She is also responsible for AB Junior’s sudden interest in beauty products. "I put him on all kinds of moisturisers—for his hands, feet, face, eyes, you name it." Apart from Bachchan’s bachcha, Lara gets along like a house on fire with two other Punjabi heroes—Akshay Kumar and Bobby Deol.
For a new entrant in Bollywood, Lara’s bindaas. Maybe it’s her Miss Universe background that’s helped. She takes a swig of Soul Kadi ("I looove it!") and admits that Bollywood is a different ball game. "I’m meeting all kinds of people. Actually, I like running around trees and dancing. I’ve trained in Bharatanatyam for nine years, after that I did Salsa. These days I go for Kathak classes at six in the morning!" She tucks into her scrumptious fish thali with relish.
After her debut film Andaaz struck gold at the box-office, Lara’s obviously dancing all the way to the bank. She has received over thirty offers but the lady’s in no hurry. She’s more obsessed about her new three-bedroom flat. "Kelly (Dorji) and I fight over every little thing about the house. I want a particular colour on the walls, he wants something else. It’s literally a mad house." She has been linked to Akshay Kumar and Abhishek Bachchan but home is where the heart is. And Lara’s heart very much belongs to Kelly. "He’s perfect," she gushes and shifts her attention to her first love—fish curry and rice. "Seeing the amount I eat, Abhishek and Co have labelled me Dara Dutta," she grins and strikes a mock Dara Singh pose. Must hand it to this girl: she’s muscled her way into Bollywood. In style.
