Hichki and the Hookup trailer, shown Lara Dutta As single mother Vasu, who is rediscovering life at the age of 40 by indulging in some sexual adventures, has wowed fans and took notice. Recently Miss Universe 2000 spoke indianexpress.com and confessed that he had his own inhibitions about the character. However, once the actor had a heart-to-heart talk with director Kunal Kohli, she was at ease.
“Over the years, what I’ve learned from my craft is to be clear about what I’m comfortable with, what works for me and what doesn’t. I also know when to embrace a new character or project. How willing I am to push the envelope. When I was approached for this show, I was really impressed with the idea. It’s a great show for the 40 people playing the central characters in such a huge show that Lionsgate is making. There was opportunity. It’s about a single mother rediscovering herself after the hiccups in her life. I was widely apprehensive about how her character was progressing in the story. And I Had an honest conversation with Kunal about it. I’m thankful he welcomed me so much and entertained me. We both felt that we could work around the issues I had before coming on board. Lara Dutta Said, “Once I got the assurance that I was on par on which path the character would go, I was all set. I think the makers had to make it my project as much as their project was amazing.”
Still from hiccups and hookups. (Photo: PR)
The actor made his digital debut last year with Hundred, where he played a cop. Recently his performance in Call My Agent was also highly appreciated. When we asked her if the web space is giving her roles that Bollywood has failed to offer over the years, Lara smiled and said, “Absolutely, I think it’s the best time for me. Having more fun and finally getting the kind of roles and projects I always wanted. I didn’t come to be the top star in the industry or get into the numbers game. I wanted to be an actor, and Now I’m finally getting to do that.”
Lara Dutta More open about pay inequality in the industry. The actress said she has seen some “great changes” over the years and now things have gotten much better for women. “I think it’s not just actors, but there are a lot of women technicians, directors, producers and even writers who have fought inequality. And change is happening for those who are a demand for themselves. From my own experience I can say that I am getting better salary as compared to 10-15 years back.
While older heroes continue to romance younger female stars in films, roles are still rare in Bollywood for women over 35. Responding to the same, the Andaz actor smiled and said, “The trend of pairing older heroes with younger heroines still exists. Hopefully, common sense will prevail soon. I think things are changing but slowly. Actresses in the ’30s were considered homely and not sexy, and I think that perception is changing now. The writing has gotten better and now great roles are being written for women. And it’s also because a lot of women are writing stories now and thus it’s more nuanced and layered. I’ve been reading some amazing stuff, and hope we can rewrite the trend soon.
Lastly, as the show deals with dating apps and hookups, we asked Lara to share her opinion on new age dating. “Well, I’ve passed the head of apps, so thankfully I can’t say I missed it. It never existed in our time. However, I don’t mind or problem with them Because it is a great way to connect with people. It has allowed young people to have a choice and expand their playing field. And not just romance, they also met friends for life on these apps which last longer than any romantic relationship,” said the model-actor.
Hichki and Hookup, which also stars Prateik Babbar and Shinova, is streaming on Lionsgate Play.
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