I'm single and loving it: Lara Dutta (Interview)

Mumbai, July 31 (IANS) Former beauty queen Lara Dutta says she is enjoying her single status and is no hurry to get into a new relationship as work is keeping her really busy.

'I'm blissfully single. There's no one whom I'm even remotely interested in. And I'm in no hurry. After nine years, I'm alone. And I'm enjoying it,' Lara, who broke up with he ex-boyfriend Kelly Dorji, told IANS.

'Right now I'm so busy. I'm running around like a headless chicken,' the actress said.

Asked about her equation with Kelly, she said: 'Wonderful. We've spent so many good years together. No one can take away those from us. Kelly and I know each other too well to drift apart. There's a lot of mutual respect. And that will always remain.'

The actress' kitty is full with good projects, which includes Sudhir Mishra's modern version of 'Devdas' where she plays Paro.

'Sudhir Mishra's 'Devdas' isn't really a period film. It's very literate and layered and I'd have to dig really deep into myself to play Paro. She is a dark, ambitious and self-destructive character.'

Lara is also doing 'Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai' with Govinda and 'Blue', an out and out action film with Akshay Kumar.

Excerpts from an interview:

Q: How does life look to you?

A: I'm single, happy and I love my life.

Q: How single are you?

A: I'm blissfully single. Every hero I work with, I'm linked with. They've also been trying to link me with some Italian businessman. They found some half-baked picture on the Internet. Rubbish! There's no Italian or Indian boyfriend.

Q: Is it embarrassing to be linked with married men?

A: No! Not when they treat you like a chum. I never let it affect me. I do enjoy the company of men. And I'm not going to get inhibited at the thought of being linked with one of them the next morning.

Q: How's your equation with Kelly Dorji?

A: Wonderful. We've spent so many good years together. No one can take away those from us. Kelly and I know each other too well to drift apart. There's a lot of mutual respect. And that will always remain.

Q: It's hard to keep the respect going when the love ends.

A: It's very natural for the hurt to remain between a couple when a relationship as intense as ours ends. For a while it was natural for both of us to withdraw. But that doesn't stop us from looking out for each other. A relationship as long lasting as ours goes way beyond a romantic notion!

Q: Are you looking out for another relationship?

A: No I'm not. There's no one whom I'm even remotely interested in. And I'm in no hurry. After nine years, I'm alone. And I'm enjoying it. Right now I'm so busy. I'm running around like a headless chicken.

Q: What have you been up to?

A: Besides an Art Of Living course, I've been training vigorously for a film that I'm doing with Akshay Kumar and Sanjay Dutt. After a lot of comedy, I'm finally doing an action film.

Q: Aren't you talking about a film called 'Blue'?

A: That's right. It's called 'Blue' because the producers wanted to keep it simple. I love working with Akshay. He makes me do the craziest things. If you've seen 'Bhagam Bhag', you'd know what I mean.

Q: 'Bhagam Bhag' also had Govinda in it.

A: Yes, and later I did 'Partner' with him, though I wasn't paired with him. Now we're together in Ravi Chopra's 'Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai'. This is one of those rare films where the girl actually has something substantial to do. It's a completely different role, an authorised adaptation of the Hollywood film 'My Cousin Vinny'. And I play Marisa Tomei's role.

Q: Marisa Tomei got an Oscar for her performance.

A: I'm getting there. It may happen one day.

Q: Good things are happening to you now.

A: I guess everything happens in its own time. Now I'm a little more worldly wise than I used to be. I'm being careful in selecting my roles. I don't want to do films where I'm just a glam girl. Doing so much comedy has given me the confidence to carry off roles where I don't have to be the hot babe all the time.

Q: Is that a disadvantage?

A: Well, the way things are in commercial cinema the ordinary girl walks away with the meatier role. If you look at it, it isn't the glamorous girl that the audience identifies with. It's the simple girl next door who walks away with all the audience sympathy. But when you do comedy you get to be more accessible to the audience.

It's very important for a heroine to connect with the female audience. Comedy allows you that access. And I haven't done anything aggressively glam in the recent past except 'Jhoom Barabar Jhoom'.

Q: So are you trying to scale down your glamour quotient?

A: Most women don't feel threatened when an actress does comedy. Wives felt that my suspicious wife's role in 'No Entry' had a bit of themselves in it. I enjoyed doing comedy. But I want to do films that give me a chance to grow. 'Blue' is an action movie and Sudhir Mishra's 'Devdas' is a drama... again, unlike anything I've done before.

Q: You play Paro in Mishra's film. He has finally got his Chandramukhi.

A: Yes! I'm so happy Chitrangda Singh is playing Chandramukhi. We've got a wonderful cast. It raises the bar for the entire project. As soon as I finish 'Blue' I go into 'Devdas'.

Q: That's a totally different world.

A: But Sudhir Mishra's 'Devdas' isn't really a period film. It is very literate and layered and I'd have to dig really deep into myself to play Paro. Everything I've done so far has been in a lighter fun vein. So far I didn't have to cross over to a darker side. Paro is a dark ambitious self-destructive character. I'm not that person at all.

Q: Are you in a good place?

A: Yes, now I am. I've learnt to focus on my own work. Your greatest competition should be yourself. I'm a labourer in a factory. I keep my nose to the grinding wheel. And I just want to work. My biggest challenge would be Sudhir Mishra's 'Devdas'.