Lara Dutta once turned down 'Matrix' to take care of ailing mother

Not Priyanka Chopra, Dutta was supposed to be the first Indian to star in Keanu Reeves' popular franchise

Bollywood's arguably biggest global icon, Priyanka Chopra, has been on a career high with her latest Hollywood offering, The Matrix Resurrection with Keanu Reeves. But did you know, the former Miss World wasn't the first Indian actor to have been offered a film from the popular franchise? If things had gone the way Lara Dutta had intended to, she would have been the first Bollywood star to bag a Matrix film. 

In a recent interview with Hindustan Times, the former Miss Universe revealed why she decided to turn down the role in the 2001 film. Dutta said, "It was a tough time. I had not even started out in Bollywood. But I was very clear about what I wanted in life." She revealed she had turned down the role in the Reeves' starrer to keep her mother first. "Everything else came second, I just had to be with my mother at the time. I did not even think twice and came back to India. And, it wasn’t like I came here thinking we have Bollywood (as a backup, since I gave up on a huge Hollywood opportunity). I just had to be with my mother at the time since she was unwell, extremely unwell. Therefore I did not even think twice and came back to India."

Does she regret a role she did take up? "No, I do not regret doing anything in my life. Whatever I did, whatever roles and films I picked, I did what I felt was the best option for me at the time and I do not regret any of those," the Andaaz actor commented.

Speaking about how things have changed for women in the industry, Dutta remarked, "Earlier, women had a very limited role in filmmaking. Not many women were in production or writing or other roles behind the camera. Even in front of the camera, the roles of women were limited to being props. They were either moms or sisters or the hard-to-get girls or the dedicated wives. Now, things have changed. I think the change came because of us, we fought for our place and created space for ourselves."

She added, "I would say times have also changed a lot. Earlier, women were compartmentalised in certain images. I did a lot of comedies at a time when women were not given comic parts. I did try to experiment, but I think better content is being written now. With the OTT, a variety of content is being written and various kinds of people are writing. So, someone could think of a 40-year-old woman doing these roles. If you see me doing different kinds of roles now, that has a lot more to do with what is on offer now."

She also shed light on the time she was possible at the lowest point in her life. "I am not sure if I want to call it the lowest but there was a point when I felt I was being typecast. I was either doing roles that just demanded glamour or was just doing comedy," Dutta shared. "I found that though I was good at comedy, I really wanted to flex some other muscles and there was a lot more that I had to offer, than just doing the same thing over and over again. That is what gave me the confidence to take the opportunity to step back and rediscover myself."

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