Gamyam star returns to Bollywood

It's a coup of sorts for Kamalini Mukherjee.

The 29-year-old actress who made her acting debut in Phir Milenge, a Hindi film about AIDS starring Salman Khan, Abhishek Bachchan and Shilpa Shetty, is returning to Bollywood after a successful stint in the south.

Though her role in Phir Milenge went unnoticed, the pretty Bengali gained recognition in the Shekhar Kammula's multiple-award winning Telugu film Anand and the hit film Gamyam.

As a matter of fact, it's the Hindi remake of Gamyam which sees Kamalini back in Bollywood. The hit Telugu spawned an equally hit remake in Kannada titled Savaari [again starring Kamalini]. The Hindi remake will be launched later this year.

"Gamyam was a very good break for me," Kamalini says. "I played a young orphaned doctor who is interested in social service. She acts as a catalyst in changing the attitude of the hero, who is a self-centred man," she adds.

She continues, "Krissh [director of Gamyam] had a bound script when he started shooting the film, which turned the tide in the Telugu film industry. I am told even Savaari has done the same thing to the Kannada film industry now. The Hindi version is being made by Dasari Narayana Rao gaaru and will be directed by Krissh.

Sources said that Sanjay Dutt is keen to do Allari Naresh's role [in Gamyam] in the Hindi remake, which will be launched after Sanjay Dutt doles out the necessary call sheets for the film.

Kamalini has a great passion for theatre and landed in Mumbai from Kolkata for a course in the same.

In between she took up some modelling assignments when she got her break with Phir Milenge directed by Revathy. Kamalini played Shilpa Shetty's younger sister in the film.

Soon after Kamalini was acting in South Indian films like Vettaiyaadu Vizhaiyaadu -- a Tamil film opposite Kamal Hassan, and Jalsa opposite Pawan Kalyan.

Kamalini, whose original name is Roshni, says that she is in talks for another film with Shivaraj Kumar.

Meanwhile, she is thrilled that with the success of Savaari. "It is significant I played the same role in the original [Gamyam] and its Tamil version later. I was also part of the Kannada film which has turned out to be a hit. Now, I am also working in the Hindi version of the same film," she says.

Presently Kamalini is shooting for Gopi Gopika Godavari, a Telugu film directed by Vamshi which also stars Venu.

"The film is a complete fun-filled comedy, she says. "Vamshi gaaru has done many clean comedies in Telugu which have become huge hits and I'm happy to be a part of this film," she adds.

Incidentally, Kamalini is also interested in direction. "My ambition is to direct a film and though that may not happen now, I will certainly take it up later. I have a good theatre background and I know the importance of planning and team work very well.