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
petrified
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.
Story first published: Thursday, July 21, 2011, 11:57 [IST]