Genelia Deshmukh ( née D'Souza; born 5 August 1987) is an Indian actress and model who predominantly appears in Telugu,

Hindi Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

, and

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

language films. After gaining wide attention in a

Parker Pen The Parker Pen Company is a French manufacturer of luxury writing pens, founded in 1888 by George Safford Parker in Janesville, Wisconsin, United States. In 2011 the Parker factory at Newhaven, East Sussex, England, was closed, and its productio ...

commercial with Amitabh Bachchan, D'Souza began her acting career with the box–office hit ''

Tujhe Meri Kasam ''Tujhe Meri Kasam'' (English: ''swear on me'') is a 2003 Hindi romantic drama film starring the debutants Riteish Deshmukh & Genelia D'Souza (who later fell in love and got married a decade later). It was directed by K. Vijaya Bhaskar and pr ...

'' in 2003. She was recognized for her role in ''

Boys A boy is a young male human. The term is commonly used for a child or an adolescent. When a male human reaches adulthood, he is described as a man. Definition, etymology, and use According to the ''Merriam-Webster Dictionary'', a boy is "a ...

'' the same year. D'Souza received her first

Filmfare Award The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...

in 2006 for her performance in the Telugu romantic comedy film ''

Bommarillu ''Bommarillu'' () () is a 2006 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film directed and co-written by Bhaskar in his directorial debut, and produced by Dil Raju. The film stars Siddharth, Genelia, Prakash Raj and Jayasudha. The film primarily ...

'', which earned her critical acclaim. In 2008, she gave critically acclaimed performances in '' Santosh Subramaniam'', a Tamil remake of ''Bommarillu'', and the Hindi film '' Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na''. In addition to mainstream acting, D'Souza has hosted the television show ''

Big Switch ''Big Switch'' is an Indian television reality series which aired on Bindass. It featured very rich children, who were required to carry out various tasks designed to make them understand the value of money. The first season, which was hosted b ...

.'' Her notable films include '' Satyam'' (2003)'', Sye'' (2004), '' Happy'' (2006)'','' ''

Dhee ''Dhee'' () is a 2007 Indian Telugu language, Telugu-language action film, action comedy film directed by Srinu Vytla and produced by Siri Venkateswara Films. The film stars Vishnu Manchu and Genelia D'Souza while Srihari and Brahmanandam pla ...

'' (2007)'','' ''

Ready Ready may refer to: Film and television * ''Ready'', a 2002 British short starring Imelda Staunton * Ready (2008 film), ''Ready'' (2008 film), a Telugu film * Ready (2011 film), ''Ready'' (2011 film), a Hindi remake of the Telugu film * Ready ( ...

'' (2008), '' Katha'' (2009), ''

Urumi Urumi (Malayalam: ''uṟumi''; Sinhalese: ''ethunu kaduwa''; Hindi: ''āra'') is a sword with a flexible, whip-like blade, originating in modern-day Kerala in the Indian subcontinent. It is thought to have existed from as early as the Sangam per ...

'' (2011), ''

Velayudham ''Velayudham'' is a 2011 Indian Tamil-language superhero film written and directed by Mohan Raja. It stars Vijay in titular role with Genelia in the lead, while Hansika, Santhanam, Saranya Mohan, Soori, Abhimanyu Singh, and Vineet Kuma ...

'' (2011) and the Hindi films '' Masti'' (2004), '' Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na'' (2008) and '' Force'' (2011). Having acted in several commercially successful movies in Telugu and Tamil, D'Souza was described as one of the leading actresses of the South Indian film industry in the 2000s.

Early life

Born in

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

, D'Souza is a Mangalorean Catholic. She was raised in the Bandra suburb of Mumbai. Her mother Jeanette D'Souza was a managing director of the Pharma Multinational corporation. She left her job in 2004 to help D'Souza with her career. Her father Neil D'Souza, is a senior official with

Tata Consultancy Services Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is an Indian multinational information technology (IT) services and consulting company with its headquarters in Mumbai. It is a part of the Tata Group and operates in 150 locations across 46 countries. In July ...

. She also has a younger brother, Nigel D'Souza, who works with the

Bombay Stock Exchange BSE Limited, also known as the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), is an Indian stock exchange. It is located on Dalal Street in Mumbai. Established in 1875 by cotton merchant Premchand Roychand, a Jain businessman, it is the oldest stock exchange i ...

. According to D'Souza, her name means "rare" or "unique", and is a

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsSt. Andrew's College in Bandra to pursue her bachelor's degree of Management Studies. She completed her degree while shooting for her first film, ''

'' in 2003 and initially thought that an MNC job would suit her. She liked sports and studies in college, and was a state level athlete, sprinter, and a national level football player D'Souza did her first modeling assignment at the age of 15, the result of being spotted as the

bridesmaid Bridesmaids are members of the bride's party in a Western traditional wedding ceremony. A bridesmaid is typically a young woman and often a close friend or relative. She attends to the bride on the day of a wedding or marriage ceremony. Tradi ...

at a wedding. She was selected for the

commercial with Amitabh Bachchan, just two days before her exams, and had to shoot the next day. Initially she refused, because of her exam the next day, but the director persuaded D'Souza to shoot for the commercial. She gained wide attention from the Parker Pen commercial with Amitabh Bachchan, who said "she was good, and her expressions were spontaneous". She further did a Fair & Lovely

2003 Cricket World Cup The 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup was the eighth Cricket World Cup, organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It was co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya from 9 February to 23 March 2003. This edition of the World Cup was the ...

advertisement with cricketer

Krishnamachari Srikkanth Krishnamachari Srikkanth (born 21 December 1959), also known as Cheeka, is a former captain of the Indian cricket team and former chairman of the selection committee. He played a crucial part in India's team batting line up as opener espec ...

Acting career

Debut and breakthrough (2003–2005)

When D'Souza was offered a role in ''

'', initially she turned it down, as she was not keen to pursue a career in acting. But the crew insisted and kept contacting her for two months, and she agreed when she saw the Telugu version of the film. Tamil director,

S. Shankar Shankar Shanmugam (born 17 August 1963), credited as S. Shankar or his mononym Shankar, is an Indian filmmaker who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. He is one of the most prolific and highest paid film directors in India. His films typicall ...

, was impressed with her performance in the Parker Pen commercial and decided to cast her in a leading role in his 2003 Tamil film ''

''. D'Souza was selected among 300 girls, who had auditioned for the movie. She signed three movies simultaneously in three different languages, ''Tujhe Meri Kasam'' (

), ''Boys'' (

), and '' Satyam'' ( Telugu). D'Souza's professional film career began, with her Hindi film debut ''Tujhe Meri Kasam'' in 2003. Film critic

Taran Adarsh Taran Adarsh (born 13 June 1965) is an Indian film critic and trade analyst. He is best known for giving trade figures and box office updates on social media. Career Taran Adarsh started his journalism career at the age of 15 with ''Trade Gui ...

noted, "D'Souza is a wonderful performer. She catches you unaware with a performance that's natural to the core." The film was a box–office success. However, it could not do much to propel her career in Hindi cinema. Later, she decided to act in South Indian films. The same year, she made her Tamil debut as the teenage girl Harini in ''Boys'', a story about 5 teenagers having stereotypical teen–boy fantasies. The movie, though noted for its vulgar sexual content, was a box–office success, and subsequently she started receiving Telugu film offers. She left

Tamil cinema Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollywo ...

for a while to concentrate on the Telugu film industry. She made her Telugu debut in 2003 as a medical student in '' Satyam''. ''

Sify Sify Technologies Limited (formerly Satyam Infoway) is an Indian information and communications technology company providing end-to-end ICT solutions including telecom services, data center services, cloud & managed services, transformation in ...

'' noted in their review that, "D'Souza is excellent as her body language is her major asset." The film was well received, and it raised her profile in the Telugu film industry. In 2004, D'Souza appeared in her second Hindi film, '' Masti''. The comedy focuses on 3 close friends who reunite after 3 years, but are now married and are being harassed by their wives. D'Souza portrayed the character of one of the wives.

was complimentary of D'Souza's role, saying, "Amongst the wives, D'Souza is the best, ..D'Souza looks the stern and demanding wife and is sure to be noticed." The film was a box–office success. The same year, she appeared in two Telugu movies '' Samba'', and '' Sye'', both succeeding at the box–office. After appearing in her first Telugu movie in 2005, '' Naa Alludu'', she starred in the Tamil romantic entertainer ''

Sachein ''Sachein'' is a 2005 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film directed by John Mahendran, and produced by Kalaipuli S. Thanu, starring Vijay, Genelia and Bipasha Basu in lead roles, with Santhanam, Vadivelu and Raghuvaran appearing in p ...

''. A review in ''

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...

'' noted, "D'Souza, who hardly made an impression in ''Boys'', makes much impact in ''Sachein''." The movie evoked mixed response from audiences, but was well received with the younger generation. She later appeared in the Telugu patriotic film ''

Subhash Chandra Bose Subhas Chandra Bose ( ; 23 January 1897 – 18 August 1945 * * * * * * * * *) was an Indian nationalist whose defiance of British authority in India made him a hero among Indians, but his wartime alliances with Nazi Germany and Imperi ...

''.

Turning point in South Indian films and recognition (2006–2008)

The year 2006 marked a significant turning point in D'Souza's career. She completed two Telugu movies in early 2006, one was the romantic comedy '' Happy'', and the other was '' Raam''. She then portrayed the role of Haasini, a vibrant, effervescent and a happy–go–lucky young girl, in the 2006 Telugu romantic comedy ''

''. The film was a blockbuster at the box–office, and grossed in India, and also won the 2006 Golden Nandi award. Her performance received high praise, and garnered her the Telugu Filmfare Award for Best Actress, besides the

Nandi Special Jury Award The Nandi Special Jury Award is given by the state government as part of its annual Nandi Awards for Telugu films Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the ...

and the Santosham Award for Best Actress. ''Sify'' concluded about her acting in their review that, "The scene stealer is D'Souza with her innocent looks and cute mannerisms. She does not overact and we just fall in love with her character. D'Souza looks like a dream in chic skirts and is the life of the party and raises the bar of the film." Genelia at HDIL India Couture Week

Following the success of ''Bommarillu'', D'Souza played the role of the daughter of a local don, in the Tamil gangster film '' Chennai Kadhal'' alongside ''Boys'' co–star Bharath. ''Rediff.com'' criticized her commenting, "D'Souza stands up yet again to prove the point that if you are pretty and well dressed, you can get away with anything, without acting." Shortly afterwards in 2007, D'Souza played the role of sister of a notorious gangster in the blockbuster Telugu film ''

'', set against a gang war backdrop. The following year, D'Souza appeared in the 2008 Telugu romantic thriller ''

Mr. Medhavi ''Mr. Medhavi'' (English translation: Mr. Genius) is a 2008 Telugu film, directed by G. Neelakanta Reddy. The film stars Raja Abel, Genelia D'Souza and Sonu Sood. Plot A young Vishwak (Raja) meets Swetha (Genelia) who comes from Canada on a vac ...

'', in which she portrayed the role of a student from Canada. The film was successful, with '' Rediff.com'' complimenting her performance saying, "D'Souza is her effervescent self – full of joie–de–vivre and lights up the screen." She made her Kannada debut in '' Satya in Love'' the same year. Later, she was cast in a leading role in '' Santosh Subramaniam'', a Tamil remake of ''Bommarillu''. The film also turned out to be rather successful as its predecessor. Sify described D'Souza's portrayal as "the soul of the film" and the film's "biggest strength", however ''Rediff.com'' described her character as "appears a little too good to be true."

Return to Hindi cinema, subsequent work and success (2008–2016)

In June 2008, following a nearly 5–year hiatus in Hindi cinema, she appeared in ''

Mere Baap Pehle Aap ''Mere Baap Pehle Aap'' (translation: ''My father, You first'') is a 2008 Indian Hindi-language comedy-drama film directed by Priyadarshan. The film stars Akshaye Khanna, Genelia D'Souza, Paresh Rawal, Om Puri, Manoj Joshi, Archana Puran Si ...

'', which failed to make profit at the box–office. A ''Rediff'' review noted, "besides her apparent cuteness, brings in tons of freshness and traits to the youthful characters she chooses to play", while a Sify review criticized her stating, "D'Souza is sprightly but has a standard two–three expressions bank in this film." She later appeared in the Telugu love story ''

'' alongside

Ram Ram, ram, or RAM may refer to: Animals * A male sheep * Ram cichlid, a freshwater tropical fish People * Ram (given name) * Ram (surname) * Ram (director) (Ramsubramaniam), an Indian Tamil film director * RAM (musician) (born 1974), Dutch * ...

, which was well received. Her breakthrough performance came with the blockbuster romantic comedy–drama '' Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na'' (2008), in which she portrayed the central character of Aditi Mahant, which was a major commercial success across India and overseas, grossing . Her role was widely admired for her sweetness and freshness, and new style of acting, with ''Rediff'' describing her acting as a "spark that has been missing in Hindi cinema for well over a decade now". In that same year, D'Souza acted in the Telugu romantic comedy ''

Sasirekha Parinayam Sasirekha Parinayam is an Indian folktale based on oral traditions popular in Telugu States. While it uses characters who appear in the ''Mahabharata'', the story is not present in the epic. The plot concerns the marriage of Sasirekha, called V ...

''. The film received favorable reviews, and ''Sify'' noted in their review that, "The life of the film is definitely D'Souza and she has shown the varied emotions from innocence, sadness, romance and anger in equal proportions without a hitch." In 2009, D'Souza was cast in the Hindi film ''

Life Partner The term significant other (SO) has different uses in psychology and in colloquial language. Colloquially, "significant other" is used as a gender-neutral term for a person's partner in an intimate relationship without disclosing or presuming ...

'', in which she was criticized for her performance. Indian film critic

Rajeev Masand Rajeev Masand is an Indian film critic and journalist. He has worked for Noida based English language news channel CNN-Indian Broadcasting Network (CNN-IBN). He usually reviews Bollywood films and major Hollywood films released in India in his ...

commented, "The adorable little imp from ''Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na'' has turned into a nagging harridan in this film, and how you wish she'd immediately enroll for acting lessons." Her next appearance in 2009 was in the Telugu thriller '' Katha'', which was well received, and for which she won the 2009

. In 2010, D'Souza appeared in ''

Chance Pe Dance ''Chance Pe Dance'' () is a 2010 Indian Hindi-language dance film starring Shahid Kapoor and Genelia D'Souza and supported by Mohnish Behl and Prince Rodde. It is directed by Ken Ghosh and produced by Ronnie Screwvala under his banner, UTV Motio ...

'' and ''

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

'', both receiving poor reviews from critics, but her '' Uthama Puthiran'' was a moderate success in Tamil. D'Souza had a major role in 2011, starring as the Muslim warrior princess Arackal Ayesha, in her debut Malayalam film ''

''. The film is about a fictional story happening in

Calicut Kozhikode (), also known in English as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. It has a corporation limit population of 609,224 and a metropolitan population of more than 2 million, making it the second l ...

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

during the 15th century, about a boy who plots to assassinate the Portuguese explorer Vasco Da Gama. She learned horse riding, and spent two weeks of training to use the sword, the short stick, and movements of the Dravidian martial art''

Kalarippayattu Kalaripayattu (; also known simply as Kalari) is an Indian martial art that originated in modern-day Kerala, a state on the southwestern coast of India. Kalaripayattu is known for its long-standing history within Indian martial arts, and is ...

''. The film portrayed her image makeover from a typical girl–next–door roles to more serious roles. Her next appearance was in the Hindi

action thriller Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include lif ...

'' Force'', which received mixed reviews from critics, with

Bollywood Hungama Bollywood Hungama (lit. "Bollywood Madness" in Hindi), previously known as IndiaFM (or IndiaFM.com), is a Bollywood entertainment website, owned by Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, which acquired the website in 2000. The website provide ...

noting that D'Souza is strikingly sweet and subdued. She played the role of a journalist alongside leading actor Vijay in ''

'', which was also commercially successful. She appeared in ''

Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya ''Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya'' () is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by Mandeep Kumar and produced by Kumar S. Taurani. The film features the real-life couple Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia D'Souza in lead roles. Diljit Do ...

'' and ''

Naa Ishtam ''Nee Ishtam Leda Naa Ishtam '' (English: ''Your wish or My wish'') is a 2012 Telugu-language romantic action film directed by Prakash Toleti and produced by Paruchuri Kiriti. The film stars Rana Daggubati and Genelia D'Souza in the lead role ...

'' in 2012 and in cameo appearances in '' Jai Ho'' and '' Lai Bhaari'' in 2014. In 2016, she appeared in a cameo role of Maya in ''Force 2''.

Role as producer and return to acting (2018–present)

D'Souza became producer for her husband's Marathi film ''Mauli'', where she also appeared in a song. D'Souza will make her comeback to full time acting after 10 years, with her Marathi film debut ''Vedd'', which will be directed by

Riteish Deshmukh Riteish Vilasrao Deshmukh (born 17 December 1978) is an Indian actor, comedian, television presenter, writer, director and film producer. He is the son of former Chief Minister of Maharashtra Vilasrao Deshmukh. He works in Hindi and Marathi ci ...

. She will also appear alongside Riteish in

Bhushan Kumar Bhushan Kumar Dua (born 27 November 1977) is an Indian film producer and music producer. He is the chairman and managing director of Super Cassettes Industries Limited, also known as T-Series. He is known for his work in Bollywood. Career K ...

's ''Mister Mummy'' and will also return to South industry after 10 years with a Telugu–Kannada bilingual, film ''Production No.15''.

Personal life

D'Souza is deeply religious and says that, she regularly attends Sunday Mass at St. Anne's Parish (Bandra), and whenever the family is home, a part of their evening is reserved for saying the rosary together. In an interview with ''

The Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...

'', she comments, "I keep a Novena every Wednesday at St. Michael's Church in Mahim." In an interview with ''

Daily News and Analysis ''Zee Media Corporation Limited'' (abbreviated as ZMCL; formerly Zee News Limited) is the news broadcasting company of the Essel Group which is controlled by Subhash Chandra. The company is engaged mainly in the business of broadcasting of new ...

'', she said that "My communication with God is conversational, ..I'm God's favourite child; I believe that God has always been kind to me." Tabloids repeatedly linked D'Souza romantically with

Ritesh Deshmukh Riteish Vilasrao Deshmukh (born 17 December 1978) is an Indian actor, comedian, television presenter, writer, director and film producer. He is the son of former Chief Minister of Maharashtra Vilasrao Deshmukh. He works in Hindi and Marathi ci ...

, ever since they starred together in their debut film ''

'' in 2003. They were reportedly ready to get engaged, but Ritesh's father, the then–Maharashtra Chief Minister,

Vilasrao Deshmukh Vilasrao Dagadojirao Deshmukh (26 May 1945 – 14 August 2012) was an Indian politician who served as the 14th Chief Minister of Maharashtra, first term from 18 October 1999 to 16 January 2003 and second term, from 1 November 2004 to 5 D ...

did not agree. D'Souza later denied any rumors of a relationship with Deshmukh, and responds that she was just friends with him. However, the couple eventually got married on 3 February 2012, according to Marathi marriage traditions in a Hindu wedding ceremony, they had a Christian wedding in the church on next day. The couple's first child, a son named Riaan, was born on 25 November 2014. Their second son, Rahyl, was born on 1 June 2016.

Other work and events

D'Souza was a part of Tamil director

Mani Ratnam Gopala Ratnam Subramaniam (born 2 June 1956), known professionally as Mani Ratnam, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema and few Hindi, Telugu and Kannada films. Ratnam has won six ...

's stage show, ''

Netru, Indru, Naalai ''Netru, Indru, Naalai'' () was a series of musical theatre performances that were held in Chennai, India, by Indian film director Mani Ratnam. Choreography for the show was provided by Kala and Brinda. There were unconfirmed reports of close to 12 ...

'', an event which seeks to raise funds for The Banyan, a voluntary organisation which rehabilitates homeless women with mental illness in

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

. She was one of the judges at the grand finale of Gladrags Mega Model and Manhunt 2009 contest on 28 March 2009. She also walked the ramp alongside

Tushar Kapoor Tushar Ravi Kapoor (born 20 November 1976), popular as Tusshar Kapoor, is an Indian actor and film producer working in Hindi films. Early and personal life Tusshar Kapoor is the son of Indian actors Jeetendra and Shobha Kapoor. His sister Ek ...

for fashion designer

Manish Malhotra Manish Malhotra (born December 5 1966) is an Indian fashion designer, couturier, costume stylist, entrepreneur, filmmaker, revivalist based in Mumbai, India. The founder of the eponymous label, Manish Malhotra, he has been deeply entrenched in ...

at the Lakme Fashion Week 2009 on 28 March 2009. On 5 April 2009, D'Souza was among several Hindi film celebrities to perform at the Pantaloons Femina Miss India 2009 finale in Mumbai. In October 2009, she appeared as a showstopper for jewellery designer Farah Khan Ali on the second season of Housing Development and Infrastructure Limited (HDIL) India Couture Week. On 24 October 2009, D'Souza began hosting '

'', a television show based on slum kids on

UTV Bindass Bindass is an Indian pay television Hindi-language Music channel owned by Disney Star, targeted at young people. It was launched on 24 September 2007. History UTV Software Communications launched Bindass as a youth-oriented entertainment chan ...

channel to reach a bigger audience. D'Souza has been the brand ambassador of

Fanta Fanta is an American-owned German brand of fruit-flavored carbonated soft drinks created by Coca-Cola Deutschland under the leadership of German businessman Max Keith. There are more than 200 flavors worldwide. Fanta originated in Germany as ...

, Virgin Mobile India, Fastrack, LG Mobiles,

Garnier Garnier () is a mass market cosmetics brand of French cosmetics company L'Oréal. It produces hair care and skin care products. Launch ''Laboratoires Garnier'' was founded in France in 1904 by Alfred Amour Garnier. The company's first product ...

Light, Margo, and Perk in India. She has unveiled Spinz Black Magic deodorant on 7 October 2009 in Mumbai, and the Ceres Store retail outlet. At the Chennai International Fashion Week (CIFW) in December 2009, she appeared as a showstopper for designer Ishita Singh's spring–summer indigenous collection of 2010. She also holds a Limca world record of delivering four different super hit films in four different languages, ''

'' (Telugu), '' Satya in Love'' (Kannada), '' Santosh Subramaniam'' (Tamil), and '' Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na'' (Hindi) in a span of one calendar year. She was a part of online market portal

eBay eBay Inc. ( ) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that facilitates consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales through its website. eBay was founded by Pierre Omidyar in 1995 and became ...

's 2010 "Dream House" challenge, where she transformed an empty three–room apartment in Bandra into an attractive home with online shopping. She had been provided a budget of and two weeks to create a look she wants with items on sale on the website. On the occasion of

Children's Day Children's Day is a commemorative date celebrated annually in honor of children, whose date of observance varies by country. In 1925, International Children's Day was first proclaimed in Geneva during the World Conference on Child Welfare. Sin ...

(14 November), D'Souza auctioned a few items from the apartment. All proceeds received from the auction was given to ''Aseema'', a Non–governmental organization (NGO), which aims to provide education to underprivileged children.

In the media

Genelia Dsouza at Ebay Dream House (2010)

D'Souza has been often tagged in the media as the "bubbly girl", after portraying the role of a young energetic girl in several movies, particularly in ''

'' (2006) and '' Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na'' (2008). She appeared alongside

Shahid Kapoor Shahid Kapoor (; born 25 February 1981) is an Indian actor who appears in Hindi films. Initially recognised for portraying romantic roles, he has since taken on parts in action films and thrillers, and is the recipient of several awards, in ...

on the fourth episode of ''

Tere Mere Beach Mein ''Tere Mere Beach Mein'' is a celebrity chat show hosted by Bollywood choreographer and director Farah Khan. It premiered on Star Plus from 23 August 2009 and aired on weekends at prime time. The show ended on 10 October 2009, after completing 1 ...

'', a celebrity chat show, hosted by

Farah Khan Farah Khan Kunder (born 9 January 1965) is an Indian film director, film producer, actress, dancer and choreographer who works predominantly in Hindi films. Khan has choreographed dance routines for more than a hundred songs in over 80 films, w ...

. The theme of the show was "Second Innings", since both D'Souza and Kapoor had the same history of failures initially and success later in their acting careers. In June 2010, D'Souza was crowned as the "Brand Ambassador of the Year" at the

CNBC Awaaz CNBC Awaaz () is an Indian pay television Hindi business news channel, owned by CNBC and TV18 based in New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). ...

consumer awards, for endorsing nine brands. She is now the brand ambassador of the soft drink

(replacing

Rani Mukherjee Rani Mukerji (pronounced ; born 21 March 1978) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. Noted for her versatility, she is the recipient of multiple accolades, including seven Filmfare Awards. Mukerji has featured in listings of the hig ...

), the chocolate Perk (replacing

Preity Zinta Preity G Zinta (pronounced ; born 31 January 1975) is an Indian actress and entrepreneur primarily known for her work in Hindi films. After graduating with degrees in English honours and criminal psychology, Zinta made her acting debut in '' ...

), Virgin Mobile India (along with

Ranbir Kapoor Ranbir Kapoor (; born 28 September 1982) is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi-language films. He is one of the highest-paid actors of Hindi cinema and has featured in ''Forbes India''s Celebrity 100 list since 2012. Kapoor is the re ...

), Fastrack watches and accessories, LG mobiles (along with

John Abraham John Abraham (born 17 December 1972) is an Indian actor, film producer, writer and former model working in Hindi films. He has won a National Film Award and received five Filmfare nominations. After modelling for advertisements and companies, ...

and Abhay Deol),

Light fairness cream,

Dabur Dabur Ltd is an Indian multinational consumer goods company, founded by S. K. Burman and headquartered in Ghaziabad. It manufactures Ayurvedic medicine and natural consumer products, and is one of the largest fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) ...

Vatika hair oil, Margo soap, and Spinz deodorant.

Controversies

In June 2010, she was the subject of a controversy, when a Tamil daily reported that she had attended the controversial 2010 IIFA Awards in

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo m ...

. Several Hindi film actors and the South Indian film industry had boycotted the event, over the alleged killing of

Tamilian The Tamil people, also known as Tamilar ( ta, தமிழர், Tamiḻar, translit-std=ISO, in the singular or ta, தமிழர்கள், Tamiḻarkaḷ, translit-std=ISO, label=none, in the plural), or simply Tamils (), are a Dravi ...

civilians at the height of the conflict between the

Sri Lanka Army ta, இலங்கை இராணுவம் , image = File:Sri Lanka Army Logo.png , image_size = 180px , caption = Emblem of the Sri Lanka Army , start_date ...

and the

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE; ta, தமிழீழ விடுதலைப் புலிகள், translit=Tamiḻīḻa viṭutalaip pulikaḷ, si, දෙමළ ඊළාම් විමුක්ති කොටි, t ...

(LTTE) in 2009. The rumours of her visit to Colombo started after her friend Ritesh Deshmukh was seen at the festival in Colombo. Immediately, various Tamil groups and

Kollywood Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollywood ...

associations demanded her films to be banned. In 2011, a controversy broke out for her film '' Force'', in a wedding sequence scene of herself and

. Sources claim that the wedding ceremony and rituals conducted were so authentic that they would have actually been husband and wife in real life. Instead of a junior artiste, a real priest was called for the scene. Again, following the reports of

and D'Souza's marriage plans, the priest landed up at producer

Vipul Amrutlal Shah Vipul Amrutlal Shah (commonly known as Vipul Shah) is a film producer and director of Hindi films. He began his career with Gujarati theater. He was part/director of a number of Gujarati dramas, some of which were well received by Gujarati audie ...

's office to register a complaint. He insisted that the couple couldn't get married, as D'Souza has been already married to John Abraham, as all marriage rituals were observed, from wearing a ''

mangalsutra A mangala sutra (), or thaali (ISO: ''tāḷi''), is a necklace that the groom ties around the bride's neck in the Indian subcontinent, in a ceremony called ''Mangalya Dharanam'' (). The necklace serves as a visual marker of status as a ma ...

'' (a sacred thread is worn by Indian women as a symbol of their marriage), to exchanging garlands, and taking the seven steps around the holy fire. Shah dismissed the claims as a publicity stunt.

Filmography

Films

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

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Genelia D'Souza
at

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{{DEFAULTSORT:D'Souza, Genelia Living people Actresses in Tamil cinema Actresses in Telugu cinema Indian film actresses Actresses in Hindi cinema Indian Roman Catholics Athletes from Mumbai 1987 births St. Andrew's College of Arts, Science and Commerce alumni Indian women television presenters Indian television presenters Actresses in Kannada cinema Actresses in Malayalam cinema Filmfare Awards South winners 21st-century Indian actresses Marathi people People from Marathwada Kalarippayattu practitioners Indian female martial artists Sportswomen from Maharashtra 21st-century Indian women 21st-century Indian people Actresses from Mumbai Female models from Mumbai