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Former Miss Universe and Bollywood star Lara Dutta Bhupathi has revealed that she is safe and sound in Dubai with her daughter even as the wider region experiences uncertainty.
A resident of Dubai for the past three years, Lara, who is married to Mahesh Bhupathi, a former doubles world No. 1 tennis player, described her experiences of the past few days in a video shared on Instagram.
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“I actually don’t like posting things like this,” she said, adding that the video was a way to release some nervous energy after several tense days. “We’ve been here in Dubai since the start of what’s been termed the Israel-Iran war.”
Bhupathi recalled that on February 28 she was filming at a studio in Dubai when they suddenly heard loud explosions overhead. “We ran out of the studio and saw missiles being intercepted in the sky.”
She described the past few days as difficult and unsettling.
“It’s been stressful, I can’t lie,” she said. “There are jets flying overhead, lots of loud booms. We live in a villa in a very safe neighbourhood, but the windows shake, the doors rattle and it can feel unnerving.”
Her husband was travelling for work and not in Dubai at the time. Despite the tension and noise, Bhupathi stressed that she never felt unsafe.
‘UAE government has done incredible job’
“I haven’t felt unsafe for even once,” she said. “The UAE government has done an incredible job. As a resident living in this city, we have felt really looked after.”
She said residents, regardless of nationality, are made to feel protected. “We feel wanted, we feel protected. It doesn’t matter where we are from or what our nationality is. We feel like we count and we matter,” she said.
Bhupathi also noted how everyday life in the city has continued despite the situation.
“My gardener shows up every day and goes about tending to the plants,” she said. “Delivery riders are still working. You can order food, essentials, whatever you need.”
She expressed admiration for the many people who continue to work and keep the country running.
Hope for safety, de-escalation
“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,” she said.
Bhupathi said she and her family are currently exploring the possibility of travelling to Mumbai, mainly because the situation has made children nervous.
“We are looking at flights to try and get back to Mumbai,” she said. “More so because the kids are a lot more nervous about this. As adults we manage it, but we try to keep things together for them.”
Reflecting on the wider situation, she said she had experienced similar moments of tension before, recalling when she was in India during heightened tensions between India and Pakistan.
“We saw how well our country protected us there, and it feels the same here,” she said.
Bhupathi concluded by expressing hope that civilians across the region remain safe and that the situation de-escalates.
“No civilian deserves to live in fear or to be caught up in a war that destabilises an entire region,” she said. “I hope common sense and better judgment prevail.”