Genelia: I was touched when people said they missed seeing me on the big screen

Thirteen years after she was seen in the Telugu film Naa Ishtam co-starring Rana Daggubati, Genelia Deshmukh returns to familiar territory with the Telugu-Kannada bilingual film Junior, releasing on July 18. Director Radhakrishna Reddy’s film starring Kireeti Reddy and Sree Leela was offered to Genelia much before she was signed for Aamir Khan’s Sitaare Zameen Par. “It felt like homecoming, to return to Hyderabad and shoot. It is here that I fell in love with acting and cinema,” says Genelia, settling down for this interview at Annapurna Studios.

She terms Hyderabad as home away from home. “I feel comfortable with people here. I’ve had great friendships — be it Ram, Ram Charan, Allu Arjun, or directors Raghavendra Rao and Vinayak sir who’ve hosted me at home for lunch. When people open their homes to you, the friendship stays longer.” 

Anyone who has interacted with her in the early 2000s would recall the wide-eyed enthusiasm and warmth with which she interacted with those who crossed her path. She debuted in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi cinema in 2003 with Satyam, Boys, and Tujhe Meri Kasam respectively. Tujhe Meri Kasam, the Hindi remake of the Telugu hit Nuvve Kaavali, was extensively filmed in Hyderabad. On this set, she met Riteish Deshmukh, whom she went on to date and eventually married.

Edited excerpts from the conversation:

You were very young when you debuted in cinema. Did you grasp the enormity of the change it ushered into your life?

Cinema chose me, rather than the other way around. I had done an ad film, was spotted outside my college and chosen for a film. I came in like a curious kid in a candy store. I have always had this nervous energy that made me learn. I did not know the film language, had no idea what ‘cut’, ‘take’ or ‘retake’ meant.

Did the appreciation of the craft happen gradually?

Yes. Initially I did not understand why I had to wake up at 4am and do my makeup and hair. I did not have a makeup artist or a vanity van. As I grew, a team grew with me. I have changed clothes in buses or behind a dark cloth. While shooting abroad, I have even knocked on people’s doors and asked if I can use the restroom in their houses. All this was tough but I have no complaints. As a newcomer it was good to go through that drill. As I began working more, and the audience and the film industry accepted me, I too fell in love with cinema.

You would also listen to story narrations in the preferred language of the writer/director. How did their narration resonate with you, considering you were not familiar with Telugu or Tamil initially?

I am not a language person but I would pay attention and listen to understand the emotions. A few people would explain in English to make me feel comfortable. I’d tell them that they can narrate in their preferred language and I will get the vibe. I also took the effort to learn my lines in Telugu and Tamil. For instance, I learnt two pages of dialogues for a scene in Bommarillu. I preferred it that way. I would never take the shortcut of saying 1,2,3,4,5… for the lip movements.

You worked in Shankar’s Boys and simultaneously did Satyam in Telugu, a relatively smaller film that also did well. Did you make the decisions or did you have someone who could be a sounding board?

I took the decisions, mostly. If I was lost, I would turn to Riteish. People did not know back then that we were dating. He had a much better understanding of cinema. I would primarily credit the directors and producers for casting me in such different characters and the audiences for accepting me. I have worked with stars and newcomers and treated my work with respect. Even today, I don’t like to use the word ‘fans’. I prefer well wishers or audiences. We are all lovers of cinema. A hit film is normally remembered for a year or two. Seventeen years after Bommarillu, people still remember me as Hasini. Or Aditi from Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na. I thank my stars for those opportunities.

You were also receptive to different kinds of films...

I have always chosen quality over quantity. After Bommarillu became a  blockbuster, people expected me to sign some 500 films and make a lot of money. I chose Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na because I liked my character, Aditi. I started from scratch in Hindi. Again, I didn’t have makeup artists or a van and eventually I grew and built everything. At the risk of sounding pompous, I can say that I have a cult film in every language. I was more mature as an actor while working in Jaane tu, thanks to the experience from Telugu and Tamil cinema, than when I did Tujhe Meri Kasam. 

There was also the risk of being typecast in chirpy characters after Bommarillu. Later you took up Urumi in Malayalam and Katha, Mr Medhavi in Telugu which were starkly different.

I even won a Nandi award for Katha, which I did not expect. I tried to reinvent myself and enjoyed the journey of being part of different films.

What made you take up Junior after all these years?

I have a bucket list of characters that I want to portray and this character of a boss woman is one of them. It is a drama between a father and son (V Ravichandran and Kireeti), and I play a strong character. I cannot reveal more. When Radhakrishna narrated the story, I was surprised that he chose me. At the time, I was at home, not looking for work or auditioning. I’ve never done a dual language film and loved the process of filming both in Telugu and Kannada. I have a full-fledged, well etched-out character. It is so tough for female actors to get such characters. 

After working 15-16 hours a day for several years, you took a sabbatical for a decade. Did you have withdrawal symptoms even though you enjoyed a new phase of life with marriage and motherhood?

I loved and still love acting, but the fame… not so much. There are times when I have worked 20 hours at a stretch. Today I can work for 10 hours. I stepped back from acting but I became an entrepreneur and a producer, made mistakes and learnt. That experience helped me portray my character in Junior without making it appear caricaturish. Even in Sitaare Zameen Par, I could understand the emotions of my character — of a wife who wants to have a child, the marital tussles and egos... Life experiences can enrich the portrayal of such characters.

Was it empowering to see the reception for your work in Sitaare…?

I was touched when people said they missed watching me on the big screen. That was my take away, more than the appreciation. As for feeling empowered, I don’t seek external validation. I think it is important to stay calm and secure. Insecurity can reflect on the on-screen performance.

You’ve signed a film with Emraan Hashmi. What else is in the pipeline?

The film with Emraan is an action entertainer. I will also be filming in Hyderabad for Ram Gopal Varma’s horror comedy with Manoj Bajpayee. Talks are on for a few more films.