Stuck in Dubai, Lara Dutta gets teary-eyed talking about people who ‘don’t have the option to leave’; says UAE is just like India in protecting citizens

In a video shared on Instagram, Lara detailed what has been happening around her and how she is dealing with it. Revealing that she and Saira have been in Dubai since the beginning of the “Israel-Iran war,” she stated that the city has been her home for the past three years and that she has spent considerable time there.

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Mentioning that she was filming at a studio in Dubai on February 28 when they suddenly heard loud explosions overhead, Lara noted, “We ran out of the studio and saw missiles being intercepted (in the sky). I can’t lie… It’s been stressful for the past few days. It’s been scary. There are jets flying overhead, lots of loud booms.” Lara also revealed that her husband, former tennis player Mahesh Bhupathi, is not with them at the moment because he was away for work when everything started.

As nerve-racking as the situation is, Lara confirmed that she and her daughter have not once felt unsafe in the city, even now. She added, “Although we live in a villa in a very safe neighbourhood, the windows have been shaking, the doors rattling, and it can feel unnerving. But I haven’t felt unsafe even once. The UAE government has done an incredible job. We feel really looked after, wanted, and protected, regardless of our nationality or where we’re from. We feel like we count and we matter. The UAE government is making sure that they do everything in their power to protect us and keep us safe.”

 

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A post shared by Lara Dutta Bhupathi (@larabhupathi)

‘No civilian deserves to live in fear’

Revealing how safe the masses have been feeling, an emotional Lara noted that the government has continued to maintain a safe space for the working class to do their jobs and live their lives as usual. Mentioning that even her gardener has been showing up every day to mow the lawn and water the plants, a teary-eyed Lara added with a lump in her throat, “Delivery riders are working. You can order food, essentials, and whatever you need. I have so much respect and admiration for ordinary people who don’t really have the option of leaving and are just keeping this country running.”

Mentioning that they are constantly looking at flights to return to Mumbai, she noted, “More so because the kids are a lot more nervous about this. We, adults, are as well, but we try to keep things together for them.”

Maintaining that the UAE is exactly like India in terms of protecting its citizens, she said, “We saw how well our country protected us there (during the Operation Sindoor against Pakistan), and it feels the same here.” Lara Dutta concluded by noting, “No civilian deserves to live in fear or to be caught up in a war that destabilises an entire region. I hope common sense and better judgment prevail.”