Dino Martelli

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Dino Martelli
Born
1964
Bangalore, India
Other names
Dino Malhotra Martelli


Occupation
Model, actor, entrepreneur
Years active
1980s–present



Dino Martelli, previously known as Deepak Malhotra (born 1964), is a former Indian model and actor, who now runs an apparel company.

Early life

Deepak lived in Bangalore, where he studied in Christ University from 1982 to 1985.[1]

He was a member of Bangalore Club,[2] and was also a national-level gymnast.[3]

Career

Modelling

One of the earliest finds of Design and Print Group, Malhotra began his career modelling for a menswear line in Bangalore, and soon became one of the most sought after models during the late 1980s and the early 1990s.[4]

He was the face of Vimal, a major textile brand of Reliance Industries, for many years;[3][5] and reportedly had a contract of ₹150,000 in 1987, which was unprecedented at that time.[6] He gained further popularity with his TV advertisement for Aramusk, a soap that was promoted as being for the "extravagantly male".[7] He also appeared in advertisements for Kwality and Garware Video Cassette.Template:Cn

Acting

File:Lamhe poster 2.jpg
Deepak Malhotra and Sridevi in the poster of Lamhe (1991)

After his success as a model, he started getting movie offers, and moved to Mumbai. In 1991, he made his film debut with Yash Chopra's Lamhe,[8] starring alongside Sridevi and Anil Kapoor.[9] The film did poorly at the box office and Martelli received backlash for his role, particularly for a single scene.[10] Martelli was also cast for the 1993 film Darr, but he was replaced by Sunny Deol due to the backlash he received for his performance in Lamhe. He got his second and last film role in the 1994 action film Tejasvini, where he appeared opposite Vijayshanti. By 1994 he had stopped receiving offers as an actor and moved to the United States to continue his modeling career.[10]

Entrepreneurship

Malhotra moved to New York City and changed his name to Dino Martelli.[11][12][13] There he studied industrial engineering and designing,[14] and started working in the field of apparels. He is currently the principal at NYC Made Apparel, which he co-founded in 2018.[1][15]

In 2003,[16] he opened Café Sesso in The Courtyard in Colaba, Mumbai with his friend and business partner, socialite Sabina Chopra.[14][17] It shut down over a year later,[18] and they took up the management of the restaurant at Breach Candy's Moksh gym and leisure club, naming it Spring.[19]

Filmography

Dino Martelli / Deepak Malhotra
Year Film Role Notes
1991 Lamhe Lead actor Debut film; starred opposite Sridevi and Anil Kapoor
1994 Tejasvini Lead actor Final film role; starred opposite Vijayshanti

Personal life

In 1998, Dino married model-turned-fashion choreographer Lubna Adam,[20][21] who is notable for opening India's first fashion model training school 'Catwalk' in Bombay in 1990.[22] They were in a relationship for 11 years before their marriage, and after getting married moved to New York where they lived in Upper West Side.[4]

They have two sons[23][24]— Kian Martelli, who was a decorated athlete in Riverhead High School,[25][26][27] and is a designated partner in Lubna Adams Luxury Lifestyle Llp;[28] and Kyle Martelli, salutatorian of Riverhead High's graduating Class of 2021,[29][30] who is currently a student at Boston University Questrom School of Business.[31] The Martelli brothers have also modelled for Manish Malhotra's fashion collection.[32]

The couple have separated; and in 2014, Dino married Erika Falconeri.[33]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Dino Martelli Email & Phone Number | NYC Made Apparel – ContactOut. contactout.com. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  2. ↑ Who is Dino Martelli?. The Times of India(2001-10-22). Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Male Models | An overdue obituary, Vasudev, Shefalee. mint(2013-11-08). Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Gone like froth and bubble. The Times of India(2001-03-22). Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  5. ↑ Advertising on TV{{#if:Vohra|, Vohra}. S. Wadhwa & Company(2005). ISBN 978-81-902286-4-0
  6. ↑ Now, Mithun Chakraborty 'disco-dances' his way to Russian hearts. India Today(1987-07-31). Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  7. ↑ Sexual Nature/Sexual Culture{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. University of Chicago Press(1995). ISBN 978-0-226-00182-1
  8. ↑ Deepak Malhotra – Yash Raj Films. www.yashrajfilms.com. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  9. ↑ Times of India Illustrated Weekly{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Published for the proprietors, Bennett, Coleman & Company, Limited, at the Times of India Press(1991)
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 How an actor's career was ruined by one line: Once rival to Shah Rukh, Aamir Khan, he changed his name, left India(9 May 2025). Retrieved 20 August 2025.
  11. ↑ Missing. Yahoo News(2012-04-20). Retrieved 2024-04-17.
  12. ↑ নামী মডেল থেকে শ্রীদেবীর সহ-অভিনেতা, এখন নাম পাল্টে থাকেন বিদেশে. Anandabazar Patrika.
  13. ↑ Class of 1991: Celebrating 25 years of Urmila, Akshay, Raveena. Rediff(2016-06-20). Retrieved 2024-10-26.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 'It Takes 2 To Run A Restaurant'. Upper Crust ::: India's food, wine and style magazine. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
  15. ↑ NYC MADE APPAREL – New York, NY. Alignable. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
  16. ↑ Celebrities don their chef hats. The Times of India(2003-11-05). Retrieved 2024-04-18.
  17. ↑ South Asian Indian restaurant owner and socialite Sabina Chopra at Race Course ; Bombay Mumbai ; Maharashtra ; India NO MR | Dinodia Photo Library. dinodia.photoshelter.com. Retrieved 2024-10-26.
  18. ↑ Business India{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. A. H. Advani(2005)
  19. ↑ Business India{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. A. H. Advani(2005)
  20. ↑ Cine Blitz{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Blitz Publications(1998)
  21. ↑ Where have all the supermodels gone?. Mid-day(2014-07-26). Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  22. ↑ Limca Book of Records 2024{{#if:|, }. Hachette India(2024-01-24). ISBN 978-93-5731-765-8
  23. ↑ Bollywood Movie Actor Deepak Malhotra Biography, News, Photos, Videos. nettv4u. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
  24. ↑ Lubna Adams with kids at 'Mijwan Show' at Trident, Bandra on January 23, 2011 – Photogallery. photogallery.indiatimes.com(2011-01-24). Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  25. ↑ Top 25 boys indoor track athletes to watch in 2018–19. Newsday(2018-12-10). Retrieved 2024-04-23.
  26. ↑ Kian Martelli Archives. Riverhead News Review. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
  27. ↑ Kian Martelli. Athletic.net. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  28. ↑ LUBNA ADAMS LUXURY LIFESTYLE LLP. Zauba Corp(2023-08-18). Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  29. ↑ Photos: Riverhead High School Class of 2021 celebrates graduation. Riverhead News Review(2021-06-26). Retrieved 2024-04-18.
  30. ↑ Meet the Class of 2021's top 20. RiverheadLOCAL(2021-03-28). Retrieved 2024-04-18.
  31. ↑ 25 Tuesdays, 25 Terriers, 25 Inspiring Pieces of Advice | Hey BU Blog, Warmington, Jada. Boston University(2022-12-16). Retrieved 2024-04-18.
  32. ↑ Bringing back the bygone era. Hindustan Times(2020-09-23). Retrieved 2024-04-18.
  33. ↑ Falconeri Family History. sortedbyname.com. Retrieved 2025-08-09.
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