Actor Lara Dutta`s father, retired Wing Commander LK Dutta, passes away

Bollywood actress Lara Dutta has lost her father, retired Wing Commander LK Dutta. The actress, along with her husband, former tennis player Mahesh Bhupathi, was seen attending the funeral of LK Dutta.

In a video doing the rounds, the Dutta family—dressed in white—was seen arriving for the last rites of LK Dutta. The family has yet to issue an official statement on the veteran’s sad demise.

Lara Dutta on her bond with her father

Lara Dutta shared a close bond with her father and has often expressed her admiration for him in interviews. Speaking about him on the YouTube show Tellis Like It Is, Lara said, “My father, at a very young age, joined the Indian Air Force. He was at the NDA and then became an Air Force pilot, flew helicopters all his life. At the age of 41, he had his first heart attack and was grounded for life. So all the man really knew was to fly… and didn’t really have—because he was an NDA product—any university or college education. He had no qualifications apart from being a man who had fought three wars for his country in `65, `69, and `71. But then he found himself with three kids, the youngest being three years old, with no job, grounded for life. He didn’t want to stay in the Air Force because he knew it would kill him to sit at a desk and not be able to fly.”

After her father`s retirement, they moved to Bengaluru. Lara was 3 at the time.

Lara Dutta celebrated her dad`s last birthday earlier this month

The actress had celebrated her father`s birthday earlier this month and revealed that the day also marked the anniversary of her winning Miss Universe.

She wrote, “Yesterday was a day of roller coaster emotions… the 12th of May… a significant day in my life! Not just my Dad`s birthday, but also the day I won Miss Universe, 25 years ago! Time certainly flies! Marked the day yesterday with a puja to celebrate my father`s life. Knowing how fleeting and fragile life is, it`s important to acknowledge and be grateful for the gifts the universe bestows upon us. Thank you for the love and for your companionship over the last 25 years!”