"Govinda is God in Partner": Lara

Lara Dutta has slowly but surely made her way from a bit part in a music video to the leading lady in a major motion picture. Her unconventional beauty combined with the courage to work alongside the likes of Akshay Kumar in Andaaz brought her quickly to the top, and with 18 films old, Lara gave her career best performance last month in Jhoom Barabar Jhoom even though the film didn't Jhoom as per the expectations. In an exclusive interview, Lara speaks about her next big release Partner, her new job as a script writer and why she can't keep a straight face while working with Govinda and Salman Khan.

How has your partnership been with Govinda and Salman Khan in Partner?
It's been great and I think people will see that once the film releases. Govinda is outstanding in this film and even though we did get a chance to work with each other in Bhagam Bhag, I thought that he was a bit restrained in that particular film. On the other hand, I am paired up opposite Salman in Partner and it's the first time I'm working with him. He was such a pleasure to work with and is so secured in his craft and what he does. But while filming a scene with both the men, it is very difficult to keep a straight face.

This is your first time with director David Dhawan. Do you consider yourself lucky or honoured?
I don't know whether I'm lucky or honoured. I think it's both. David has his own school of cinema and when you go to watch any of David Dhawan's films you know what to expect. Partner brings David and Govinda back after a sabbatical. I hope it works like all his previous films have. The common thing is that you will have to leave your brain at home to come and watch this mad film.

What's your role in Partner?
I play a snoopy, nosy journalist who literally goes all out to get the exclusive scoop for her paper. So she is running down the streets, hanging off windows, wires and cables, being chased by the mob, etc. She is absolutely crazy to get that scoop. Also, David was very keen on casting me for the fact that I haven't worked with Salman before and believed in me that I would do justice to the role given to me because he was confident of my flair in comedy.

What scoop can you give us then from behind the scenes? Any memorable moments?
As said earlier that when you are working with both these actors, you have no clue what they are going to through at you. They are very much on the ball. Even the producer Sohail Khan has a habit of treating his crew as an extended family. Each and every day was memorable. We went dune dashing in the middle of the night in Dubai while we were shooting there. It was fun because they made me climb a 50 metre sand dune in the same dress I wore while filming a scene. Now that's difficult but the cast and the crew convinced me and I had no option but to climb.

How did you keep up with the hip-hop, fast paced dance number 'You're my love' with Salman Khan?
This is the first time I've worked with choreographer Bosco-Caesar. Salman has worked with them before many times and he is quite comfortable with them. But when you're doing a hip-hop song, it's got a lot of hip-hop movements, thus making the shoot tough but fun. We also had to undergo a lot of changes in between the shoot and sometimes the selection was quite instantaneous by Bosco-Caesar as they would finalize any dance move which looked hip-hop and happening.

Are you going to share space with Katrina Kaif?
No I'm not. Unfortunately, we don't share screen space together in this film. The only time we come together onscreen is in a song 'Dupatta Tera Nau Rang Da'. But she is a lovely girl. I've known Katrina before she entered films and I can say that she is very dedicated, hard working and you can see that in all her films she has done so far. I admire her for what she is doing and where she wants to go.