Lara says she took a break from films as she was tired of ‘playing hero’s wife’

Actor Lara Dutta says she decided to momentarily step away from acting because she felt ‘jaded’ being slotted in roles which required her to be either the ‘girlfriend or wife’ of the leading men. After a career of almost a decade following her 2003 debut Andaaz, Lara slowed down her film work post 2015. The actor said the decision to take a break from screen was fuelled by her desire to give time to her daughter Saira, whom she shares with husband Mahesh Bhupathi, and also because the industry rarely challenged her with interesting parts. “By the time I reached my early 30s, I honestly may have gotten a bid jaded. The industry was in a different space back then. You were cast because a glamorous actress had to be cast in a film. You were invariably playing the hero’s girlfriend or wife. I got tired of it,” Lara told PTI. The 43-year-old actor said she decided to overcome the situation by consciously choosing comedy films, which she found offered her more scope to perform. Dutta has featured in several blockbuster comedies like No Entry, Bhagam Bhag, Partner and the Housefull franchise.