[2][3] Following a hiatus, Dutta appeared in the British drama miniseries Beecham House in 2019 and portrayed Indira Gandhi in the film Bell Bottom (2021).

In addition to her acting career, Dutta has hosted several award shows and has her own line of beauty care products.

Dutta was born 16 April 1978[4] to a Hindu Punjabi father and an Anglo-Indian mother in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.

[10] Dutta won the annual Gladrags Manhunt and Megamodel Contest in 1995,[11] thus winning the right to enter the 1997 Miss Intercontinental Pageant.

[19] Dutta has stated, "Celebrities with the power to affect their impressionable minds therefore have a moral responsibility to impart positive messages.

[20] Dutta made her screen debut in 2003 with Andaaz, playing Kajal opposite Akshay Kumar.

[22] Andaaz became a major box office success and won her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut.

[23] Derek Elley of Variety noted that Dutta wins the acting stakes and handle her character reversals with aplomb.

[25] Later the year, she played Kesar, a village girl opposite Abhishek Bachchan in Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost.

"[31] She then appeared in the Tamil film, Arasatchi, which was supposed to be her debut release in 2002 but due to financial problems, it was postponed.

[32] In her final film of the year, Aan: Men at Work she played a police officer's lover opposite Akshay Kumar.

Dutta first played a journalist in Insan opposite Ajay Devgn and then appeared in Elaan, both of which were box office failures.

[35] Dutta then played Sanjana, who marries for money and frame her husband for her fake death in Jurm, opposite Bobby Deol.

[36] Vivek Fernandes stated, "Lara has a meaty role; she sizzles in the first half, goes a bit over the top toward the end but overall turns in a commendable performance.

[40] Her final release that year, Dosti: Friends Forever saw her pair opposite Bobby Deol, playing an NRI.

[42] Dutta then played Aditi / Munni, a lady with suicidal tendencies opposite Akshay Kumar in Bhagam Bhag, which was a box office success.

[47] Dutta then played Naina, a single mother and reporter opposite Salman Khan in Partner, one of the year's highest-grossing film.

[50] She then made a special appearance in Om Shanti Om and also presented a documentary film titled Sold: An MTV EXIT Special by Charmaine Choo which followed the tragedy of trafficking in South Asia where thousand of young girls and boys are sold into modern-day slavery.

[68][69] In 2015, she played Emily, a translator alongside Akshay Kumar in Singh Is Bliing, which emerged a financial success, grossing over ₹ 1.16 billion worldwide.

[81] Divyanshi Sharma of India Today stated, "Lara Dutta makes an impressive web-series debut with the show.

"[82] Dutta started 2021 with her portrayal of former Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi in the spy film Bell Bottom alongside Akshay Kumar.

[88][89] The following year, Dutta played Devyani, princess of a dyfunctional royal family in the series Kaun Banegi Shikharwati opposite Cyrus Sahukar.

[94] Pratikshya Mishra of The Quint stated that despite limited screen time, Dutta maintains her character's mystery.

[95] In her first release of 2024, Dutta played Manisha, National Security Bureau head in the series, Ranneeti: Balakot & Beyond.

She stated "It's exciting to be a part of this journey in finding the perfect representative who is the Indian face of beauty, who possesses elegance, confidence, poise and intelligence.

[104][105] Commenting on Dutta's career and her roles, Subhash K. Jha noted, "Lara is subtle yet upfront, strong but fragile, she encompasses the best of both worlds - feminine and aggressive, within her personality.

We always manage the home, take care of family, we are still the troubleshooters, we wear multiple hats in a day, we juggle a million works, and we don't let any of them drop.