Genelia Opens Up On Her Decade Long Sabbatical From Films

“Had it not been for Riteish, I would have taken more time to resume work in films,” says Bommarillu actress

Actor Genelia Deshmukh made a comeback after a decade-long break and opened up on how the sabbatical helped her essay the character of Shravani in her latest film ‘Ved’ which marks her Marathi debut and also the directorial debut of her husband-actor Riteish Deshmukh. Released on December 30, 2022 ‘Ved’ is her first full-fledged role since the 2012 Telugu film Naa Ishtam.

The actress said the unplanned hiatus added layers to Shravani, an Indian Railways employee who is in love with her childhood crush and now her alcoholic husband Satya (Riteish). “The 10-year break gave me a chance to do other things in life, be a homemaker, to have children with my husband. Today, I feel nothing was designed or planned. But when I look at it, it’s also a homemaker’s character, and I think it helped… As an actor, I take things from life, be it mine or someone else’s. If I wasn’t a homemaker or wife, I would never have been able to play Shravani’s character,” Genelia said.

She further added that had it not been for Riteish, with whom she made her acting debut with the 2003 Hindi film ‘Tujhe Meri Kasam’, she would have taken more time to resume work in films. “There were quite a few films, which I thought wasn’t the right time for me. Honestly, I’d have taken a lot more time if it wasn’t for Riteish. He said that now's the time to get back to doing what you’re good at and what you like doing. I love being a mum. I always think ‘What if my children are getting neglected?’ But, he always steps in and says, ‘If you’re working, I’ll be the person who sees the house, I’ll be the homemaker’. That kind of understanding and support gives me the chance to do a film,” she added.

The actress who has done notable work in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam languages, said she is proud to add Marathi to her filmography. “I love what I’ve done. I think I’ve had the good fortune to have worked in six industries and have had very prominent and positive films in each industry. Like I say, count your blessings. I’m extremely happy if someone offers me a film. And if I’m their actor in that film, they work with me like there’s no one else who can do that role, and that’s why I keep going from one industry to the other because it stimulates me,” she said.