Akshay forced Lara to accept Blue

Not many are aware that Lara Dutta wasn't keen on acting in Blue. "Akshay Kumar had recommended my name to the producers. The moment I got to know of it, I called Akshay and told him that I wouldn't be able to accept the assignment. He knew the reason behind my decision," Lara tells me.

The 'reason' is, Lara didn't know how to swim, while major portions of Blue were to be filmed in the ocean and swimming, therefore, was mandatory. "Not many people are aware that I had almost drowned while shooting for Andaaz. Akshay had rescued me," Lara enlightens me, "When I reminded Akshay I couldn't swim, he told me to forget my phobias and learn swimming pronto. Today, I feel Blue has not merely made me overcome my phobias, but has also taught me something that would stay with me for the rest of my life."

Lara has had an eventful 2009 so far. First, the deglam look in Billu. Then, a hardcore comic fare in Do Knot Disturb. Now Blue. "It's been an interesting year. I had fun on the sets of Do Knot Disturb. Watching Govinda and Riteish Deshmukh in comic scenes is a treat indeed and if you've to share screen space with them, it's great. You couldn't have asked for more," Lara says. The praises have been flowing in and Lara, obviously, is feeling on top of the world.

But Blue is one film that Lara looks forward to with bated breath. "Blue is a first-of-its-kind film on Hindi screen. You haven't watched something like this before. You can only draw parallels with international films. I am sure, this film will make a huge impact not just in India, but also internationally," Lara feels strongly.