Indian actor Bobby Deol plays the romantic hero

Indian actor Bobby Deol may play the romantic hero, but when it comes to friendship, he says he takes it very seriously, according to a report Friday. In his latest film, "Dosti," which means friendship in Hindi, Deol shares the lead with Akshay Kumar, his real-life best friend. Deol plays a flirt who often gets into trouble and is bailed out by childhood friend Kumar.

"Akshay and I get along really well. He's one of my close friends in the film industry," Deol said in an interview published in the Mumbai Mirror newspaper. "I believe in serious friendships," he said. "It's a film about male bonding...The film portrays the loneliness of kids from very rich families," Deol says in the interview.

The film is released Friday and also stars well-known actress Kareena Kapoor and former Miss Universe-turned-actress Lara Dutta. Deol, 38, has acted in more than 20 movies since his debut film "Barsaat," or "Rain," five years ago. His family is well-known in India's movie business. He is the son of Bollywood veteran actor Dharmendra while his elder brother Sunny Deol stars in action and romantic movies.

Bobby Deol's stepmother Hema Malini is a famous Bollywood actress and his stepsister Esha Deol recently entered the film industry. India's financial and entertainment capital Bombay is also known as Mumbai, and its prolific film industry is known as Bollywood, informs the AP. N.U.