Rashmi Hemrajani

Moving beyond ex-girlfriend Lara Dutta, the model-turned-actor is excited about his debut Don No 1 and production plans

Model-turned-actor Kelly Dorjee may have broken up with longtime girlfriend and actor Lara Dutta, but his professional life seems to be on an upswing. His Telugu debut Don No 1 is a hit down South. The movie is in the process of being dubbed in Hindi and would hit the screens on March 7, 2008. Kelly says, “It’s truly wonderful when your debut is a hit! Director Raghava Lawrence and the cinematographer S Gopal Reddy were a pleasure to work with. It was an amazing experience to work with Nagarjuna (the South superstar plays the lead).”

He adds, “The kind of adulation he received during the film’s premiere in Hyderabad was incredible. If I could compare his fan following with that of Mr Amitabh Bachchan, I wouldn’t be exaggerating.”

Kelly plays the bad guy in the movie. “My character is called Stephen aka Sikandar who is an international don. He has set his eyes on India. The Indian don is Nagarjuna and nobody can beat him,” says Kelly.

The actor also has the film Lahore coming up (to be released in May). The film, which revolves around kickboxing, is, directed by Sanjay Chauhan. “It’s a cool, stylised film. The kickboxing team includes Farooque Sheikh, Saurabh Shukla, Sushant Singh and me,” reveals Kelly.

The actor has also signed two other Telugu movies, “Working in the South is interesting. Time and talent is well-respected. Also, as an actor, the reach is high,” he says.

Has he ever thought of producing a film?

Kelly affirms, “Yes. I would be producing a movie in Bhutan. The script is ready but I am waiting for a director. I will certainly announce the film once everything is in place.”

Quiz him whether he’s seeing someone and he thinks aloud, “We are always curious about people. If they are single, we want to know who they are hooked up with. As for now I want to focus on my career.”

Where does model Yana Gupta feature in his life? “Yana and I are very good friends,” is all that he says.