Lara’s comic comeback

Lara Dutta, who had made her screen debut with Akshay Kumar and Priyanka Chopra in Andaaz in 2003, is happy with the feedback for her role as the English-to-Hindi translator Emily in Singh Is Bling.

With praise for her comic aptitude pouring in, Lara laughs, “It’s all very welcome. When Akshay told me about the role, I had no hesitation in accepting the part. I’ve worked with some of the best comic actors like Akshay and Govinda. So Singh Is Bling is not my first comic role. But while the earlier roles required me to express the humour of the situation through facial expressions, Prabhu-dheva’s comedy required more physicality.”

Lara has no regrets about moving out of the conventional leading-lady zone. And she is all praise for Singh Is Bling’s lead actress Amy Jackson. “It’s a relief not to have to shoulder that responsibility. Amy worked so hard on her role. It’s sad to see comments about her performance being restricted to how good she looks in a bathing costume,” observes Lara.

Lara’s next is Tony D’Souza’s Azhar, the bio-pic on the life of cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin. She plays a lawyer in the film. “I ask all those questions that the nation wanted to ask after the controversies (regarding the cricketer) broke out. So in a way I am the film’s conscience. In Fitoor I’ve a much smaller role. At this juncture of my career I just want to do work that interests me.”