Lara Dutta sheds her inhibitions

By Subhash K Jha

Lara is on a fast track now. There's a new determination in her to overcome her inhibitions, whatever they might be worth.

While she prepares to do her first ever avant-garde film Devdas with Sudhir Mishra where she intends to change her entire image and get-up to play a modern-day Paro, in a new sporty film entitled Blue Lara has gone several steps further.

She has actually managed to overcome her fear of the underwater to do some serious scuba-diving with the ever-sporty Akshay.

For years now Lara has been petried of taking the plunge. Akshay urged her to not only accept a film that needed her to go against her ingrained fears, but also helped her out of the dive-despair.

Laughing throatily Lara admits she has gotten over a lifelong fear. "But I can't speak about what it is. Yes, Akshay's natural sporty spirit is highly contagious. And it did help me to take the plunge."

She reminisces fondly about Akshay. "He was my first co-star in Andaaz and very very helpful. Then we did Bhagam Bhaag when he was fully into comedy.

I didn't know I had a comic streak in me until then. Now that he's returning to action, I'm also moving on from comedy to action big time."

Man's world is show -world. Even a free-spirited actress like Lara has to follow in the leading man's footsteps.