Star behind Ketut speaks: I’ve got my own Rhonda!

He’s shot to stardom as Rhonda’s holiday eye candy in those AAMI commercials – and the actor behind Balinese flirt Ketut admits he’s been getting a lot of female attention off-screen as well!

When New Idea caught up with Melbourne-based Kadek Mahardika he was deluged with fans – a great many of them appreciative older women.

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"It’s like a double life," grins the new-found star of juggling his fame with being a part-time landscaper, full-time charmer and devoted dad.

But much to some of his fans’ disappointment, he’s not up for grabs - like his character, he has his own real-life Aussie love, 21-year-old hairdresser Laura.

"Sometimes it scares me," he says of his fame. "People everywhere stop me, take pictures, and so many women.

"If I’m not strong maybe somebody pinch me," he jokes.

His character Ketut’s on-screen flirtation with ‘safe driver’ Rhonda sparked an immediate internet sensation.

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Almost 115,000 people have ‘liked’ a Facebook page, 'The Sexual tension between Katut and Rhonda' (sic), devoted to their fictional relationship.

And this week Kadek and his AAMI co-star, actress Mandy McElhinney, are making special guest appearances - in character as Ketut and Rhonda - at the Melbourne Cup.

For the full story on the man behind Ketut and his real life Aussie love, see this week’s New Idea.