Genelia Deshmukh (née D'Souza; born 5 August 1987) is an Indian actress and model best known for her work in Telugu, Hindi, and Tamil films. D'Souza began her acting career in 2003 with the box-office smash Tujhe Meri Kasam, after receiving broad recognition in a Parker Pen commercial with Amitabh Bachchan. The same year, she received an award for her performance in Boys.
In 2006, D'Souza won her first Filmfare Award for her role in the Telugu romantic comedy film Bommarillu, for which she got critical acclaim. In 2008, she received critical acclaim for her roles in Santosh Subramaniam, a Tamil version of Bommarillu, and Jaane Tu... Yes, Jaane Na. D'Souza has hosted the television show Big Switch in addition to his mainstream acting.
Satyam (2003), Sye (2004), Sachein (2005), Happy (2006), Dhee (2007), Ready (2008), Katha (2009), Urumi (2011) are among her major works, as as the Hindi movie Masti (2004), Jaane Tu... Force (2011) and Ya Jaane Na (2008). D'Souza was hailed as one of the main actresses of the South Indian film industry in the 2000s after appearing in several commercially successful Telugu and Tamil films.
Early years
D'Souza was born in Mumbai and is a Mangalorean Catholic. She grew up in the Mumbai neighbourhood of Bandra. Jeanette D'Souza, her mother, was a managing director of the Pharma Multinational firm. She quit her work in 2004 to support D'Souza's career. Her father, Neil D'Souza, works for Tata Consultancy Services. Nigel D'Souza, her younger brother, works for the Bombay Stock Exchange. According to D'Souza, her name means "rare" or "unique" and is a combination of her mother's and father's names, Jeanette and Neil. She is also known unofficially as Geenu, her nickname. D'Souza attended Apostolic Carmel High School in Bandra before transferring to St. Andrew's College in Bandra to obtain a bachelor's degree in Management Studies. She finished her degree while filming her debut picture, Tujhe Meri Kasam, in 2003, and first considered working for a multinational corporation. In college, she enjoyed sports and studies, and she was a state-level athlete, sprinter, and national-level football player.
D'Souza got her first modeling job at the age of 15 after being recognized as a bridesmaid at a wedding. She was chosen for the Parker Pen commercial with Amitabh Bachchan just two days before her examinations, and she had to shoot the following day. She initially rejected because she had an exam the next day, but the director persuaded D'Souza to participate in the advertisement. She rose to prominence after appearing in a Parker Pen commercial alongside Amitabh Bachchan, who stated, "she was good, and her expressions were spontaneous." She also appeared in a Fair & Lovely 2003 Cricket World Cup commercial alongside batsman Krishnamachari Srikkanth.
Career as an actor
(2003-2005) Debut and breakout
D'Souza first turned down a role in Tujhe Meri Kasam because she did not want to pursue a career in acting. However, the crew persisted and contacted her for two months, and she accepted after seeing the Telugu version of the film. Tamil filmmaker S. Shankar was so impressed with her performance in the Parker Pen commercial that he placed her in the lead role in his 2003 Tamil film Boys. D'Souza was chosen from among 300 girls who auditioned for the film. She signed three films in three distinct languages at the same time: Tujhe Meri Kasam (Hindi), Boys (Tamil), and Satyam (Telugu).
D'Souza's professional film career began in 2003, when she made her Hindi film debut in Tujhe Meri Kasam. "D'Souza is a wonderful performer. She catches you off guard with a performance that's natural to the core," said film critic Taran Adarsh. However, it did not help her career in Hindi cinema much. She afterwards decided to work in South Indian cinema. The next year, she made her Tamil debut as Harini, a teenage girl with conventional teen-boy dreams, in Boys. Despite its explicit sexual nature, the film was a box-office hit, and she began receiving Telugu film offers as a result. She took a break from Tamil cinema to focus on the Telugu film business. She made her Telugu debut as a medical student in Satyam in 2003. According to Sify, "D'Souza is excellent as her body language is her major asset." The film was favorably received, and it enhanced her popularity in the Telugu cinema industry.
D'Souza participated in her second Hindi film, Masti, in 2004. The plot revolves around three good friends who rejoin after three years but are now married and being harassed by their spouses. D'Souza played the role of one of the wives. "Amongst the wives, D'Souza is the best," Taran Adarsh said of D'Souza's performance, adding, "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 acted in two Telugu films, Samba and Sye, both of which were box office successes.
After acting in her first Telugu film, Naa Alludu, in 2005, she acted in the Tamil romantic comedy Sachein. According to The Hindu, "D'Souza, who hardly made an impression in Boys, makes much impact in Sachein." The film earned mixed reviews from critics and spectators, but was highly appreciated by the younger generation. She later acted in the patriotic Telugu film Subhash Chandra Bose.
A watershed moment in South Indian cinema and recognition (2006-2008)
The year 2006 was a watershed moment in D'Souza's career. In early 2006, she finished two Telugu films: Happy, a romantic comedy, and Raam, a drama. In the 2006 Telugu romantic comedy Bommarillu, she played Haasini, a vivacious, effervescent, and happy-go-lucky young girl. The film was a box office success, grossing $250 million (US$3.1 million) in India and winning the 2006 Golden Nandi award. Her performance earned her the Telugu Filmfare Award for Best Actress, as well as the Nandi Special Jury Award and the Santosham Award for Best Actress. In their review, Sify concluded, "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 starred in the Tamil gangster thriller Chennai Kadhal alongside Boys co-star Bharath as the daughter of a local don. Rediff.com slammed her, saying, "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 after, in 2007, D'Souza played the sister of a notorious gangster in the blockbuster Telugu film Dhee, which was set against a gang war backdrop.
The next year, D'Souza participated in the Telugu romantic thriller Mr. Medhavi, in which she played a Canadian student. The film was a success, with Rediff.com praising her performance, writing, "D'Souza is her effervescent self - full of joie-de-vivre and lights up the screen." That same year, she made her Kannada debut in Satya in Love. She was afterwards cast as the lead in Santosh Subramaniam, a Tamil version of Bommarillu. As with its predecessor, the picture was a commercial success. Sify called D'Souza's performance "the soul of the film" and its "biggest strength," while Rediff.com said her role "appears a little too good to be true."
Return to Bollywood, subsequent jobs, and success (2008-2016)
She returned to Hindi film in June 2008, after a nearly 5-year absence, in Mere Baap Pehle Aap, which failed to generate a profit at the box office. A Rediff review said, "besides her obvious cuteness, she brings in tons of freshness and traits to the youthful characters she chooses to play," while a Sify review said, "D'Souza is sprightly but has a standard two-three expressions bank in this film." She later appeared in the Telugu love story Ready alongside Ram, which was well received.
Her breakout performance was in the romantic comedy-drama Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na (2008), in which she played the principal character Aditi Mahant, was a commercial triumph in India and abroad, generating 564 million rupees (US$7.1 million). Her performance was praised for its sweetness and freshness, as well as its new style of acting, with Rediff characterizing it as a "spark that has been missing in Hindi cinema for well over a decade now."
D'Souza appeared in the Telugu romance comedy Sasirekha Parinayam the same year. The film received positive reviews, with Sify writing, "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."
D'Souza was cast in the Hindi film Life Partner in 2009, and her performance was panned. "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," said Indian film critic Rajeev Masand. Her next appearance in 2009 was in the Telugu thriller Katha, for which she won the 2009 Nandi Special Jury Award. D'Souza participated in Chance Pe Dance and Orange in 2010, both of which received negative reviews from critics, however her Uthama Puthiran was a moderate hit in Tamil.
D'Souza made her Malayalam cinema debut in 2011 as the Muslim warrior princess Arackal Ayesha in Urumi. The film is based on a fictional story set in Calicut, Kerala, during the 15th century, about a child plotting to assassinate Portuguese explorer Vasco Da Gama. She learnt to ride a horse and spent two weeks learning how to use a sword, a short stick, and the moves of the Dravidian martial art Kalarippayattu. The film depicted her transformation from normal girl-next-door roles to more serious roles. Her next role was in the Hindi action thriller Force, which earned mixed reviews from critics, with Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama remarking that D'Souza is "stunningly sweet and subdued." In the commercially successful Velayudham, she portrayed a journalist opposite prominent actor Vijay. In 2012, she starred in Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya and Naa Ishtam, while in 2014, she made cameo roles in Jai Ho and Lai Bhaari. She had a surprise appearance as Maya in Force 2 in 2016.
Return to acting and role as producer (2018-present)
D'Souza worked as a producer on her husband's Marathi film Mauli, in which she also sang a song.
D'Souza will return to full-time acting after ten years with Riteish in Bhushan Kumar's Mister Mummy, star in Riteish's Marathi feature Ved, and return to the South industry with a Telugu-Kannada bilingual film Production No.15.
Private life
D'Souza is highly religious and claims she usually attends Sunday Mass at St. Anne's Parish (Bandra), and if the family is at home, they spend time saying the rosary together. In an interview with The Times of India, she says, "I keep a Novena every Wednesday at St. Michael's Church in Mahim." In another interview with Daily News and Analysis, she says, "My communication with God is conversational, I'm God's favourite child; I believe that God has always been kind to me." They were apparently set to marry, but Ritesh's father, then-Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, refused. D'Souza then rejected any reports of a romance with Deshmukh, claiming that they were merely friends. The pair eventually married on 3 February 2012, according to Marathi marriage traditions in a Hindu wedding ceremony, then they had a Christian wedding the next day in the church. Riaan, the couple's first child, was born on November 25, 2014. Rahyl, their second son, was born on June 1, 2016.
Other projects and events
D'Souza performed in Tamil director Mani Ratnam's stage performance, Netru, Indru, Naalai, to collect cash for The Banyan, a non-profit organization that rehabilitates homeless women with mental illnesses in Chennai. On March 28, 2009, she was one of the judges at the Gladrags Mega Model and Manhunt 2009 grand finals. On March 28, 2009, she walked the runway alongside Tushar Kapoor for fashion designer Manish Malhotra at Lakme Fashion Week. D'Souza was one of the Hindi film superstars who performed at the Pantaloons Femina Miss India 2009 finale in Mumbai on April 5, 2009. On the second season of Housing Development and Infrastructure Limited (HDIL) India Couture Week in October 2009, she was a showstopper for jewellery designer Farah Khan Ali. To reach a larger audience, D'Souza began anchoring 'Big Switch,' a television show focusing on slum youngsters on UTV Bindass channel on October 24, 2009.
In India, D'Souza has served as a brand ambassador for Fanta, Virgin Mobile India, Fastrack, LG Mobiles, Garnier Light, Margo, and Perk. On October 7, 2009, she debuted Spinz Black Magic deodorant and the Ceres Store retail store in Mumbai. She was a showstopper for designer Ishita Singh's spring-summer indigenous collection of 2010 at the Chennai International Fashion Week (CIFW) in December 2009. She also owns a Limca world record for delivering four distinct mega blockbuster films in four different languages, including Ready (Telugu), Satya in Love (Kannada), Santosh Subramaniam (Tamil), and Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na (Hindi) over the course of a calendar year.
She took part in eBay's 2010 "Dream House" competition, where she used online shopping to transform an empty three-room apartment in Bandra into a beautiful house. She was given a budget of 450,000 (US$5,600) and two weeks to create the style she desired using products for sale on the internet. D'Souza auctioned off a few items from the flat on Children's Day (November 14). All auction earnings were donated to Aseema, a non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to providing education to poor children.
In the news
D'Souza has been dubbed the "bubbly girl" by the media after playing the role of a young vivacious girl in various films, most notably Bommarillu (2006) and Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na is a 2008 Bollywood film. She participated on the fourth episode of Tere Mere Beach Mein, a celebrity chat show presented by Farah Khan, alongside Shahid Kapoor. The show's subject was "Second Innings," as both D'Souza and Kapoor had a history of failures and success in their acting careers. D'Souza was named "Brand Ambassador of the Year" at the CNBC Awaaz consumer awards in June 2010 for endorsing nine brands. She is now the brand ambassador for the soft drink Fanta (in place of Rani Mukherjee), the chocolate Perk (in place of Preity Zinta), Virgin Mobile India (along with Ranbir Kapoor), Fastrack watches and accessories, LG mobiles (in place of John Abraham and Abhay Deol), Garnier Light fairness cream, Dabur Vatika hair oil, Margo soap, and Spinz deodorant.
Controversies
She caused a stir in June 2010 when a Tamil daily revealed that she had attended the contentious 2010 IIFA Awards in Colombo. Several Hindi film artists and the South Indian film industry had boycotted the event in protest over the alleged massacre of Tamil civilians during the 2009 conflict between the Sri Lanka Army and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Her travel to Colombo became rumored after her buddy Ritesh Deshmukh was spotted at the festival. Several Tamil organizations and Kollywood associations immediately urged that her films be banned.
In 2011, a controversy erupted over a wedding sequence scene in her film Force starring herself and John Abraham. According to sources, the wedding ceremony and ceremonies were so real that they would have been husband and wife in real life. A real priest was cast in place of a junior actor for the scenario. Following rumours of Ritesh Deshmukh and D'Souza's wedding arrangements, the priest went to producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah's office to file a protest. He insisted that the couple couldn't marry because D'Souza was already married to John Abraham and all marriage rituals were followed, including wearing a mangalsutra (a sacred thread worn by Indian women as a symbol of their marriage), exchanging garlands, and taking the seven steps around the holy fire. The claims were dismissed by Shah as a publicity stunt.
Filmography
 | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Film | Role | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Tujhe Meri Kasam | Anjali "Anju" Khanna | Hindi | |
| Boys | Harini | Tamil | Credited as Harini | |
| Satyam | Ankitha | Telugu | ||
| 2004 | Masti | Bindhiya | Hindi | |
| Samba | Sandhya | Telugu | ||
| Sye | Indu | |||
| 2005 | Naa Alludu | Gagana | ||
| Sachein | Shalini | Tamil | ||
| Subhash Chandra Bose | Anitha | Telugu | ||
| 2006 | Happy | Madhumathi | ||
| Raam | Lakshmi | |||
| Bommarillu | Hasini Rao | |||
| Chennai Kadhal | Narmadha | Tamil | ||
| 2007 | Dhee | Puja | Telugu | |
| 2008 | Mr. Medhavi | Swetha | ||
| Satya in Love | Veda | Kannada | ||
| Santosh Subramaniam | Hasini Govindan | Tamil | ||
| Mere Baap Pehle Aap | Shikha Kapur | Hindi | ||
| Ready | Puja | Telugu | ||
| Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na | Aditi "Meow" Mahant | Hindi | ||
| King | Herself | Telugu | Cameo appearance | |
| 2009 | Sasirekha Parinayam | Sasirekha | ||
| Life Partner | Sanjana Jugran | Hindi | ||
| Katha | Chitra Singh | Telugu | ||
| 2010 | Chance Pe Dance | Tina Sharma | Hindi | |
| Uthamaputhiran | Pooja | Tamil | ||
| Orange | Jaanu | Telugu | ||
| 2011 | Urumi | Arakkal Ayesha | Malayalam | |
| Force | Maya | Hindi | ||
| Velayudham | Bharathi | Tamil | ||
| 2012 | Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya | Mini | Hindi | |
| Naa Ishtam | Krishnaveni | Telugu | ||
| 2014 | Jai Ho | Suman | Hindi | Cameo appearance |
| Lai Bhaari | Herself | Marathi | Cameo appearance | |
| 2016 | Force 2 | Maya | Hindi | Cameo appearance |
| 2018 | Mauli | Herself | Marathi | Producer; cameo appearance |
| 2020 | It's My Life | Muskaan | Hindi | |
| 2022 | Mister Mummy | Gugloo | ||
| Ved | Shravani Jadhav | Marathi | Producer | |
| 2023 | Junior | TBA | Telugu Kannada | Filming |
| Year | Title | Role | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Big Switch | Host | UTV Bindass |
| 2020 | Ladies vs Gentlemen | Flipkart Video |
| Year | Award | Category | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | CineMAA Awards | Best Female Debut | Satyam | Won |
| 2006 | Nandi Awards | Special Jury Award | Bommarillu | Won |
| Filmfare Awards South | Best Actress – Telugu | Won | ||
| 2007 | Dhee | Nominated | ||
| 2009 | Nandi Awards | Special Jury Award | Katha | Won |
| 2012 | BIG Star Entertainment Awards | Most Entertaining Actor in a Comedy — Female | Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya | Nominated |
| Bio/Wiki | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Bubbly, Cheenu, Geenu |
| Profession | Model & Actress |
| Physical Stats & More | |
| Height (approx.) | in centimeters- 168 cm in meters- 1.68 m in feet inches- 5’ 6” |
| Weight (approx.) | in kilograms- 55 kg in pounds- 121 lbs |
| Figure Measurements (approx.) | 34-28-36 |
| Eye Colour | Black |
| Hair Colour | Black |
| Career | |
| Debut | Film (Hindi): Tujhe Meri Kasam (2003) Film (Tamil): Boys (2003) Film (Telugu): Satyam (2003) TV: Tere Mere Beach Mein (2009), a celebrity chat show, hosted by Farah Khan |
| Awards | 2006: Filmfare Award for Best Actress- Telugu for the film Bommarillu 2015: IIFA Outstanding Performance By A Regional Language Film |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 5 August 1987 |
| Age (as in 2022) | 35 Years |
| Birthplace | Mumbai, India |
| Zodiac sign | Leo |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Hometown | Mumbai, India |
| School | Apostolic Carmel High School, Bandra, Mumbai |
| College/University | St. Andrew's College, Bandra, Mumbai |
| Educational Qualification | Bachelors in Management Studies |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Address | 602, Pura Building, Pochkhanwala Road, Worli, Mumbai |
| Hobbies | Listening to Music, Tarvelling, Watching Films |
| Relationships & More | |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Affairs/Boyfriends | Ritesh Deshmukh |
| Marriage Date | 3 February 2012 |
| Family | |
| Husband/Spouse | Ritesh Deshmukh (Actor) |
| Children | Son(s)- Riaan (born on 25 November 2014), Rahyl (born on 1 June 2016) Daughter- None |
| Parents | Father- Neil D'Souza (a senior official with Tata Consultancy Services) Mother- Jeanette D'Souza (former MD of the Pharma Multinational corporation) |
| Siblings | Brother- Nigel D'Souza (Image in the Parents's section above) Sister- None |
| Favourite Things | |
| Favourite Actor(s) | Amitabh Bachchan, Om Puri, Shah Rukh Khan |
| Favourite Actress | Sandra Bullock and Aishwarya Rai |
| Favourite Film(s) | Devdas, Dark Knight, Titanic |
| Favourite Colour(s) | Black, White, Red |
| Favourite Perfume Brand(s) | XX, Diamond |
| Favourite Travel Destination(s) | Italy, London |
| Favourite Festival | Christmas |
| Favourite Food | Roast Chicken with stuffing and palm sauce, Christmas Pudding |
,-Biography,-Wiki,-Age,-Boyfriend-&-More-134.jpg "Surabhi-Samriddhi Mehra (Chinky Minky), Biography, Wiki, Age, Boyfriend & More")
