneeti: Balakot & Beyond, a web series that attempts to take a behind-the-scenes look at what went into strategising the 2019 Balakot air strike against Pakistan by India, streams on JioCinema from April 25.

The series boasts a strong cast comprising Jimmy Shergill, Lara Dutta Bhupathi, Ashutosh Rana and Ashish Vidyarthi. t2 chatted with Lara on the show and beyond.

What got you interested in Ranneeti: Balakot & Beyond?

A couple of things. I am an Armed Forces kid. My father, my sister and my brother-in-law are all in the Indian Air Force and when the Balakot strike happened, there were a lot of inside stories that I came to know about. In a way, we knew a lot of things that couldn’t, for whatever reasons, be disclosed in the public space. The loss hit very close to home. There was a relatability to it like nothing else.

The story of the series is inspired by the Balakot strike and the Pulwama attack. It is our way of interpreting or understanding those decisions that were taken, how they were taken, what really went on down behind those closed doors and in those rooms that, at that point of time, were very high-tension rooms. These were decisions that would impact history, especially where India was concerned, for a long time to come. To be part of something that was that thrilling and powerful was a big deal.

The sentiment that rang right through as we were shooting Ranneeti was patriotism. To put yourself in the shoes of those people who would have to make those decisions that would impact history was something that was really quite powerful.

Was it a straight-up ‘yes’ from you?

Yes. It is a very interesting character. In some ways, Manisha Sehgal is a spin doctor. She is the one that creates the narrative that the world must see. The tagline of Ranneeti says that wars today are not just fought on the battlefield, they are fought within the narrative that is portrayed in order to build a public perception around the world.

I think that holds true for the conflict that we see even now the world over. What the media presents in front of you determines who has won the war or not, regardless of what is going on at ground zero. To be in the position of the person who has to spin that narrative is an extremely powerful position, but also quite a dilemma-filled position because it is not necessarily one person’s views. It is looking at a much larger picture and having to take decisions based on that rather than what your own moral high ground may or may not dictate.

Is your character based on or at least inspired by a real-life person?

She is not based on one particular person but researched on quite a few people and then sort of collectively put together.

Given that she operates in a world that we are largely unfamiliar with, what aspects of her were completely alien to you?

A lot of Manisha’s character was quite alien to me. I have never been in a position where I have had to think or decide for an entire nation. That whole mindset is completely different. It was wonderful to create the character from the ground up — from the way she looked and spoke to how she dressed and thought.

Manisha is a very powerful woman. She is a lone bird, she walks alone. She is a force of nature to reckon with. I would wish that parts of Manisha stayed back with me. But then again, I don’t know. I would find being her very isolating as well. She is quite lonely and I don’t know if I want to be that person.

You may not have made life-changing decisions for the country but you represented India internationally at many a forum, starting with the Miss Universe contest, which you won...

Yes, but I did it in much, much less stressful times! (Laughs)

Would you agree that you have always been offered strong roles? I can’t remember you ever playing a damsel in distress...

Aren’t most commercial Hindi film heroine roles damsels in distress? (Laughs) I am sure in my career, at the start, I have been subjected to playing those kinds of parts on screen.

But yes, I think I have a certain presence on screen that is quite hard to miss. There was a very famous line in Dirty Dancing that went: ‘You can’t put baby in a corner.’ I don’t think you can put Lara in a corner! (Laughs)

I have been fortunate where filmmakers that I have greatly admired have capitalised on my screen presence very well and have offered me incredible characters. This has happened especially in the last three-four years, with the advent of OTT. It has been incredible to portray those kind of characters.

The possibilities are endless and I am quite excited with the work that I am doing now. The only reason to get up and go to work is to do things that I haven’t done before and which I feel I will enjoy doing.

Even before you became a beauty queen and an actress, were you always someone who couldn’t be put in a corner?

Yes. But I am also quite a private person. You won’t see a lot of me until and unless I have some work that I want to talk about. You find a balance, you know, when you have a personality like that. It is not necessary that you will be constantly in everyone’s face. People will get tired of you also. I am quite a handful within my industry for people to handle. It is nice to give them only small doses of me. (Laughs)

Does your daughter, Saira, who is 12, enjoy watching you on screen?

She does. But she also minces no words. She is not as kind to me as the rest of the world is. If she doesn’t like something, she is quite honest and it doesn’t even take her two seconds to react, which I love! I need that. I have always wanted that kind of grounding in my life. I think my daughter is the best reality check I could ever have. She is soon going to be a teenager. So now, my God, the words are sharp and quick-witted! (Laughs)

Is there any performance of yours that she has really liked from now or before?

She loves all the good old masala Hindi films and she loves all the comedies. She was watching Housefull the other day and was cracking up nonstop. And she was like: ‘I watched this so long ago. Why haven’t I watched it again? I am so glad to watch it.’

Things that she doesn’t like, she’s quite upfront with it. She asks me: ‘Why would you do this?!’

You have always been good at comedy and now you are back to doing a big one — Welcome to the Jungle. Do you feel that your comedic talent has been tapped enough?

If you look at my filmography, most of the hits have all been comedy films, whether it was No Entry, Housefull, Bhagam Bhag or Partner. I think I was very lucky because at that point of time, there weren’t many of my contemporaries who could carry off comedy, maybe the way that I could. And therefore I got the opportunity of working with some of the best comedy directors — whether it is David Dhawan, Priyadarshan, Sajid (Khan), Anees Bazmee....

I am very excited that I am doing Welcome to the Jungle. More than anything else, because of the really crazy cast, the best comic talent in the country right now. It is incredible to share space with them. It is like meeting old friends... a lot of the Bhagam Bhag cast is part of it and it is just madness on set, I love that environment and I think I thrive in it.

Comedy is my forte and I thoroughly enjoy it. But I also think that I sometimes consciously veer away from only doing comedy because I know that there is so much more to explore.

Which Indian actress, past or present, is good at comedy? Tell t2@abp.in