'I Am Not So Bad In My Real Life'

'My mother puts up with me beating everybody up through the film but before the film comes to an end, she stops it.'
'She is like, "I know what's happening next, I don't want to watch".'

Kelly Dorji, who starred in films like Tango Charlie and Telugu hits like Don and Ek Ka Dum, says he is done with playing negative parts in films and wants to explore diverse roles on his comeback after a self-imposed hiatus.

The 53-year-old former supermodel settled down in Thimphu, Bhutan, a decade ago to establish multiple businesses, including a travel company and a gastro pub.

Dorji, who is also the co-director of the successful literature festival Bhutan Echoes (formerly known as Mountain Echoes), said acting continues to be his 'first love' but he is not keen to play the quintessential bad guy.

"My mother never watches my films till the end because she knows what's going to happen," he says.

"She puts up with me beating everybody up through the film but before the film comes to an end, she stops it. She is like, 'I know what's happening next, I don't want to watch.'

"I know I am typecast, I can't help this. This is my mould for the rest of my life. I am this villain, Kelly Dorji, the 'bad guy'. But I am not so bad in my real life so I don't mind exploring something different now."

The actor-turned-entrepreneur said he feels fortunate that people in India still think of him and call him for new projects every now and then without him lobbying too hard.

"During the pandemic, I kept saying no to the offers. I was at the peak of my career, the scripts, of course, were regular mainstream cinema. When the offers started dwindling, I had a lot to think about. But I have reached a point in my life where I want to return to my amateur theatre life, not in theatre per se, but in films or theatre medium. That's when I discovered the possibility of OTT," Dorji said.

He is excited to be starring in Netflix's Delhi Crime season 3. He recently also featured in Vikrant Massey's June release, Black Out, on Jio Cinema.

Calling himself a fan of actor Rajkummar Rao, especially his performances in Srikanth and Monica, O My Darling, Dorji said if the role is fulfilling, he doesn't mind its length.

It could be a 'sleazy paanwala' or 'a tourist standing in a line at the airport'.

The super model-turned-actor, who had a successful modelling career along with the likes of Milind Soman, Arjun Rampal and Rahul Dev, said the Bhutanese film industry produces '25 to 30 films' a year.

"This is a very good number for a country which has a very small population of seven lakh people, and the actual film-going population is a fraction of that. So it is rather healthy, especially if we can maintain that.

"I think the numbers (of films being produced) are going to go up a little more, especially with the introduction of our film festival at the Bhutan Echoes... I see future film-makers in Bhutan," said the actor, who also acted in the Bhutanese film Sem Gawai Tasha in 2011.