IANS

New Delhi, Sep 4: He was disappointed with his blink-and-you-miss role in critically acclaimed Hollywood film "Blood Diamond", but Indian television actor Gaurav Chopra didn't lose hope and is again trying his luck in the international arena. He says this time he has a substantial role.

"I'm doing another Hollywood project that might release in 2010. I can't divulge a lot of details right now, but it's a meatier role than I had in 'Blood Diamond'," Gaurav told IANS over phone from Mumbai.

The actor, who will soon be seen on NDTV Imagine's reality show "Pati, Patni Aur Woh" with his girlfriend of nine months Mouni Roy of "Kyunkii Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi" fame, says he was disappointed with the length of his role of a French journalist in "Blood Diamond".

Nevertheless, he was more than thankful for getting a chance to be a part of "the classic", which starred Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead.

"I had shot for quite a few scenes, but a lot of it was edited out. But the film was so good that you couldn't really complaint about anything. There were some international actors whose roles were completely edited out. So I was happy.

"I received some memorable reactions to my role in the film including one from Abhishek Bachchan. He cut across from a crowd especially to tell me that he had seen the film and noticed me. So I'm thankful to the film for whatever it was," he said.

Gaurav became popular after featuring in serials "Left Right Left" and "Piya Ka Ghar" as well as reality shows such as "Nach Baliye 2" and "Zara Nachke Dikha".

He is also doing Bollywood projects but refused to reveal details. "I should be in a position to talk about the projects around November."

Right now the actor is excited about "Pati, Patni Aur Woh" and says it's a welcome change from the regular dance shows and that it will allow him and Mouni to know each other closely as it has been just about nine months since they began dating.

"The show is like a free training exercise of what will come ahead in life someday. Since Mouni and I are at a very early stage of getting to know each other, I also see it as an opportunity to find out what lies ahead for us.

"We hardly had time to ourselves as both of us have been travelling either for personal reasons or for work. I have also been busy setting up my new house. So I believe this show will give us both a good sense of understanding about each other. So far we have had successful work partnerships, now we will put our personal partnership to test," he said.

Gaurav, who was earlier dating actress Narayani Shastri, says he likes Mouni a lot because "she is a very feminine, graceful and sensitive person".