Dino Morea sings 'Julie' tunes in Kannada

Mumbai, Jan 16 (IANS) Bollywood actor Dino Morea, who appears in the Kannada remake of the 1970s Hindi blockbuster "Julie", is upbeat because he got a chance to sing Rajesh Roshan's melodious and immortal tunes in the film.

Dino told IANS: "One reason why I did 'Julie' in Kannada was because I got to sing the hit numbers 'Dil kya kare' and 'Julie I love you'. Though Kannada is a lingo I don't really know."

The producers of the Kannada version of 'Julie' acquired the rights for Roshan's Hindi songs. This is the first time songs from a Hindi film will be used for a regional remake.

Dino said: "Though the singing isn't like Kishore Kumar or Lata Mangeshkar's, it's still decent. The same goes for the film. I did the film because I am from Bangalore, and also because they needed just seven days of my schedule.

"But most importantly because of the songs... And, yes, I was paid well."

Dino has stipulated in his contract that the film won't be dubbed into any language or released in Mumbai.

Dino added: "I'm aware the original 'Julie' was made in several south Indian languages but not in Kannada. And the girl Spandana, who plays the title role in place of the original actress Laxmi, is very good."

There are rumours in the film industry about Dino's special friendship with Spandana.

He said: "She's a very sweet, very well brought-up girl from a cultured family. We did get along well. But, please, we had no scene together. And we're certainly not seeing each other. Off the record, I'm very much single right now."

Dino, who loves singing and dancing, is currently dubbing for his next release "Holiday" where he plays a salsa instructor.

"I love singing and dancing. In fact, this week I was called on Zee's music show 'Sa Ra Ga Ma' to be a guest judge. I was awed by the talent of the kids, especially Vinit and Himani. The minute they opened their mouths to sing, time stopped still," said Dino appreciatively.