Lara Dutta loves mixing work and play

She’s skilfully leading a holistic life, balancing work, play and meditation. Lara Dutta tells HT City why she loves to make people laugh and more.

Why this hide-and-seek-game? Where have you been?
(Laughs) Lara Dutta is working very hard so she can actually come back to the theatres and wow her fans. I have been busy filming. I am doing Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai with Govinda and Blue with Akshay Kumar and Sanjay Dutt. I have just completed judging the reality show, Mission Ustaad, on TV. And I have also been training for Blue, which is an action film. So, lots of good things happening, I guess.

Banda… is a comedy. The comic fever seems to have caught on to you…
Yes, I think it has ever since the success of No Entry. I love doing comedy and will continue to do it. I love to entertain people and make them laugh and it is much better than doing anything melodramatic. But yes, I am also trying to do action and serious films. I am doing Aur Devdas with Sudhir Mishra, which is serious.

So, variety is good?
People appreciated me in Jhoom Barabar Jhoom though the film didn’t do well. It fetched me accolades and got me work with directors I wanted to work with. They think I can do justice to the character, which is a big thing for me.

Matching steps with Govinda must be tough…
Bhagam Bhaag and Partner were successful and I hope we have a hattrick with Banda… He is fantastic and such a pleasure to work with. I get to learn so much about comic timing from him. He is absolutely superb.

You have a Bengali connection with Aur Devdas…
Yes, I do (laughs). It is a modern take on the novel — an adaptation. It does have the three central characters (Devdas, Paro and Chandramukhi) but the scenario is set in a political situation in Rajasthan. It is a little grittier. I play Paro.

You must’ve seen all versions of Devdas…
Yes, I have, including Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s. But like I said, ours is nothing like those.

The rat race has never haunted you…
I like to work hard and be myself. I don’t think I should be in the rat race. It is better to do what you need to do instead of getting worried about what everybody else is doing. I live life on my own terms.

What else?
Lots of work. I am going with the Art of Living organisation to Australia, Fiji and New Zealand. We will be doing meditation camps out there. So, a lot of balancing between work, holistic life and a little bit of play.