After over a decade of consciously stepping back from the spotlight following the 2012 release of Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya to focus on family life, Genelia Deshmukh is embracing a new chapter — one shaped by motherhood, maturity, and a rekindled love for cinema. In a conversation with BT, the actress, who was recently seen in Sitaare Zameen Par, opens up about evolving with time, the role of South cinema in shaping her career, and why mature roles need more screen time.
‘Riteish and I continue to do things that we always enjoyed doing together’Genelia, who has been married to Riteish Deshmukh for 13 years, says marriage evolves with time. She shares, “A lot changes post marriage. People forget that you’re going to change at 30, 40 and 50. You’re not going to be 20 all your life, and I think that’s the issue in most relationships. You expect the person to stay the way they were at 16. Riteish and I know we aren’t in our 20s, but we continue to do things that we always enjoyed doing together. We liked going out for dinners a lot, but with children around, it gets tough. So, once a week, we go to a coffee shop, hold hands and talk. That’s our idea of romance.”
‘Earlier, the perception was that Bollywood dropouts make it big in the South’Today, pan-India films are seeing actors from Bollywood being cast alongside South actors. Genelia, who made her film debut in 2003 with Tujhe Meri Kasam, did South films from the early days of her career. About the current pan-India trend, she says, “I don’t know why it took so long. I did it very early in my career, and I did it with pride. I just wanted to do good films; it was never about pitching one above the other. Earlier, the perception was that Bollywood dropouts make it big in the South. I’ve done some of my best work there. I thought my first film would be my last, and then I would take up a 9-5 job. But then I got a lot of work in the South and started falling in love with acting because of South cinema.”
Talking about her break from movies, she says, “During the last 10 years, I did special appearances whenever my friends asked me to. I also did Trial Period, which was an OTT project and Mister Mummy. I am happy that a film like Sitaare Zameen Par came my way.”
‘I’m a different person now, but I still have that madness in me’Genelia admits that this phase of her career feels different from her early years in the industry. “I’m a different person now, but I still have that madness in me. I’ll always want to keep the child in me alive. At the start of your career, you have to make sure you do things that really work. Now, I want to do a horror film. I want to do action. It all depends on what filmmakers are writing and what you are being offered,” she says.
‘Love stories aren’t just for the young’The actress is hopeful the industry keeps pace with changing narratives and embraces more mature female characters. She says, “I wish we would write more stories about women who are in their 30s, 40s or 50s. There are so many dynamics to that, which is interesting. Love stories aren’t just for the young. Why isn’t there a love story of a 30-year-old girl or a single mother? Love doesn’t happen only when you are in college. I don’t think I could play a good mom on screen if I weren’t a mom in real life. I think you bring nuances to the screen when you actually live it. Which is why I say that actors should be cast as per the demand of the role and not because of their Instagram following or because they are number one, two or three.”
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