Miss Universe 2000, Lara Dutta and India's first Grand Slam winner, Mahesh Bhupathi got married on February 16, 2011. They have a daughter, Saira Bhupathi. Scroll to know their endearing love story!
Bollywood and sports go hand-in-hand. From Anushka Sharma-Virat Kohli to Leander Paes-Kim Sharma, we have seen many couples, who belong to the Bollywood-Sports club. Lara Dutta and Mahesh Bhupathi are one of them and make a super couple together. One has been crowned with the Miss Universe title in the year 2000, and the other is the first Indian to win a Grand Slam tournament. Both are superb in their respective fields, naturally, their jodi also turned out to be superb!
Let's take a look into the blissful journey of Lara Dutta and Mahesh Bhupathi’s love story. Apart from a sweet love tale, they also had a rocking wedding worth remembering for a lifetime. After all, it was Miss Universe’ wedding with an ace tennis player. So, without further ado, let’s jump right into Lara Dutta and Mahesh Bhupathi’s love story.
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If you are a Bollywood fanatic, you would know that Lara Dutta was earlier head-over-heels in love with Kelly Dorji. Kelly is a Bhutanese Mumbai-based model, who had dated Lara for 9 years. Everybody had once thought that they were inseparable but shocking their fans, Kelly had suddenly started accusing Lara of being too intimate with other men, especially, Dino Morea. During the last three years of Lara and Kelly’s relationship, the former was more close to Dino, and hence she had parted ways with her long-time boyfriend eventually.
Things got complicated even further when Lara Dutta became furious with Dino Morea as his ex-girlfriend, Nandita Mahanti would openly flirt with him. And to add to Lara’s disappointment, Dino didn’t even ask Nandita to stop at any point. No wonder, anyone in such a situation would like to leave their partner and that's what Lara had decided to do. After all the messed up relationships, then came into Lara's life, her soul mate, Mahesh Bhupathi.
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Undeniably, both, Lara Dutta and Mahesh Bhupathi are quite famous in their respective professions, so they already had heard of each other before even meeting personally. Lara and Mahesh had first met on a business meeting for some work in his sports company. It is often reported that this meeting was just an excuse for Bhupathi to meet Lara. But, the simplicity of the man had attracted Lara in the first meeting itself, and soon they had started dating.
Lara Dutta and Mahesh Bhupathi's love story had faced troubles as he was already married to a model, Shvetha Jaishankar. Mahesh and Shvetha had tied the knot in 2002. There were reports that Lara was responsible for breaking Shvetha’s home. After 7 years of marriage, Mahesh and Shvetha got divorced amicably in 2009. Shvetha is now married to a Chennai-based businessman, Raghu Kailas, and they have two daughters.
Before their wedding, Lara Dutta and Mahesh Bhupathi had dated for quite some time to know each other well. And finally, two days after Valentine’s Day in 2011, Lara Dutta and Mahesh Bhupathi got married in a simple civil ceremony on February 16, 2011, in Bandra, Mumbai. Their wedding was attended by only close family and friends. Four days later, on February 20, 2011, at Sunset Point, Candolim in Goa, Lara and Mahesh had a glamourous Church wedding.
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The highlight of Lara Dutta and Mahesh Bhupathi’s Goan wedding was their 'saat vachan' that they had recited for each other from the deepest core of their hearts. This is what Mahesh Bhupathi had said:
“Lara, when I first met you, this day was a dream. Today it is reality. When I’m on the tour, not a day goes by without me wishing I was home with you instead, so even when I’m gone I am with you. You are my companion, partner and best friend. I promise to stick by you through hits and flops. I look forward to growing old with you.”
After this, it was the bride’s turn, and with tears in her eyes, Lara Dutta’s wedding vow was:
“I promise to return your serves and volley alongside you. I will be with you through our many wins and occasional loss”.
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Their beach wedding venue was decorated with red roses and white jasmine. The backdrop of the Arabian Sea was further enhanced with candlelit paths. The glamour was further added by the VVIPs attending Lara and Mahesh’s wedding, including names from the Tennis world and the Bollywood fraternity. Lara had looked beautiful in a white wedding gown, and Mahesh had looked dapper in a black tuxedo. The gorgeous off-white lace dress with a 10 metres train, designed by Elie Saab, had enhanced her bridal look further.
A year after their wedding, on January 20, 2012, Lara Dutta and Mahesh Bhupathi became proud parents to their little munchkin, Saira Bhupathi. Lara Dutta regularly posts pictures on social media along with her daughter. Talking about her daughter once, Lara had revealed to IANS:
“It doesn't matter if your child is one day old or whether she is 21 years of age. It is constantly evolving, and each parent's experience is completely different, but it has been a wonderful ride. My daughter has been literally my life's greatest teacher and she has pushed all the limits as (far as) possible because she is at that age right now." She further added, "She is pushing it how far it can go before mom erupts, but it is fun and wonderful. Mahesh has been a wonderful and hands-on dad’.
In an interview with The Times Of India, Lara Dutta had talked about the promise she had made with her husband, Mahesh Bhupathi, before the birth of their daughter. She had revealed:
"We had made a deal when we found out that I was pregnant with Saira--that, at any given point of time, one parent will be with her. And in the last 10 years, we've managed to keep that promise."
In an interview with Pinkvilla, Lara Dutta had opened up on why she had taken a break from acting. She had shared that motherhood was her first priority and she wanted to be present during her daughter's early years. The actress had stated:
"When Saira was born, being with her through her early years was my priority. Mahesh and I were clear that between both of us, one parent will always be with Saira full-time. So, my choices of roles became hugely judged on that parameter. It had to be worth leaving Saira and going to work."
In another interview with the PTI, Lara Dutta had opened up on motherhood and had shared:
"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. 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."
Lara Dutta had made her debut in Bollywood with the film, Andaaz in 2003. According to celebnetworths.com. Lara Dutta's net worth is around $10 million, which translates to Rs. 74 crores. According to Zee5, she charges Rs. 2-3 crores for a movie. She owns cars like Audi 8L and Mercedes E-Class. On the other hand, Mahesh Bhupathi has been the recipient of the Arjuna Award for Lawn Tennis in 1995 and Padma Shri in 2001. According to personage.com, Mahesh Bhupathi's net worth is $ 5.6 million, which converts to Rs. 38 crores. The combined net worth of Lara Dutta and Mahesh Bhupathi is around 112 crores.
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This was Lara Dutta and Mahesh Bhupathi’s love story filled with everything sweet. Both of them had their share of previous relationships but as they say, matches are made in heaven! What do you think of their love story?