Shila Shetty's gangster film Dishkiyaaoon, set in the backgrop of Mumbai's underworld, could be the movie that propels the actress's career outside of Bollywood.

Shetty, from Mangalore, has quit acting but is making the foray into producing. Her first project as Sunny Deo, Harman Baweja and debutante Ayesha Khanna, according the Times of India.

"It is a full-on masala entertainer. It is an interesting film on underworld, imagine Shilpa Shetty making a film on Mumbai underworld, it sounds bizarre," she said, "But I loved the script. It is the story of a guy who wants to make it as a gangster... the struggle of this one guy. It is an emotional story. It has beautiful songs."

Shetty - a former model - has appeared in nearly forty Bollywood, Tamil, Teluga and Kannada films. She won acclaim for her portrayal of an AIDS patient in Phir Milenge (2004).

After taking part and winning Britain's Celebrity Big Brother reality show in 2007, Shetty enjoyed a career resurgence and gained positive reviews for two successive movies, Life In A Metro and Apne.

Dishkiyaaoon is set for release on January 10, 2014 despite the highly anticipated Ragini MMS 2 likely to hit screens on the same day.

"We are not shifting the release date," Shetty told India Express, "I would be worried if an action film would have got released (simultaneously), ours is an action entertainer and 'Ragini MMS 2' is a horror film and there is space for every film."

Shilpa Shetty catwalkShilpa Shetty, On The Catwalk

Shilpa Shetty Book
Shilpa Shetty Signing Books in Birmingham