'She was drained and wiped out': Lara Dutta reveals Deepika Padukone shot 'Housefull' despite suffering from malaria

In a recent interview, Lara Dutta has opened up about the work ethics of her 'Housefull' co-actor Deepika Padukone. Praising her professionalism, she said Deepika was 'shivering' with fever but still showed up on the sets.

Deepika Padukone's work ethics have been a topic of discussion for a while. Deepika, who have been advocating for better work-life balance, has a firm stand on 8-hour workdays.

While this has led to the actor's controversial exit from several high-profile projects including Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Spirit and Kalki 2898 AD sequel, Lara Dutta has a different take on Deepika's professionalism.

In an interview with NDTV, Lara, who was Deepika's co-star in Sajid Khan's 2010 OG Housefull, has revealed that Deepika was suffering from malaria during the film's shoot.

She said, "A lot of people don't know this, that during the filming of Housefull, Deepika actually felt really sick. She had malaria. And she was absolutely wiped out. So they had to get her a doctor and put her on medication."

Lara further revealed that how despite high fever, Deepika continued shooting with much professionalism.

"And she was a thorough professional because she was running a fever, high fever all night. She was shivering and would have to take these meds. And then the next morning, because we had this fixed schedule, there are multiple actors and we were shooting scenes during that time that were quite emotional. So she would show up on set and you could see that she was totally drained and wiped out," Lara added.

"But she was an absolute professional. She got her work done. There was absolutely no drop in her performance."

Hailing Deepika's dedication towards her work, Lara said that one has to give credit to another actor for it.

"And as an actor, you have to give another actor credit for that because I know how difficult it is when you're completely wiped out and something like malaria absolutely wipes you out. It's not like you just have a cold or you just have a fever," she said.

On the work front, Lara has several projects lined up for the year. She is reportedly playing Kaikeyi in Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana starring Ranbir Kapoor. The film is reportedly set to release in November this year. She will also be seen in the comedy Welcome To The Jungle. She is also expected to join Bhagam Bhag 2 and Suryast.

Meanwhile, Deepika Padukone has recently announced her second pregnancy with Ranveer Singh. She is also currently shooting for Allu Arjun-Atlee's Raaka.