Lara Dutta Birthday Special: When the former Miss Universe said no amount of worry prepares one for motherhood

Lara Dutta with Saira Pic/Instagram

Actress and former Miss Universe Lara Dutta celebrates her birthday on April 16. Over the years, Lara has worked in films like ‘Partner', ‘Kaal', ‘Andaaz', ‘Bell Bottom', and ‘Blue' to name a few. She married tennis star Mahesh Bhupathi in 2011 and is a mother to daughter Saira.

While Lara is back to films and continues to balance her role as a mother as well as an actor, she once said that no amount of worry prepares one for motherhood.

"You spend many sleepless nights even before the child is born, figuring out whether you'll be a good mother, be able to live up to everything that's expected. But no amount of worry is going to prepare you when the child is born," she told PTI.

"Each child goes through its own phases as well. One point of time they are the best-behaved child and then they are the opposite. The day you decide to become a parent, you're signing up for one of the greatest adventures of life which doesn't stop ever," added Lara.

The actor said motherhood gave her a lot more clarity even in terms of how she views her career. "When you have this little person in your life, your priorities change. When it comes to work, if it's a certain amount of time I am assigning myself away from family, I really need to weigh in. I love doing things for myself and would never put myself as the last person I'd look after."

Opening up about her journey as a mother, she told IANS, "For me, there's a lot that's learned by trial and error. I genuinely believe that a child teaches you more than you will teach it.

"The best thing that you can actually teach or the best way that you can teach your child is by your own behaviour and what you do. So no matter what textbooks you have, what great talks about the child (you have), at the end of the day, if you don't practice what you preach, your child is never going to follow it. So I think for me. It's a huge responsibility, but it's a job that I work at very hard on a daily basis and it never ends," she added.

On the work front, Lara will be seen in 'Welcome To The Jungle', 'Suryast', and 'Ramayana'.

(With inputs from Agencies)