Debut and early work (2003–2004) Dutta made her screen debut in 2003 with
Andaaz, playing Kajal opposite
Akshay Kumar. In the film, Dutta's voice was dubbed by
Mona Ghosh Shetty as the filmmakers wanted two distinct characters for the female leads and they needed Kajal, Dutta's character, to have a high-pitched voice. According to Dutta, her role as the tomboy Kajal revealed a new and very private side of her on screen.
Andaaz became a major box office success and won her the
Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. Derek Elley of
Variety noted that Dutta wins the acting stakes and handle her character reversals with aplomb. A critic of
BBC opined that she "impresses" in emotional scenes. Later the year, she played Kesar, a village girl opposite
Abhishek Bachchan in
Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost. Dutta started 2004 with a cameo appearance in
Khakee, in the song "Aisa Jadoo", which went on to become a chartbuster upon release and earned her the
Stardust Award for Exciting New Face. She then played Monica who lures three married men, in
Masti which was a commercial success. Priya Ganapati of
Rediff.com stated that she plays her character well. In
Bardaasht which failed to do well at the box office, she played an advocat opposite
Bobby Deol. Subhash K. Jha noted, "As a lawyer Lara delivers her lines with conviction. One wishes there was more of her." 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. In her final film of the year,
Aan: Men at Work she played a police officer's lover opposite Akshay Kumar. Dutta revealed in an interview that she was offered a role in
The Matrix franchise but turned down the offer due to her mother's illness at the time.
Breakthrough, success and acclaim (2005–2010) The year 2005 marked a turning point in her career with six releases. Dutta first played a journalist in
Insan opposite
Ajay Devgn and a criminal's lover opposite
John Abraham in
Elaan, both of which were box office failures. Dutta then played Sanjana, who marries for money and frame her husband for her fake death in
Jurm, opposite Bobby Deol. 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." In
Kaal, she played Ishika opposite
Vivek Oberoi. The film was a moderate success at the box office. Dutta then appeared in
No Entry opposite
Anil Kapoor, which went on to become the biggest success of the year. She played Kajal, a suspicious wife and
Taran Adarsh felt she played the character to "perfection", in one of her most uninhibited works. Her final release that year,
Dosti: Friends Forever saw her pair opposite Bobby Deol, and play an NRI. Patcy N stated that she looks "good", but her role is far too short.
No Entry earned her a nomination for
IIFA Award for Best Supporting Actress. In 2006, Dutta first appeared in
Zinda as a taxi driver opposite
Sanjay Dutt. She then had a special song appearance in
Alag. Dutta then played Aditi / Munni, a lady with suicidal tendencies opposite Akshay Kumar in
Bhagam Bhag, which was a box office success. A critic of
Idlebrain found her to be just "adequate". She then had a cameo appearance as Zeenat in
Fanaa. Dutta started 2007 with
Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, playing double-role of Anaida and Laila, opposite Bobby Deol and Abhishek Bachchan. The film was a moderate success.
Rajeev Masand found her to be hilarious in the post-interval portions. Dutta then played Naina, a single mother and reporter opposite
Salman Khan in
Partner, one of the year's highest-grossing film. Syed Firdaus Ashraf was appreciative of her chemistry with Khan. She then made a special appearance in
Om Shanti Om, and later 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. In 2008, Dutta voiced Sonia, a female elephant in the animated film,
Jumbo opposite Akshay Kumar. She made a special appearance in
Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi in the song "
Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte" where she paid tribute to actress
Helen. Dutta started 2010 with
Billu Barber opposite
Irrfan Khan, playing Bindiya, a poor barber's wife. The film was a moderate success at the box office. For her performance, she earned
Stardust Award for Best Actress nomination. Dutta then played a supermodel opposite
Govinda in
Do Knot Disturb and a businessman's wife in
Blue opposite
Sanjay Dutt, both of which were commercial failures. For
Blue, Taran Adarsh stated, "Lara has never looked so good before. Though the story revolves around the guys, you can't overlook her small but significant contribution to the film." In her only release of 2010, Dutta played a Gujarati bartender opposite
Riteish Deshmukh, in
Housefull. The film emerged a major commercial success and collected at the box office. Gaurav Malani from
IndiaTimes found Dutta to be "alluring".
Komal Nahta stated that Dutta proves that she can be fantastic in comedies. Her performance in the film earned her a nomination for
Zee Cine Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Female.
Sporadic work and expansion (2011–2020) Dutta's first film of 2011 was
Chalo Dilli, her first film as a producer. She played Mihika, an investment banker alongside
Vinay Pathak. The film was a moderate success, as it was made on a modest budget of . Taran Adarsh found her performance to be "convincing" despite some rough edges. She earned another Stardust Best Actress nomination for the film. She next appeared alongside
Shah Rukh Khan in
Don 2, playing one of his companion. She also sang "Zara Dil Ko Thaam Lo" for the film. It emerged as one of the highest-grossing films of the year. Following her post-pregnancy break from acting, Dutta appeared in the 2013 Hindi film
David, playing a mother, Neelam, this film was partially reshot in Tamil
in the same title where Dutta's character name was Gayathri. 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. Tushar Joshi from
Daily News and Analysis was appreciative of her comic timing. Dutta played Leena, in her first film of 2016,
Fitoor. Rachit Gupta of
Filmfare praised her supporting part. She then played an advocate in
Azhar. Mehul S Thakkar of
Deccan Chronicle found her performance to be "controlled yet aggressive". Both of her releases were commercial failures. Post this, Dutta played Sophie in the 2018 film
Welcome to New York, a box office failure. Dutta ventured into television series with the 2019
ITV English series,
Beecham House. where she played Begum Samru. She expanded to web shows in 2020, with
Hundred, playing a police inspector Soumya. Divyanshi Sharma of
India Today stated, "Lara Dutta makes an impressive web-series debut with the show. The actress lets her eyes do the talking in various scenes and delivers every dialogue with finesse."
Streaming projects (2021–present) Dutta started 2021 with her portrayal of former
Prime Minister of India,
Indira Gandhi in the spy film
Bell Bottom alongside Akshay Kumar. The film became a commercial failure, but Monika Rawal Kukreja was appreciative of her performance and termed her "terrific". She then played Vasudha, a divorcee and single mother on a fun ride, in the series
Hiccups and Hookups. The following year, Dutta played Devyani, princess of a dyfunctional royal family in the series
Kaun Banegi Shikharwati opposite
Cyrus Sahukar. Nandini Ramnath of
Scroll.in opined that she was fine as a comedienne and "ably aided" the cast. In 2023, Dutta first appeared in the anthology film
Ishq-e-Nadaan, playing an industrious Ramona. The film received mixed reviews and was released on
JioCinema. She then played a semi-classical vocalist Wilayat, in the series
Charlie Chopra & The Mystery Of Solang Valley. Pratikshya Mishra of
The Quint stated that despite limited screen time, Dutta maintains her character's mystery. In her first release of 2024, Dutta played Manisha, National Security Bureau head in the series,
Ranneeti: Balakot & Beyond. Vinamra Mathur of
Firstpost noted, "The actress brims with a certain sense of vibrancy, especially in her scene with Shergill." She received nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series at the
Filmfare OTT Awards. ==Other ventures==