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Genelia D'Souza

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Genelia D'Souza
Genelia D'Souza at the premiere of her film Mere Baap Pehle Aap (2008).
Occupation(s)Actor, model, and host
Years active2003 — present

Genelia D'Souza (born on August 5, 1987) is an Indian film actress. She has appeared in Telugu and Hindi language films, as well as Tamil and Kannada language films. She made her acting debut in 2003 in Tujhe Meri Kasam, which garnered poor box office returns, but soon achieved recognition in the Tamil film Boys the same year.

Early life

Born in Mumbai[1] into a Mangalorean Catholic family,[2] D'Souza was raised a Roman Catholic in the Bandra suburb of Mumbai.[3] Her mother Jeanette D'Souza was formerly a Secretary to Managing Director with a Pharma MNC, and her father Neil D'Souza, is a senior official with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).[4] According to D'Souza, her name "Genelia", means "rare" or "unique", and is a portmanteau of Jeanette and Neil, her mother and father's name. She is also often informally referred to as Geenu, her nick name.[5] 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.[6] 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.[7] She liked sports and studies in college,[7] and was also a State level athlete, sprinter, and a National level Football player.[8] D'Souza did her first modeling assignment at the age of 15,[3] the result of being spotted as the bridesmaid at a wedding.[7] She was selected for the Parker Pen commercial with Amitabh Bachchan, just two days before her Mangagement 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.[9]

She hit the lime-light with the Parker Pen commercial with Amitabh Bachchan,[10] who said "she was good, and her expressions were spontaneous".[11] She further did a Fair and Lovely 2003 Cricket World Cup advertisement with cricketer Krishnamachari Srikkanth.[9]

Acting career

Debut and breakthrough, 2003–2005

When D'Souza got an offer to act in Tujhe Meri Kasam, initially she refused, 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 only when she saw the Telugu version of the movie.[9] D'Souza made her acting debut in Bollywood in 2003,[12] with Tujhe Meri Kasam, alongside Ritesh Deshmukh.[4] The movie centers on two friends, who study in the same college. Their fathers are best friends, their houses are opposite each other, and they were born in the same hospital on the same day. D'Souza portrayed Anju, one of the friends.[13] The movie garnered poor box office returns,[14] and her career in Bollywood failed to take off then.[15] She decided to act in South Indian films.[1] 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, about five teenagers having stereotypical teen-boy fantasies.[16] D'Souza portrayed the character of Harini, a girl who falls in love with one of the boys from the group. The movie was successful at the box-office,[17] and subsequently she started receiving Telugu film offers.[16]

She left Tamil cinema for a while to concentrate on the Telugu film industry. She made her Telugu debut in Satyam in 2003 opposite Sumanth. The movie centers around a young man who is thoroughly misunderstood by two people whom he loves the most. D'Souza portrayed the character of Ankitha, a medical student who also shares similar views and falls in love with him. The movie was a box-office success,[18][19] and it raised her profile in the Telugu film industry.[16] A movie review in The Hindu noted that, "Genelia is cute and impressive."[18] Her second Hindi movie was Masti in 2004, which was also opposite Ritesh Deshmukh. The comedy focuses on three close friends who reunite after three years, but are now married and are being harassed by their wives. D'Souza portrayed the character of one of the wives.[20] Indian film critic Taran Adarsh wrote: "Amongst the wives, Genelia is the best, [...] Genelia looks the stern and demanding wife and is sure to be noticed."[21] This film was also successful at the box office, and also fared well at the UK box office.[20] The same year, she acted in the Telugu movie Samba, which was an average at the box office.[22] Her final Telugu movie in 2004 was Sye, set against a rugby union backdrop, in which she plays the role of a vivacious college student. This film was also successful at the box office.[23]

D'Souza's first movie in 2005 was Naa Alludu, which met with a dismal performance at the box office. Later that year, she acted in the Tamil fim Sachein, in which she played the role of Shalini, a typical fashionable college-going Tamil girl.[24] A review in the The Hindu noted "Genelia, who hardly made an impression in `Boys,' makes much impact in `Sachein'."[25] The movie evoked mixed response from the audience, but was well received with the younger generation, and was a commercial success.[26] Her final movie in 2005 was the Telugu Subhash Chandra Bose, a patriotic movie set against a backdrop of Pre-independece period, which again met with a disappointment at the box office.[27]

Turning point in South Indian films, 2006–2007

She then played the role of Haasini in the Telugu film, Bommarillu, which also starred Siddharth Narayan in the lead. This movie was one of the biggest hits in her career and earned her critical acclaim and wide recognition. She won the Filmfare Award as the Best Actress for her performance, besides other awards. Her character of Haasini earned rave reviews and this made her the favourite choice for that role in the remakes of Bommarillu in other languages. It was remade in Tamil as Santhosh Subramaniam in which Genelia was cast as heroine again. The film also turned out to be rather successful as its predecessor. Her debut film in Kannada Satya In Love grossed 4 crores in its opening week thus setting a new record in the Kannada film industry.

Return to Bollywood and recent work, 2008–present

She once again appeared in Bollywood in Mere Baap Pehle Aap alongside Akshaye Khanna, which was moderately successful. Her final breakthrough in Bollywood was through the blockbuster, Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, where she plays the role of Aditi Mahant aka "Meow". Her role was widely admired for her sweetness and freshness, and new style of acting. The movie released on 4 July 2008 and was a success across India and overseas. Her career in south India also continues with she reigning as a successful star in Telugu film industry. Her latest Telugu film Ready in which she was paired opposite Ram was a super hit. Her next film was Life Partner with Fardeen Khan which was moderately successful. It's My Life, which is again a remake of Bomarillu with Harman Baweja which was to release in 2009 will now release sometime in 2010. She will also act in David Dhawan's next film which is called Hook Ya Crook opposite John Abraham and Shreyas Talpade.The film will be released in March 2010.Genelia will be seen in Ken Ghosh`s next film Chance Pe Dance opposite Shahid Kapoor.The movie is going to be released in 2010, January the 15th.She is now the brand ambassador of the new Fanta replacing Rani Mukherjee. She is also now the brand ambassador of chocolate Perk replacing Preity Zinta. She also holds a distinct Limca world record of delivering 4 different super hit films in 4 different languages Satya (Kannada), Santosh Subramaniyam (Tamil), Bommarillu (Telugu) and Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Naa (Hindi)) in span of 1 calendar year.

Genelia's new Telugu flick Katha was released on December 12 this year and got a positive response. She has also been chosen to play the lead female role in Ram Charan Teja's upcoming movie named as Orange being directed by Bommarillu Bhasker. She has also signed a Tamil film opposite Dhanush which would be the Tamil remake of her Telugu film Ready.

Other work

She 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.[28] On October 12, 2009, she appeared as a showstopper for jewellery designer Farah Khan on the second season of HDIL India Couture Week, a platform created to celebrate India’s fashion heritage by showcasing the country’s leading couture designers.[29][30] In October 2009, D'Souza began hosting Big Switch, a television show based on slum kids on UTV Bindass channel to reach a bigger audience.[31][32][33]

Personal life

D'Souza is deeply religious and is a devout Roman Catholic. She 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.[34] In an interview with The Times of India, she comments, "I keep a Novena every Wednesday at St Michael’s Church in Mahim."[3] In an interview with Daily News and Analysis, 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."[34] Tabloids have repeatedly linked D'Souza romantically with Ritesh Deshmukh, ever since they starred together in their debut film Tujhe Meri Kasam in 2003.[35] They were reportedly ready to tie the knot and get engaged. But Ritesh's father, the then Maharashtra Chief Minister, Vilasrao Deshmukh did not agree.[2] Ever since then, D'Souza has strongly denied any rumors of dating Deshmukh, and responds that she has just friendly relations with him.[10]

Filmography

Year Film Role Language Notes and Awards
2003 Tujhe Meri Kasam Anjali (Anju) Hindi Nominated, Star Screen Award for Most Promising Newcomer – Female
Boys Harini Tamil
Satyam Ankitha Telugu
2004 Masti Bindhiya Hindi
Samba Sandhya Telugu
Sye Indu Telugu
2005 Naa Alludu Gagana Telugu
Sachein Shalini Tamil
Subhash Chandra Bose Anitha Telugu
2006 Happy Madhumathi Telugu
Raam Lakshmi Telugu
Bommarillu Hasini Telugu Winner, Nandi Special Jury Award
Winner, Telugu Filmfare Award for Best Actress
Winner, Santosham Award for Best Actress
Chennai Kadhal Narmadha Tamil
2007 Dhee Pooja Telugu
2008 Mr. Medhavi Swetha Telugu
Satya In Love Veda Kannada
Santosh Subramaniam Hasini Tamil Nominated, Filmfare Best Tamil Actress Award
Mere Baap Pehle Aap Sheekha Kapoor Hindi
Ready Pooja Telugu
Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na Aditi Mahant Hindi Nominated, Star Screen Award for Best Actress
Nominated, Stardust Superstar of Tomorrow – Female
King Herself Telugu Cameo appearance
2009 Sasirekha Parinayam Sasirekha Telugu
Life Partner Sanjana Jugran Hindi
Katha Chitra Singh Telugu
2010 Chance Pe Dance Tina Sharma, Sonia Sharma Hindi Double role
Hook Ya Crook Anjali Kakkad Hindi Filming
Orange Maya Talwar Telugu Filming
It's My Life Pooja Saxena Hindi Filming
Ready Pooja Tamil Filming

References

  1. ^ a b Pilai, Sreedhar (2008-10-31). "Bollywood via Kollywood". The Times of India. Retrieved 2010-01-01. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  2. ^ a b "'I don't think my name is complicated'". Rediff Movies. Rediff. Retrieved 2008-08-04. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help) Cite error: The named reference "birthplace" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c Rasquinha, Reagan Gavin (2009-09-13). "She's no Sandra from Bandra!". The Times of India. Retrieved 2010-01-01. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ a b Brahma, Mahul (2008-12-26). "An Ingenue Is Born". Businessworld. Retrieved 2009-03-01. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ Ramsubramaniam, Nikhil (2008-07-02). ""All my girlfriends have already gone crazy after Imran" - Genelia Dsouza". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 2009-03-01.
  6. ^ "Meet Bollywood's New Bee Genelia D'souza". Daijiworld Media. 2008-07-08. Retrieved 2008-08-23.
  7. ^ a b c Udasi, Harshikaa (2009-07-17). "Oye bubbly!". The Hindu. Retrieved 2010-01-01. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ Dasgupta, Piyali (2008-07-12). "Genelia is crazy about Beckham". The Times of India. Retrieved 2009-03-01. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ a b c "I was not in awe of Mr Bachchan (Slide 5)". Rediff. 2005-04-14. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
  10. ^ a b Jha, Subhash K. (2008-09-28). "I'm single, Riteish is just a friend: Genelia". Indo-Asian News Service. Hindustan Times. Retrieved 2009-03-01. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  11. ^ "I was not in awe of Mr Bachchan (Slide 4)". Rediff. 2005-04-14. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
  12. ^ Mazumder, Ranjib (2009-09-25). "Genelia makes small screen debut". Daily News and Analysis (DNA). Retrieved 2010-01-01. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  13. ^ "The sweet factor". Rediff Movies. Rediff. 2003-01-04. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
  14. ^ Jassi, Pallavi (2009-02-05). "Rising Star". Expressindia. The Indian Express Group. Retrieved 2010-01-01. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  15. ^ "Ready to rock". The Telegraph. 2009-01-11. Retrieved 2010-01-01. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  16. ^ a b c "I was not in awe of Mr Bachchan (Slide 1)". Rediff. 2005-04-14. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
  17. ^ "'Shankar has taken Tamil films to new depths'". Reiff Movies. Rediff. 2003-09-09. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
  18. ^ a b "Sumanth stands out". The Hindu. 2003-12-23. Retrieved 2010-01-03. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  19. ^ Devi K., Sangeetha (2004-01-30). "Genelia hits the jackpot". Hyderabad Times. The Times of India. Retrieved 2010-01-03. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  20. ^ a b Gajjar, Manish. "Masti review". BBC. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
  21. ^ Adarsh, Taran (2004-04-09). "Masti: Movie Review". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
  22. ^ Kumar, G. Manjula (2004-11-04). "Lucky mascot". The Hindu. Retrieved 2010-01-03. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  23. ^ Pillai, Sreedhar (2006-03-18). "Love and action". The Hindu. Retrieved 2010-01-03. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  24. ^ "I was not in awe of Mr Bachchan (Slide 3)". Rediff. 2005-04-14. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
  25. ^ Rangarajan, Malathi (2005-04-22). "Return to romance". The Hindu. Retrieved 2010-01-03. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  26. ^ Kamath, Sudish (2005-04-20). "Vijay scores as `Sachein'". The Hindu. Retrieved 2010-01-03. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  27. ^ "Patriotic theme". The Hindu. 2005-03-11. Retrieved 2010-01-03. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  28. ^ Kamath, Sudish (2006-01-31). "Netru, Indru, Nalai is back with a bang". The Hindu. Retrieved 2010-01-03. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  29. ^ "Sridevi, Genelia to walk the ramp, Couture Week, Day 1". Indiatimes Movies. The Times Group. 2009-10-12. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
  30. ^ "Stars shine at Couture Week". NDTV Movies. NDTV. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
  31. ^ Sahgal, Natasha (2009-09-28). "Genelia to host a show based on slum kids". The Indian Express. Retrieved 2010-01-01. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  32. ^ Rasquinha, Reagan Gavin (2009-10-24). "Genelia: Slumming it out!". The Times of India. Retrieved 2010-01-01. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  33. ^ Bansal, Shilpa (2009-09-29). "Genelia has the Big Switch!". The Times of India. Retrieved 2010-01-01. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  34. ^ a b Tahseen, Ismat (2009-04-11). "I'm God's favourite child: Genelia D'Souza". Daily News and Analysis (DNA). Retrieved 2010-01-01. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  35. ^ Jha, Subash K. (2009-05-30). "Still denying Ritesh, Genelia?". Mumbai Mirror. The Times Group. Retrieved 2010-01-01.

Further reading

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