Genelia D’ Souza

Genelia Deshmukh (née D'Souza; born 5 August 1987), also credited professionally as Genelia, is an Indian actress who predominantly appears in Telugu, Hindi, and Tamil films. Described in the media as one of the leading South Indian actresses of the 2000s, D'Souza is a recipient of several accolades including a Filmfare Award South and two Nandi Awards.

After gaining attention in a Parker Pen commercial with Amitabh Bachchan, D'Souza began her acting career with the Hindi film '' Tujhe Meri Kasam'' (2003), and earned recognition in the Tamil film ''Boys'', the same year. D'Souza received the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu for portraying a bubbly girl in the romantic comedy ''Bommarillu'' (2006). She further earned praises for her portrayals in the 2008 romantic comedies ''Santosh Subramaniam'' and '' Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na''. D'Souza established herself with commercially successful films—'' Satyam'' (2003), '' Masti'' (2004), '' Sye'' (2004), ''Sachein'' (2005), ''Happy'' (2006), '' Dhee'' (2007), ''Ready'' (2008), '' Katha'' (2009), ''Urumi'' (2011), ''Force'' (2011), ''Velayudham'' (2011) and ''Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya'' (2012). Her performances in ''Bommarillu'' and ''Katha'' earned her two Nandi Special Jury Award.

Following her marriage to Riteish Deshmukh, with whom she has two sons, she took a long hiatus from acting. D'Souza had a career comeback with the Marathi film '' Ved'' (2022), for which she received a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Marathi. In addition to acting in films, D'Souza hosted the television shows ''Big Switch'' (2009) and '' Ladies vs Gentlemen'' (2020). She is also a celebrity endorser for several brands and products.

Early life

Born in Bombay, India D'Souza is a Mangalorean Catholic. She was raised in the Bandra suburb of Bombay. 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. She also has a younger brother, Nigel D'Souza, who works with the Bombay Stock Exchange. According to D'Souza, her name means "rare" or "unique", and is a portmanteau of Jeanette and Neil, her mother and father's names. She is also often informally referred to as ''Geenu'', her nickname. D'Souza studied at the Apostolic Carmel High School in Bandra and later joined St. Andrew's College in Bandra to pursue her bachelor's degree of Management Studies. She completed her degree while shooting for her first film, '' Tujhe Meri Kasam'' in 2003 and initially thought that an MNC job would suit her. D'Souza liked sports and studies in college, and was a state level athlete, sprinter, and a national level football player.

D'Souza did her first modelling assignment at the age of 15, the result of being spotted as the bridesmaid at a wedding. She was selected for the Parker Pen 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 advertisement with cricketer Krishnamachari Srikkanth.

Career

Debut and breakthrough (2003–2005)

When D'Souza was offered a role in '' Tujhe Meri Kasam'', 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, was impressed with her performance in the Parker Pen commercial and decided to cast her in a leading role in his 2003 Tamil film ''Boys''. 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'' opposite Riteish Deshmukh (Hindi), ''Boys'' opposite Siddharth (Tamil), and '' Satyam'' opposite Sumanth (Telugu).

D'Souza's professional film career began, with her Hindi film debut ''Tujhe Meri Kasam'' in 2003. Film critic Taran Adarsh 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 and earned her nomination for Screen Award for Most Promising Newcomer - Female. 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 for a while to concentrate on the Telugu film industry. She made her Telugu debut in 2003 as a medical student in '' Satyam''. ''Sify'' 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. The film won her the CineMAA Award for Best Female Debut.

In 2004, D'Souza appeared in her second Hindi film, '' Masti'' opposite Riteish Deshmukh. 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. Taran Adarsh 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 and she received the Stardust Award for Breakthrough Performance – Female nomination. The same year, she appeared in two Telugu movies ''Samba'' alongside Jr. NTR, and '' Sye'' opposite Nithiin, both succeeding at the box office.

After appearing in her first Telugu movie in 2005, '' Naa Alludu'' opposite Jr. NTR, she starred in the Tamil romantic entertainer ''Sachein'' opposite Vijay. A review in ''The Hindu'' 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'' alongside Venkatesh, a box office failure.

Critical acclaim and commercial success (2006–2010)

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'' opposite Allu Arjun, which was a moderate success and the other was '' Raam'' opposite Nithiin. In ''Happy'', she played an MBBS student who marries a carefree boy, with ''Idlebrain'' stating, "Genelia has got lots of scope for performance in this film and she did exceptionally well". She then portrayed the role of Haasini, a vibrant, effervescent and a happy–go–lucky young girl, in the Telugu romantic comedy ''Bommarillu'', reuniting with Siddharth. The film was a blockbuster at the box office, and grossed . Her performance received high praise, and garnered her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu, besides the Nandi Special Jury Award. ''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."

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. Sriram Iyer from ''Rediff.com'' criticised 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 afterward, she played the role of the sister of a notorious gangster in the blockbuster Telugu film '' Dhee'' alongside Vishnu Manchu, set against a gang war backdrop. Jeevi of '' Idlebrain.com'' was appreciative of her portrayal and contribute to the film. She earned her second Filmfare Best Actress – Telugu nomination for the film.

The following year, D'Souza appeared in the Telugu romantic thriller ''Mr. Medhavi'' with Raja, in which she portrayed the role of a student from Canada. The film was successful, with Radhika Rajamani 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 opposite Shiva Rajkumar, which was a box office success. Later, she was cast in a leading role in ''Santosh Subramaniam'' opposite Jayam Ravi, a Tamil remake of ''Bommarillu''. The film turned out to be successful just like its predecessor. ''Sify'' described D'Souza's portrayal as "the soul of the film" and the film's "biggest strength", however ''Rediff.com''s Pavithra Srinivasan described her character as "appears a little too good to be true." She received Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Tamil nomination for her performance.

In June 2008, following a nearly 5–year gap from Hindi cinema, she appeared in '' Mere Baap Pehle Aap'' alongside Akshaye Khanna, which failed to make profit at the box office. Sukanya Verma noted, "besides her apparent cuteness, brings in tons of freshness and traits to the youthful characters she chooses to play", while Sonia Chopra criticised her stating, "D'Souza is sprightly but has a standard two–three expressions bank in this film." She later appeared in the Telugu romantic comedy ''Ready'' opposite Ram Pothineni, playing a NRI girl. The film was well received and became one of the highest grossing Telugu fim of 2008. Radhika Rajamani opined that D'Souza "lights up the screen" with her performance. A critic from ''Sify'' was appreciative of her "vibrant" performance.

That year, her breakthrough performance came with the blockbuster romantic comedy-drama '' Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na'', in which she portrayed the central character of a college student, Aditi opposite Imran Khan. It was a major commercial success across India and overseas, grossing . Her role was widely admired for her sweetness and freshness, with Raja Sen describing her acting as a "spark that has been missing in Hindi cinema for well over a decade now". While, Khalid Mohamed of ''Hindustan Times'' found her to be "consistently spontaneous". Her performance earned her several nominations including Screen Award for Best Actress and Stardust Award for Superstar of Tomorrow – Female.

In 2009, D'Souza appeared in the Telugu romantic comedy ''Sasirekha Parinayam'' alongside Tarun. The film received favourable reviews, with critics calling her "the life of the film" and praising her portrayal of emotions. She also received CineMAA Award for Best Actor – Female nomination. D'Souza then appeared opposite Fardeen Khan in the Hindi film ''Life Partner'' a box office average, where Rajeev Masand noted: "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 was in the Telugu thriller '' Katha'' with Adith Arun, which was well received, and for which she won another Nandi Special Jury Award. ''123telugu'' was appreciative of her well-sketched character and added that her efforts shows up.

In 2010, D'Souza first played a choreographer opposite Shahid Kapoor in ''Chance Pe Dance'', which received poor reviews from critics. Rajeev Masand criticised her "half-baked role". D'Souza then played a college student who believes in true love in the Telugu film ''Orange'' opposite Ram Charan, which too received poor reviews from critics, but a critic from ''Rediff.com'' praised her portrayal and chemistry with Charan. In her final film of the year, she appeared in the Tamil film '' Uthama Puthiran'' opposite Dhanush, a remake of her film ''Ready''. The film became a moderate success. A critic from ''The Times of India'' found her getting "stereotyped" in a similar role of a bubbly girl.

Further success, hiatus and production (2011–2021)

In her first release of 2011, D'Souza made her Malayalam film debut, starring as the Muslim warrior princess Arackal Ayesha, in ''Urumi'' alongside Prithviraj Sukumaran. The film is about a fictional story happening in Calicut, Kerala during the 15th century, about a boy who plots to assassinate the Portuguese explorer Vasco Da Gama. For her role, 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''. It was a major commercial and critical success, with ''The New Indian Express'' stating: "Genelia breaks her perpetual imbecility morphing into Ayesha, the warrior princess. Her character is not reduced to the customary cheer-leader role and she claims an equal share of valour and gallantry." The film won her the Asiavision Award for Best Actress. She next played an independent woman in the Hindi film, ''Force'' opposite John Abraham, which received mixed reviews from critics but was a box office success. In his review for ''Bollywood Hungama'', Taran Adarsh found D'Souza to be "strikingly sweet and subdued". Later, she played a journalist alongside Vijay in the Tamil film ''Velayudham'', which was commercially successful. ''CNN-IBN'' in its review noted that D'Souza got a substantial role and fits in it "adequately".

In 2012, D'Souza first reunited with Deshmukh in the Hindi film ''Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya''. A critic from ''NDTV'' stated that she delivers an "energetic performance" as Mini. It became a box office success. Later that year, she appeared opposite Rana Daggubati in the Telugu film, ''Naa Ishtam'', which was a moderate success. In its review, ''The Times of India'' stated the she performs her role with "panache". Following ''Naa Ishtam'', D'Souza took a break from full-time acting and appeared only in cameo roles in films such as the Hindi film, '' Jai Ho'' and the Marathi film, '' Lai Bhaari'' both in 2014. D'Souza with her husband Riteish Deshmukh started their production company, Mumbai Film Company and became a producer with ''Lai Bhaari''. In 2016, she reprised her role in '' Force 2'', a sequel of ''Force'', appearing as the ghost of Maya. In 2018, she co-produced the Marathi film ''Mauli'', where she also appeared in a song. In 2020, her much delayed Hindi remake of ''Bommarillu'', '' It's My Life'' was released directly on Zee Cinema, where she appeared opposite Harman Baweja.

Comeback and career expansion (2022–present)

D'Souza changed her screen name to Genelia Deshmukh and made her comeback to full-time acting after ten years with the 2022 film, ''Mister Mummy'' opposite Riteish Deshmukh. She played a woman who finds out her husband is pregnant with their child. The film received negative reviews and failed at the box office. That year, she made her Marathi film debut with '' Ved'', where Deshmukh played a wife whose husband is still in love with his lover, opposite Riteish Deshmukh who also directed the film. The film received positive response and emerged as the highest-grossing Marathi film of the year. Mayur Sanap opined: "Genelia has a luminous presence and conveys more with her expressions than dialogues." Deshmukh also won several accolades including a nomination for Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Marathi. Deshmukh played a single mother who orders a father for her son on a 30-day trial period, in her only film of 2023, '' Trial Period'' opposite Manav Kaul. Nandini Ramnath of '' Scroll.in'' noted: "Genelia Deshmukh turn out lovely performance, either as a make-believe couple ith Kaulor as individual trying to do what is best for Romi."

Deshmukh will next appear opposite Aamir Khan in '' Sitaare Zameen Par''. She will also make her comeback to Telugu and Kannada cinema, with the bilingual film ''Junior''. D'Souza will also star in her co-production ''Raja Shivaji''.

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'', she comments, "I keep a Novena every Wednesday at St. Michael's Church in Mahim." In an interview with ''Daily News and Analysis'', she said, "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, ever since they starred together in their debut film '' Tujhe Meri Kasam'' in 2003. They were reportedly ready to get engaged, but Ritesh's father, the then–Maharashtra Chief Minister, Vilasrao Deshmukh did not agree. D'Souza later denied any rumours 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.

Off-screen work

D'Souza was a part of Tamil director Mani Ratnam's stage show, ''Netru, Indru, Naalai'', an event which seeks to raise funds for The Banyan, a voluntary organisation which rehabilitates homeless women with mental illness in Chennai. 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 for fashion designer Manish Malhotra 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.

In 2009, D'Souza hosted ''Big Switch'', a television show based on slum kids to reach a bigger audience. She 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 was a part of online market portal eBay'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 (14 November), D'Souza auctioned a few items from the apartment. All proceeds received from the auction were given to ''Aseema'', a Non–governmental organisation (NGO), which aims to provide education to underprivileged children. In 2021, D'Souza turned an entrepreneur and started a plant based meat brand with her husband, named "Imagine Meats".

Public image

D'Souza has been considered in the media as one of the leading South Indian actresses of the 2000s. She has been often tagged by the media as the "bubbly girl", after portraying the role of a young energetic girl in several movies, particularly in ''Bommarillu'' (2006) and '' Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na'' (2008). D'Souza holds a Limca world record of delivering four successful uper hitfilms in four different languages: ''Ready'' (Telugu), '' Satya in Love'' (Kannada), ''Santosh Subramaniam'' (Tamil) and '' Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na'' (Hindi), in a span of one calendar year. In ''Rediff.com''s "Best Telugu Actresses" list, D'Souza was placed 4th in 2006, 3rd in 2007 and 1st in 2008. In 2008, D'Souza was also placed 3rd in "Best Bollywood Actresses" and 5th in "Best Tamil Actresses" list. D'Souza was placed 27th in ''The Times of India''s "50 Beautiful Faces" list.

D'Souza appeared alongside Shahid Kapoor on the fourth episode of '' Tere Mere Beach Mein'', a celebrity chat show, hosted by Farah Khan. 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 consumer awards, for endorsing nine brands. She is now the brand ambassador of the soft drink Fanta (replacing Rani Mukherjee), the chocolate Perk (replacing Preity Zinta), Virgin Mobile India (along with Ranbir Kapoor), Fastrack watches and accessories, LG mobiles (along with John Abraham and Abhay Deol), Garnier Light fairness cream, Dabur Vatika hair oil, Margo soap, and Spinz deodorant.

Controversy

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. Several Hindi film actors and the South Indian film industry had boycotted the event, over the alleged killing of Tamilian civilians at the height of the conflict between the Sri Lanka Army and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (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 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 John Abraham. 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 Ritesh Deshmukh and D'Souza's marriage plans, the priest landed up at producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah'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 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

Accolades

D'Souza is a recipient of several awards including a Filmfare Award South, two Nandi Awards, two International Indian Film Academy Awards and three Maharashtracha Favourite Kon? Awards.

Notes

References

External links

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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 actresses
People from Marathwada
Kalarippayattu practitioners
Indian female martial artists
Sportswomen from Maharashtra
Actresses from Mumbai
Female models from Mumbai
Indian female sprinters