30 April,2026 08:27 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Lara Dutta and Deepika (Pic/IMDB)
Lara Dutta has been a part of showbiz for over two decades, and she has impressed all with her performances in some cult comedy films. As her popular film Housefull completed 16 years since its release, Lara recalled fond memories from the film's shoot. She also reminisced about her time with Deepika Padukone and praised her professionalism, sharing how the actress continued shooting despite being down with malaria.
In an interview with NDTV, Lara recalled shooting for the film and shared, "We went to Italy and we were like a big family on holiday. And I mean, Sajid Nadiadwala created this environment for us where we were all staying together. And when production is seamless and smooth, then all the issues also calm down. Everybody just... it becomes conducive to working."
She then went on to reveal how Deepika Padukone got extremely sick after contracting malaria. The actress continued, "But a lot of people don't know this, that during the filming of Housefull, Deepika actually felt really sick. She had malaria, and she was absolutely wiped out. So they had to get her a doctor and put her on medication. And she was a thorough professional because she was running a high fever all night. She was shivering and would have to take these meds."
Heaping praise on her professionalism, she stated, "And then the next morning, because we had this fixed schedule, there were multiple actors, and we were shooting scenes during that time that were quite emotional. So she would show up on set. She was an absolute professional and got her work done. There was absolutely no drop in her performance. And as an actor, you have to give another actor credit for that because I know how difficult it is."
Directed by Sajid Khan, Housefull featured an ensemble cast including Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Deepika Padukone, Lara Dutta, Boman Irani, Arjun Rampal, and Lillete Dubey in pivotal roles. It was a massive success that launched the Housefull franchise. While Akshay Kumar remained a part of the sequels, the supporting cast kept changing.
On the professional front, Lara was last seen in Ranneeti: Balakot & Beyond. She will next appear in Welcome to the Jungle, which features an ensemble cast. Apart from this, Lara is also rumoured to be part of Nitesh Tiwari's ambitious Ramayana. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram and Sai Pallavi as Sita, while Lara is reportedly set to play Queen Kaikeyi.
