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on 2006/12/12 18:59:57
After making a successful transition from the ramp to celluloid screens— Lara Dutta separates herself from the rest by simply being the articulate person that she is.
In a candid interview with CNN-IBN Entertainment Editor Rajeev Masand, Lara shares her journey from being a beauty queen to one of the most promising actresses today of Bollywood. Lara talks about her films, career, the infamous casting couch phenomena associated with Bollywood and her long time relationship with beau Kelly Dorji.
Rajeev Masand: After spending four-years in this industry, do you feel that acting is really what you had always wanted to do?
Lara Dutta: Acting was definitely what I was meant to do. And these four years have been an incredible learning curve for me. Actually it doesn’t feel like it’s been such a long time that I have been in the industry.
Rajeev Masand: What really goes through your mind when you watch yourself on-screen?
Lara Dutta: Like many other actors in the film industry, I too am my biggest critic. I’m really a selfish when it comes to watching my own films. Whenever I see my own film, I’m only watching my own performance. But the idea is to look at things where I can work more. I look for areas where I could have done better.
Rajeev Masand: When you look at yourself critically do you see focus more on your looks? Is it fair to say that women constantly bother about how they look more than anything else.
Lara Dutta: Well that is true to a great extent. Over the last four-years something that I have realized about Indian cinema is that it represents the mental makeup of the society. A lot of films that I have done were packaged in such a way that as a women actor there wasn’t much to do.
So when there are fewer things in terms of performance that you could offer, you focus on at least looking good. As an actor to satisfy yourself creatively, Bollywood doesn’t offer you much.
Actors have to concentrate on how they look on-screen because today that has taken over what talent one has got, which is really sad. People talk about how fabulous an actor looks in the film but nobody looks at what does he or she does in terms of acting.
Rajeev Masand: So have you kind of resigned to the fact that you have to do the kind of films that are being made in the industry today.
Lara Dutta: Its not really resignation to the fact. It’s important to make films that look good but at the same time I’m looking forward to do more films that offer its women a little more to do.
Rajeev Masand: Is it correct to say that male actors work harder than the female actors in Bollywood? There is this perception that men work much harder than women in the film industry. Is that true?
Lara Dutta: No, I totally disagree with that. All the women that I have worked with work as hard as their male counterparts. But yes, the mental make up of Indian cinema is such that the hero remains a dominating figure in every story.
But at the same time if you see, during 70’s it were the female protagonist that took all the importance and attention in the films. Slowly towards the 80’s the female protagonist was shown as this ‘damsel in distress’ in all the films.
So, everything moves in its own cycle. Bollywood is indeed a fantastic industry to be a part of. If you keep on fighting against a system, you will end up being dissatisfied with your job.
Rajeev Masand: Since you agree that women work equally hard as men, do you think its unfair for men to be paid more than their female counterparts?
Lara Dutta: Yes, definitely that’s unfair. But at the same time, since it’s the hero that sells more at the box office, the producers too stake money on a big name.
You need an Akshay, Shah Rukh or Salman Khan to sell a film. Yes there are actresses like Aishwarya or Rani who are seen as the top heroines, but at the same time you have an Umrao Jaan that did not do so well at the box office.
So, looking at the way the cash registers at the box office are ticking, it is understandable why heroes are paid more than heroines.
Rajeev Masand: At any point of your career did you feel fed up with what you are doing?
Lara Dutta: Yes, I did feel so. I wouldn’t lie about it. There have been times when I felt fed up. I think that happens when you work really hard at something, put your heart, mind and soul into it and then results don’t match up to your expectations.
At times you feel under pressure and being taken for granted or regret that you could have done so much better had you been offered more. That does happen.
But at the same time you also need to do a reality check for yourself. In the past one year I have become choosier about the films that I have been signing. I would focus more on quality rather than quantity and would work with people that I want to work with.
Once things fall into place, it’s really fun to be in the film industry.
Rajeev Masand: How much closer do you think you have got to your goal?
Lara Dutta: During the past one year I feel I’m at a little more peace with myself. I have become more selfish. After No Entry I was appreciated a lot for doing the comic role.
I too realized that the energy level goes really high when you do a film like that. It’s a family entertainment film that gets you noticed.
Perhaps people want to see me in a family entertainer more than action, or something dark like Zinda perhaps.
Rajeev Masand: Is it true that having a career in Bollywood puts a lot of pressure on one’s relationships?
Lara Dutta: To a certain extent yes because you end up spending more time with your co-stars and with people you work than of course the person who is in a relationship with you. And I think it is important to find that work-life balance somewhere.
Rajeev Masand: You have been in a serious relationship with Kelly Dorji for a long time now. Tell me is it difficult for you to give time to the relationship?
Lara Dutta: Its difficult but certainly not impossible. I know it very well that a girl has a short-lived career in this industry. After that you need family and a partner to fall back on emotionally and mentally. It helps a lot if you have the support of someone who understands you. I’m lucky to have someone like Kelly who is an absolute support system for me.
Rajeev Masand: But what really happens when the link up rumours make their presence felt. Do they have any impact on your already under-pressure relationship?
Lara Dutta: It depends on how strong and secure your relationship is. Fortunately I have been for long enough with Kelly and these things do not have an impact really. I know very well how to take such things in my stride. If today I’m linked up with someone, it’s going to be back-page news tomorrow. So, it doesn’t matter really.
Rajeev Masand: Is Bollywood a breeding ground for infidelity? Isn’t this a profession where there are so many temptations and opportunities for a man or a women to go astray.
Lara Dutta: It may be so, but that’s no different from other careers in other walks of life. You tend to spend a lot of time away from your family members and spouse. When you are away from the people support you, its very normal and human for you to look support elsewhere. But then one must know his boundaries and limitations.
Rajeev Masand: Is it difficult for a lone women to survive in Bollywood?
Lara Dutta: I wont say that I faced much of a hard time. Having the Miss Universe title did make things a lot easier. I worked with a lot of people but never felt being taken an advantage of in a really negative sort of way. What really disgruntles you is the pay package that is offered to you, and what someone else gets. But then that is all a part and parcel. And things take time to change.
Rajeev Masand: One constantly hears of all the horror stories how women get exploited in the industry. Is exploitation really about how much women want to get exploited really?
Lara Dutta: There is nobody in this industry who can make you do things that you don’t want to do. With all due respect, no one has ever heard anyone getting raped in the film industry. If at all something happens, its always by mutual consent. So, it really depends how badly you want something and to what length you are willing to go to get it.
Rajeev Masand: Does that mean its bad to be ambitious?
Lara Dutta: Ambition is not a bad thing. But at the end of the day you sleep with yourself. You put down your head down in the pillow and you sleep with your own conscience. You have to decide if you are going to let somebody take an advantage of you. No woman is that stupid that she would not see the signs coming at her. You instinctively read an advance coming at you.
Unfortunately what happens is that most girls who go through an experience like this expect something to come out of it and when that doesn’t happens, tables are turned and you feel used and abused.
This is something that I want to tell all young girls out there who want to come and be a part of this film industry. You have to understand that situations like this will arise where people will try to take an advantage of you, promising you the earth which you will not necessarily get in the end. Get up and be smart about it and understand that.
Rajeev Masand: How do you brush aside unwanted attention?
Lara Dutta: I laugh it off. I am very blunt and honest about these things. And I have a wonderful relationship with all the actors. They are really cool guys to work with. Everybody feels if there is a chance lets try, what the hell. But I being a blunt and straightforward person don’t fall for it.
Rajeev Masand: Starting from your first film Andaaz, what was one thing that marked a turning point in your career?
Lara Dutta: My meeting up with Aditya Chopra marked a turning point for me. Just after Andaaz I met him and he said something that made a lot of sense to me.
I come from a background that has nothing to do with the film industry. Today I wish I had done little lot more homework before I stepped into the film industry.
Aditya had advised me that doing lesser films but the ones in which you truly believe is the key to success. He said its better to sit at home for 8-9 moths than do 3 films a year that you would regret later on.
It took me a good two-years to understand what he had said. Yashraj Films looks at actors who really know what they are doing with their careers. It is every actors dream to work with Yashraj films and I was really happy when I was offered Jhoom Barabar Jhoom. That sets my career right.
Rajeev Masand: Another big thing in your career was the item song that you did in Khaki. Though you were not well while shooting that song.
Lara Dutta: It was a high energy song. It took five days to shoot it. By the time I finished shooting it, my arms and ears were bleeding because of the heavy jewelry that I was made to wear.
I got an eye infection because we were using fire propellants in the song. And then just two-hours after I finished shooting, I had to take a flight to South Africa to shoot for No Entry.
So I was literally falling apart by the time I reached there. Anil Kapoor had to peace me back together. A lot of people in the industry asked me why did I do an item song. Where was the need for it? Some even said that I will be slotted an item girl after this. But then I had this enormous reaction from people who were going crazy after the song.
Rajeev Masand:Did you feel like being portrayed a sex object while shooting the song. It’s a hot song with all the men luring and screaming. Did that make you uncomfortable?
Lara Dutta: That was really the mood of the song. Even the clothing and all had nothing overtly sexy about it. I remember when we were watching this song at the screening with Mr Bachchan and Abhishek he started throwing coins. It was a great experience.
Rajeev Masand:Tell us about your latest film Bhagam Bhaag
Lara Dutta: It was a fantastic experience doing this film. For the first time I have worked with Paresh Rawal and Govinda. I love doing comedy and I play this mystery woman after whom the whole film runs. Its something to watch out for really.
Rajeev Masand:Its rare that anybody admits that he or she wanted to be an actor. Isn’t that a lot of hypocrisy?
Lara Dutta: There are a million who arrive in Mumbai to get into films. But very few of them get an opportunity. I knew that I would be an actor whether in a theatre, stage or in films. This is literally a dream come true.
Rajeev Masand:Best of luck to you. Thank you for talking to us.
Lara Dutta: Thank you too.
source:moneycontrol
In a candid interview with CNN-IBN Entertainment Editor Rajeev Masand, Lara shares her journey from being a beauty queen to one of the most promising actresses today of Bollywood. Lara talks about her films, career, the infamous casting couch phenomena associated with Bollywood and her long time relationship with beau Kelly Dorji.
Rajeev Masand: After spending four-years in this industry, do you feel that acting is really what you had always wanted to do?
Lara Dutta: Acting was definitely what I was meant to do. And these four years have been an incredible learning curve for me. Actually it doesn’t feel like it’s been such a long time that I have been in the industry.
Rajeev Masand: What really goes through your mind when you watch yourself on-screen?
Lara Dutta: Like many other actors in the film industry, I too am my biggest critic. I’m really a selfish when it comes to watching my own films. Whenever I see my own film, I’m only watching my own performance. But the idea is to look at things where I can work more. I look for areas where I could have done better.
Rajeev Masand: When you look at yourself critically do you see focus more on your looks? Is it fair to say that women constantly bother about how they look more than anything else.
Lara Dutta: Well that is true to a great extent. Over the last four-years something that I have realized about Indian cinema is that it represents the mental makeup of the society. A lot of films that I have done were packaged in such a way that as a women actor there wasn’t much to do.
So when there are fewer things in terms of performance that you could offer, you focus on at least looking good. As an actor to satisfy yourself creatively, Bollywood doesn’t offer you much.
Actors have to concentrate on how they look on-screen because today that has taken over what talent one has got, which is really sad. People talk about how fabulous an actor looks in the film but nobody looks at what does he or she does in terms of acting.
Rajeev Masand: So have you kind of resigned to the fact that you have to do the kind of films that are being made in the industry today.
Lara Dutta: Its not really resignation to the fact. It’s important to make films that look good but at the same time I’m looking forward to do more films that offer its women a little more to do.
Rajeev Masand: Is it correct to say that male actors work harder than the female actors in Bollywood? There is this perception that men work much harder than women in the film industry. Is that true?
Lara Dutta: No, I totally disagree with that. All the women that I have worked with work as hard as their male counterparts. But yes, the mental make up of Indian cinema is such that the hero remains a dominating figure in every story.
But at the same time if you see, during 70’s it were the female protagonist that took all the importance and attention in the films. Slowly towards the 80’s the female protagonist was shown as this ‘damsel in distress’ in all the films.
So, everything moves in its own cycle. Bollywood is indeed a fantastic industry to be a part of. If you keep on fighting against a system, you will end up being dissatisfied with your job.
Rajeev Masand: Since you agree that women work equally hard as men, do you think its unfair for men to be paid more than their female counterparts?
Lara Dutta: Yes, definitely that’s unfair. But at the same time, since it’s the hero that sells more at the box office, the producers too stake money on a big name.
You need an Akshay, Shah Rukh or Salman Khan to sell a film. Yes there are actresses like Aishwarya or Rani who are seen as the top heroines, but at the same time you have an Umrao Jaan that did not do so well at the box office.
So, looking at the way the cash registers at the box office are ticking, it is understandable why heroes are paid more than heroines.
Rajeev Masand: At any point of your career did you feel fed up with what you are doing?
Lara Dutta: Yes, I did feel so. I wouldn’t lie about it. There have been times when I felt fed up. I think that happens when you work really hard at something, put your heart, mind and soul into it and then results don’t match up to your expectations.
At times you feel under pressure and being taken for granted or regret that you could have done so much better had you been offered more. That does happen.
But at the same time you also need to do a reality check for yourself. In the past one year I have become choosier about the films that I have been signing. I would focus more on quality rather than quantity and would work with people that I want to work with.
Once things fall into place, it’s really fun to be in the film industry.
Rajeev Masand: How much closer do you think you have got to your goal?
Lara Dutta: During the past one year I feel I’m at a little more peace with myself. I have become more selfish. After No Entry I was appreciated a lot for doing the comic role.
I too realized that the energy level goes really high when you do a film like that. It’s a family entertainment film that gets you noticed.
Perhaps people want to see me in a family entertainer more than action, or something dark like Zinda perhaps.
Rajeev Masand: Is it true that having a career in Bollywood puts a lot of pressure on one’s relationships?
Lara Dutta: To a certain extent yes because you end up spending more time with your co-stars and with people you work than of course the person who is in a relationship with you. And I think it is important to find that work-life balance somewhere.
Rajeev Masand: You have been in a serious relationship with Kelly Dorji for a long time now. Tell me is it difficult for you to give time to the relationship?
Lara Dutta: Its difficult but certainly not impossible. I know it very well that a girl has a short-lived career in this industry. After that you need family and a partner to fall back on emotionally and mentally. It helps a lot if you have the support of someone who understands you. I’m lucky to have someone like Kelly who is an absolute support system for me.
Rajeev Masand: But what really happens when the link up rumours make their presence felt. Do they have any impact on your already under-pressure relationship?
Lara Dutta: It depends on how strong and secure your relationship is. Fortunately I have been for long enough with Kelly and these things do not have an impact really. I know very well how to take such things in my stride. If today I’m linked up with someone, it’s going to be back-page news tomorrow. So, it doesn’t matter really.
Rajeev Masand: Is Bollywood a breeding ground for infidelity? Isn’t this a profession where there are so many temptations and opportunities for a man or a women to go astray.
Lara Dutta: It may be so, but that’s no different from other careers in other walks of life. You tend to spend a lot of time away from your family members and spouse. When you are away from the people support you, its very normal and human for you to look support elsewhere. But then one must know his boundaries and limitations.
Rajeev Masand: Is it difficult for a lone women to survive in Bollywood?
Lara Dutta: I wont say that I faced much of a hard time. Having the Miss Universe title did make things a lot easier. I worked with a lot of people but never felt being taken an advantage of in a really negative sort of way. What really disgruntles you is the pay package that is offered to you, and what someone else gets. But then that is all a part and parcel. And things take time to change.
Rajeev Masand: One constantly hears of all the horror stories how women get exploited in the industry. Is exploitation really about how much women want to get exploited really?
Lara Dutta: There is nobody in this industry who can make you do things that you don’t want to do. With all due respect, no one has ever heard anyone getting raped in the film industry. If at all something happens, its always by mutual consent. So, it really depends how badly you want something and to what length you are willing to go to get it.
Rajeev Masand: Does that mean its bad to be ambitious?
Lara Dutta: Ambition is not a bad thing. But at the end of the day you sleep with yourself. You put down your head down in the pillow and you sleep with your own conscience. You have to decide if you are going to let somebody take an advantage of you. No woman is that stupid that she would not see the signs coming at her. You instinctively read an advance coming at you.
Unfortunately what happens is that most girls who go through an experience like this expect something to come out of it and when that doesn’t happens, tables are turned and you feel used and abused.
This is something that I want to tell all young girls out there who want to come and be a part of this film industry. You have to understand that situations like this will arise where people will try to take an advantage of you, promising you the earth which you will not necessarily get in the end. Get up and be smart about it and understand that.
Rajeev Masand: How do you brush aside unwanted attention?
Lara Dutta: I laugh it off. I am very blunt and honest about these things. And I have a wonderful relationship with all the actors. They are really cool guys to work with. Everybody feels if there is a chance lets try, what the hell. But I being a blunt and straightforward person don’t fall for it.
Rajeev Masand: Starting from your first film Andaaz, what was one thing that marked a turning point in your career?
Lara Dutta: My meeting up with Aditya Chopra marked a turning point for me. Just after Andaaz I met him and he said something that made a lot of sense to me.
I come from a background that has nothing to do with the film industry. Today I wish I had done little lot more homework before I stepped into the film industry.
Aditya had advised me that doing lesser films but the ones in which you truly believe is the key to success. He said its better to sit at home for 8-9 moths than do 3 films a year that you would regret later on.
It took me a good two-years to understand what he had said. Yashraj Films looks at actors who really know what they are doing with their careers. It is every actors dream to work with Yashraj films and I was really happy when I was offered Jhoom Barabar Jhoom. That sets my career right.
Rajeev Masand: Another big thing in your career was the item song that you did in Khaki. Though you were not well while shooting that song.
Lara Dutta: It was a high energy song. It took five days to shoot it. By the time I finished shooting it, my arms and ears were bleeding because of the heavy jewelry that I was made to wear.
I got an eye infection because we were using fire propellants in the song. And then just two-hours after I finished shooting, I had to take a flight to South Africa to shoot for No Entry.
So I was literally falling apart by the time I reached there. Anil Kapoor had to peace me back together. A lot of people in the industry asked me why did I do an item song. Where was the need for it? Some even said that I will be slotted an item girl after this. But then I had this enormous reaction from people who were going crazy after the song.
Rajeev Masand:Did you feel like being portrayed a sex object while shooting the song. It’s a hot song with all the men luring and screaming. Did that make you uncomfortable?
Lara Dutta: That was really the mood of the song. Even the clothing and all had nothing overtly sexy about it. I remember when we were watching this song at the screening with Mr Bachchan and Abhishek he started throwing coins. It was a great experience.
Rajeev Masand:Tell us about your latest film Bhagam Bhaag
Lara Dutta: It was a fantastic experience doing this film. For the first time I have worked with Paresh Rawal and Govinda. I love doing comedy and I play this mystery woman after whom the whole film runs. Its something to watch out for really.
Rajeev Masand:Its rare that anybody admits that he or she wanted to be an actor. Isn’t that a lot of hypocrisy?
Lara Dutta: There are a million who arrive in Mumbai to get into films. But very few of them get an opportunity. I knew that I would be an actor whether in a theatre, stage or in films. This is literally a dream come true.
Rajeev Masand:Best of luck to you. Thank you for talking to us.
Lara Dutta: Thank you too.
source:moneycontrol
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