All-good or all-bad is boring. The magic lies in the grey, says Lara Dutta, echoing most actors’ sentiments. Which is why she relished playing the role of Manisha Saigal, a leading news channel’s primetime anchor, in Ranneeti: Balakot & Beyond.

“My character is something of a spin doctor, and it is inspired by a couple of people who exist [in today’s journalism world]. These are powerful journalists who work behind the scenes, spinning narratives for people to see and [influencing their] perception,” says the actor.

The Jio Cinema offering— also starring Jimmy Shergill, Ashutosh Rana, and Ashish Vidyarthi—is set against the backdrop of the 2019 Balakot air strike and offers a fictionalized retelling of the events. Every actor craves layered roles, but Dutta admits she could not have done justice to this character earlier in her career.

“You need maturity to portray this character. You will see cynicism, lived experience, moments of weariness and frustration in her. I couldn’t have brought that to the table with less life experience under my belt.”

Dutta believes life and its wisdom have made her ready for more complex parts today. It shows in her recent choices. The glamorous roles of the aughts—from Andaaz (2003) to No Entry (2005) and Partner (2007)—have been replaced with mature turns in Ishq-e-Nadaan (2023) and Charlie Chopra and The Mystery of Solang Valley (2023). Is she enjoying this change of pace?

“I am 1,000 per cent happier today,” beams the actor, 48. “Age has finally freed me from all these shackles of perception, of being perceived only as a pageant winner or a glamorous leading lady. That was never the work I wanted to do. The work I got over the last few years was the kind I had 

always wanted to do.”

In the pipeline are Suryast, Welcome to the Jungle, and Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana, in which she plays the manipulative Kaikeyi. She couldn’t be happier about the diverse roles filmmakers are imagining her in.

“Today, we are getting offered amazing roles, and for that, I give credit to all the women who have come before us. Apart from those in front of the camera, today you have so much female talent as producers, directors and technicians. It has been a hard-fought battle, but it’s exciting to be a part of this change.”