Designing is like baby for Lara

After spending a decade in front of the camera, Lara Dutta has taken a break from acting and is putting her designing skills to test by launching her sari collections.

The former Miss Universe, seen in hits like "No Entry" and "Partner", is a mother of about two-year-old Saira, but says designing is her "new baby".


"I have done films for 10 years. This (designing) is something new that I have forayed into; so it's my new baby. I am excited about the response from the customers," Lara told IANS. She was in the captial to launch her second sari range in association with Chhabra 555.

The 35-year-old started designing last year when she created a whole line of saris for women who are keen to strike the right balance between traditionalism and modernity.

"The second collection is far more traditional. Personally I am a big fan of Benarasi saris and many other old-age fabrics; so I wanted to make those weaves younger and contemporary. Normally, we associate Benarasi saris with our aunts and our mothers, but I wanted to give it a younger and trendy feel," she said.

The model-turned-actress, who won the Miss Universe title in 2000, made her Bollywood debut in 2003 with "Andaaz" and went on to do films like "Masti", "Housefull" and "Don 2".

In 2011, she married tennis champion Mahesh Bhupathi and the duo started their production house Bheegi Basanti Productions. "Chalo Dilli", their maiden venture, won critical acclaim.

Post-motherhood, Lara's silver screen appearances have not been frequent, but she has no regrets.

"I think each thing has its own space in life. I enjoyed being busy. My priority (now) is my daughter. That will always be my number one priority. Now she is getting older, so I am getting more time to celebrate and concentrate on my own work; so here I am promoting the brand as much as possible," she said.