Genelia D'Souza
Encyclopedia
Genelia D'Souza is an Indian actress, model, and host. She has appeared in Telugu
, Hindi
, Tamil
, Kannada
, and Malayalam
language films. After gaining wide attention in a Parker Pen commercial with Amitabh Bachchan
, D'Souza began her acting career with Tujhe Meri Kasam
in 2003. She was recognized for her role in Boys the same year, and later established herself in Telugu cinema
by acting in several Telugu films during 2003–2005.
D'Souza received her first Filmfare Award in 2006 for her performance in the Telugu romantic film, Bommarillu, which earned her critical acclaim. In 2008, she gave critically acclaimed performances in Santosh Subramaniam
, a Tamil remake of Bommarillu, and the Bollywood movie Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na. Having acted in several commercially successful movies in Telugu and Tamil, D'Souza has established herself as one of the leading actresses of the South Indian film industry. In addition to movie acting, D'Souza has hosted the television show Big Switch
, and is the brand ambassador of Fanta
, Virgin Mobile India
, Fastrack, LG
Mobiles, Garnier
Light, Margo
, and Perk in India.
into a Mangalorean Catholic family, D'Souza was raised a Roman Catholic in the Bandra suburb of Mumbai. Her mother Jeanette D'Souza was formerly a managing director of the Pharma Multinational corporation
(MNC), who left her job in 2004 to help Genelia with her career. Her father Neil D'Souza, is a senior official with Tata Consultancy Services
(TCS). She also has a younger brother, Nigel D'Souza, who works with the Bombay Stock Exchange
. 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 nickname. 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. 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. She liked sports and studies in college, and was a state level athlete, sprinter
, and a national level football player.
D'Souza did her first modeling assignment at the age of 15, the result of being spotted as the bridesmaid
at a wedding. She was selected for the Parker Pen
commercial with Amitabh Bachchan
, just two days before her 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. She gained wide attention from the Parker Pen commercial with Amitabh Bachchan, who said "she was good, and her expressions were spontaneous". She further did a Fair and Lovely 2003 Cricket World Cup
advertisement with cricketer Krishnamachari Srikkanth
.
, initially she turned it down, 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 when she saw the Telugu version
of the movie. 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. D'Souza was selected among 300 girls, who had auditioned for the movie. She signed three movies simultaneously in three different languages, Tujhe Meri Kasam (Hindi
), Boys (Tamil
), and Satyam (Telugu
).
D'Souza's professional movie career began, with her Bollywood debut Tujhe Meri Kasam in 2003. Indian film critic Taran Adarsh
noted, "Genelia is a wonderful performer. She catches you unaware with a performance that's natural to the core." The movie garnered poor box office returns, and it failed to propel her career in Bollywood. Following her poor debut in Bollywood, she decided to act in South Indian films. Later the same year, she made her Tamil debut as the teenage girl Harini in Boys, a story about five teenagers having stereotypical teen-boy fantasies. The movie, though noted for its vulgar sexual content, was a box-office success, and subsequently she started receiving Telugu film offers. She left Tamil cinema
for a while to concentrate on the Telugu film industry. She made her Telugu debut in 2003 as a medical student in Satyam
. Sify
noted in their review that, "Genelia is excellent as her body language is her major asset." The movie was well received, and it raised her profile in the Telugu film industry.
In 2004, D'Souza appeared in her second Bollywood movie, Masti. 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. Taran Adarsh
was complimentary of D'Souza's role, saying, "Amongst the wives, Genelia is the best, [...] Genelia looks the stern and demanding wife and is sure to be noticed." The film fared well at the UK box office. The same year, she appeared in two Telugu movies Samba
, and Sye
, both succeeding at the box-office.
After appearing in her first Telugu movie in 2005, Naa Alludu
, she starred in the Tamil romantic entertainer Sachein
. A review in The Hindu
noted, "Genelia, who hardly made an impression in Boys, makes much impact in Sachein." The movie evoked mixed response from audiences, but was well received with the younger generation. She later appeared in the Telugu patriotic movie Subhash Chandra Bose.
. She then portrayed the role of Haasini, a vibrant, effervescent and a happy-go-lucky young girl, in the 2006 Telugu romantic film Bommarillu. The movie, a blockbuster at the box-office, grossed in India, and also won the 2006 Golden Nandi award. Her character was well-received, and garnered her the Telugu Filmfare Award for Best Actress, besides Nandi Special Jury Award
and Santosham Award for Best Actress
. Sify concluded about her acting in their review that, "The scene stealer is Genelia with her innocent looks and cute mannerisms. She does not overact and we just fall in love with her character. Genelia 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 played the role of the daughter of a local don, in the Tamil gangster film Chennai Kadhal
. Rediff criticized her commenting, "Genelia 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 afterwards in 2007, D'Souza played the role of sister of a notorious gangster in the blockbuster Telugu movie Dhee
, set against a gang war backdrop.
The following year, D'Souza appeared in the 2008 Telugu romantic thriller Mr. Medhavi
, in which she portrayed the role of a student from Canada. The movie was successful, with Rediff complimenting her performance saying, "Genelia is her effervescent self – full of joie-de-vivre and lights up the screen." She made her Kannada debut in Satya In Love
the same year. Later, she was cast in a leading role in Santhosh Subramaniam, a Tamil remake of Bommarillu. The film also turned out to be rather successful as its predecessor. Sify described D'Souza's portrayal as "the soul of the film" and the film's "biggest strength", however Rediff described her character as "appears a little too good to be true."
, which failed to make profit at the box-office. A Rediff review noted, "besides her apparent cuteness, brings in tons of freshness and traits to the youthful characters she chooses to play", while a Sify review criticized her stating, "Genelia 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 breakthrough performance in 2008 was through the portrayal of the role of Aditi Mahant in the blockbuster Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na, which was an economic success across India and overseas, grossing . Her role was widely admired for her sweetness and freshness, and new style of acting, with Rediff describing her acting as a "spark that has been missing in Hindi cinema for well over a decade now". In that same year, D'Souza acted in the Telugu romantic comedy Sasirekha Parinayam
. The movie received favorable reviews, and Sify noted in their review that, "The life of the film is definitely Genelia and she has shown the varied emotions from innocence, sadness, romance and anger in equal proportions without a hitch."
In 2009, D'Souza was cast in the Hindi film Life Partner, in which she was criticized for her performance. Indian fim critic Rajeev Masand
commented, "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." Her next appearance in 2009 was in the Telugu thriller Katha
, which was well received, and for which she won the 2009 Nandi Special Jury Award
. In 2010, D'Souza appeared in Chance Pe Dance
and Orange, both receiving poor reviews from critics, but her Uthama Puthiran
was a moderate success in Tamil.
D'Souza had a major role in 2011, starring as the Muslim warrior princess Arackal Ayesha, in her debut Malayalam film Urumi
. The film is about a fictional story happening in Kerala
during the 15th century, about a boy who plots to assassinate the Portuguese explorer Vasco Da Gama
. She learned horse riding, and spent two weeks of training to use the sword, the short stick, and movements of the Dravidian martial art Kalarippayattu
. The movie portrayed her image makeover from typically girl-next-door roles to more serious roles. Her next appearance was in the Bollywood action thriller Force
, which received mixed reception from critics, with Taran Adarsh
of Bollywood Hungama
noting that D'Souza is strikingly sweet and subdued. She played the role of a journalist in a Tamil film alongside leading actor Joseph Vijay
in Velayudham
, which released during Diwali 2011 and became biggest hit of the year 2011 among the highest grossing Tamil films.
Future films of D'Souza include Hook Ya Crook, It's My Life
(a remake of Bomarillu in Hindi), and Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya
.
'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
. She was one of the judges at the grand finale of Gladrags Mega Model and Manhunt 2009
contest on 28 March 2009. She also walked the ramp alongside Tushar Kapoor for fashion designer Manish Malhotra
at the Lakme Fashion Week 2009 on 28 March 2009. On 5 April 2009, D'Souza was among several Bollywood celebrities to perform at the Pantaloons Femina Miss India 2009 finale in Mumbai. In October 2009, she appeared as a showstopper for jewellery designer Farah Khan Ali
on the second season of Housing Development and Infrastructure Limited
(HDIL) India Couture Week, a platform created to celebrate India’s fashion heritage by showcasing the country’s leading couture designers. On 24 October 2009, D'Souza began hosting Big Switch
, a television show based on slum kids on UTV Bindass
channel to reach a bigger audience.
She has unveiled Spinz Black Magic deodorant on 7 October 2009 in Mumbai, and the Ceres Store retail outlet. At the Chennai International Fashion Week (CIFW) in December 2009, she appeared as a showstopper for designer Ishita Singh's spring-summer indigenous collection of 2010, showcasing the best of Indian and Western dresses. She also holds a Limca world record of delivering four different super hit films in four different languages, Ready (Telugu), Satya In Love
(Kannada), Santosh Subramaniam
(Tamil), and Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na (Hindi) in a span of one calendar year.
She was a part of online market portal eBay
's 2010 "Dream House" challenge, where she transformed an empty three room apartment in Bandra into an attractive home with online shopping. She had been provided a budget of and two weeks to create a look she wants with items on sale on the website. On the occasion of Children's Day
(November 14), D'Souza auctioned a few items from the apartment. All proceeds received from the auction was given to Aseema, a Non-governmental organization
(NGO), which aims to provide education to underprivileged children.
on the fourth episode of Tere Mere Beach Mein
, a celebrity chat show, hosted by Farah Khan
. The theme of the show was "Second Innings", since both D'Souza and Kapoor had the same history of failures initially and success later in their acting careers. In June 2010, D'Souza was crowned as the "Brand Ambassador of the Year" at the CNBC Awaaz
consumer awards, for endorsing nine brands. She is now the brand ambassador of the soft drink Fanta
(replacing Rani Mukherjee), the chocolate Perk (replacing Preity Zinta
), Virgin Mobile India
(along with Ranbir Kapoor
), Fastrack watches and accessories, LG mobiles (along with John Abraham
and Abhay Deol
), Garnier
Light fairness cream, Dabur
Vatika hair oil, Margo
soap, and Spinz deodorant.
in Colombo
. Several Bollywood actors and the South Indian film industry had boycotted the event, over the alleged killing of Tamilian civilians at the height of the conflict between the Sri Lanka Army and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
(LTTE) in 2009. The rumours of her visit to Colombo started after her friend Ritesh Deshmukh was seen at the festival in Colombo. Immediately, various Tamil groups and Kollywood
associations demanded her films to be banned.
In 2011, a controversy broke out for her film Force
, in a wedding sequence scene of herself and John Abraham
. Sources claim that the wedding ceremony and rituals conducted were so authentic that, that they would have actually been husband and wife in real life. Instead of a junior artiste, a real priest was called for the scene. Again, following the reports of Ritesh Deshmukh and D'Souza's marriage plans, the priest landed up at producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah
's office to register a complaint. He insisted that the couple couldn't get married, as D'Souza has been already married to John Abraham, as all marriage rituals were observed, from wearing a mangalsutra
(a sacred thread worn by Indian women as a symbol of their marriage), to exchanging garlands, and taking the seven steps
around the holy fire. Shah dismissed the claims as a publicity stunt.
together. In an interview with The Times of India
, she comments, "I keep a Novena every Wednesday at St. Michael’s Church
in Mahim
." 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." Tabloids have repeatedly linked D'Souza romantically with Ritesh Deshmukh, ever since they starred together in their debut film Tujhe Meri Kasam
in 2003. They were reportedly ready to get engaged, but Ritesh's father, the then-Maharashtra Chief Minister, Vilasrao Deshmukh
did not agree. Ever since then, D'Souza has strongly denied any rumors of a relationship with Deshmukh, and responds that she has just friendly relations with him. She currently resides in Bandra (Mumbai
), where she was brought up. Her mother tongue is Konkani
.
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
, Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
, Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
, Kannada
Kannada language
Kannada or , is a language spoken in India predominantly in the state of Karnataka. Kannada, whose native speakers are called Kannadigas and number roughly 50 million, is one of the 30 most spoken languages in the world...
, and Malayalam
Malayalam language
Malayalam , is one of the four major Dravidian languages of southern India. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India with official language status in the state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry. It is spoken by 35.9 million people...
language films. After gaining wide attention in a Parker Pen commercial with Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades...
, D'Souza began her acting career with Tujhe Meri Kasam
Tujhe Meri Kasam
Tujhe Meri Kasam is a 2003 Hindi movie starring Ritesh Deshmukh, Genelia D'Souza and Shriya Saran. It was directed by K. Vijaya Bhaskar and produced by Ramoji Rao, with Viju Shah as music director...
in 2003. She was recognized for her role in Boys the same year, and later established herself in Telugu cinema
Telugu cinema
The Cinema of Andhra Pradesh, also referred to as Telugu Cinema or Tollywood, is the Telugu film industry in India. The Telugu language film industry is known for being one of the three largest in terms of no.of films produced yearly in India. The Prasads IMAX theatre in Hyderabad is one of the...
by acting in several Telugu films during 2003–2005.
D'Souza received her first Filmfare Award in 2006 for her performance in the Telugu romantic film, Bommarillu, which earned her critical acclaim. In 2008, she gave critically acclaimed performances in Santosh Subramaniam
Santosh Subramaniam
Santosh Subramaniam is a 2008 Tamil musical and romantic film which was directed and co-written by Raja Mohan while Kalaprathi S. Agoram produced the film. While Jayam Ravi and Genelia D'Souza played the lead roles, Prakash Raj and Geetha, prominent actors from the south Indian film industry,...
, a Tamil remake of Bommarillu, and the Bollywood movie Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na. Having acted in several commercially successful movies in Telugu and Tamil, D'Souza has established herself as one of the leading actresses of the South Indian film industry. In addition to movie acting, D'Souza has hosted the television show Big Switch
Big Switch
Big Switch is a television show based on slum kids hosted by Genelia D'Souza on UTV Bindass channel. In the show, ten rich brats from around the country, are paired with a youngster from the slums, referred to as a "slum buddy". The rich brats live in the slums and try to fulfil their slum buddie's...
, and is the brand ambassador of Fanta
Fanta
Fanta is a global brand of fruit-flavored carbonated soft drinks from the Coca-Cola Company. There are over 90 flavors worldwide. The drink debuted in Germany in 1941 and originally sold only in Europe.-History:...
, Virgin Mobile India
Virgin Mobile India
Virgin Mobile India Limited is a cellular telephone service provider company which is a joint venture between Tata Teleservices and Richard Branson's Virgin Group. Currently, the company uses Tata's CDMA network to offer its services under the brand name Virgin Mobile, and it has also started GSM...
, Fastrack, LG
LG
LG may refer to:*LG Corp., a South Korean electronics and petrochemicals conglomerate*LG Electronics, an affiliate of the South Korean LG Group which produces electronic products* Lawrence Graham, a London headquartered firm of business lawyers...
Mobiles, Garnier
Garnier
Garnier is a mass market cosmetics brand of L'Oréal that produces hair care and skin care products. Much like other brands from L'Oréal, it is sold in several markets around the world.- Advertising Slogans :...
Light, Margo
Margo (soap)
Margo is a brand of soap manufactured in India. The soap has neem as its main ingredient. The soap was manufactured by Calcutta Chemicals and was launched in 1920. In 1988 the soap was among the top five selling brands in India, with a market share of 8.9%. As of 2001, the brand was worth 75 crores...
, and Perk in India.
Early life and educational background
Born in MumbaiMumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
into a Mangalorean Catholic family, D'Souza was raised a Roman Catholic in the Bandra suburb of Mumbai. Her mother Jeanette D'Souza was formerly a managing director of the Pharma Multinational corporation
Multinational corporation
A multi national corporation or enterprise , is a corporation or an enterprise that manages production or delivers services in more than one country. It can also be referred to as an international corporation...
(MNC), who left her job in 2004 to help Genelia with her career. Her father Neil D'Souza, is a senior official with Tata Consultancy Services
Tata Consultancy Services
Tata Consultancy Services Limited is a global IT services, business solutions and outsourcing company headquartered in Mumbai, India. It is the largest provider of information technology in Asia and second largest provider of business process outsourcing services in India...
(TCS). She also has a younger brother, Nigel D'Souza, who works with the Bombay Stock Exchange
Bombay Stock Exchange
The Bombay Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located on Dalal Street, Mumbai and is the oldest stock exchange in Asia. The equity market capitalization of the companies listed on the BSE was 1.63 trillion as of December 2010, making it the 4th largest stock exchange in Asia and the 8th largest...
. 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 nickname. D'Souza studied at the Apostolic Carmel High School in Bandra and later joined St. Andrew's College
St. Andrew's College, Mumbai
St. Andrew's College is a Roman Catholic college in the Bandra suburb of Mumbai, India. The college was inaugurated on 9 July 1983 by Simon Pimenta, Archbishop of Bombay , with 194 students...
in Bandra to pursue her Bachelor's Degree of Management Studies. She completed her degree while shooting for her first film, Tujhe Meri Kasam
Tujhe Meri Kasam
Tujhe Meri Kasam is a 2003 Hindi movie starring Ritesh Deshmukh, Genelia D'Souza and Shriya Saran. It was directed by K. Vijaya Bhaskar and produced by Ramoji Rao, with Viju Shah as music director...
in 2003 and initially thought that an MNC job would suit her. She liked sports and studies in college, and was a state level athlete, sprinter
Sprint (race)
Sprints are short running events in athletics and track and field. Races over short distances are among the oldest running competitions. The first 13 editions of the Ancient Olympic Games featured only one event—the stadion race, which was a race from one end of the stadium to the other...
, and a national level football player.
D'Souza did her first modeling assignment at the age of 15, the result of being spotted as the bridesmaid
Bridesmaid
The bridesmaids are members of the bride's wedding party in a wedding. A bridesmaid is typically a young woman, and often a close friend or sister. She attends to the bride on the day of a wedding or marriage ceremony...
at a wedding. She was selected for the Parker Pen
Parker Pen Company
The Parker Pen Company is a manufacturer of pens, founded in 1888 by George Safford Parker in Janesville, Wisconsin, United States. It is currently owned by Newell Rubbermaid, and headquartered in Newhaven, East Sussex, England.-History:...
commercial with Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades...
, just two days before her 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. She gained wide attention from the Parker Pen commercial with Amitabh Bachchan, who said "she was good, and her expressions were spontaneous". She further did a Fair and Lovely 2003 Cricket World Cup
2003 Cricket World Cup
-Group stage tables and results:The top three teams from each pool qualify for the next stage, carrying forward the points already scored against fellow qualifiers, plus a quarter of the points scored against the teams that failed to qualify.-Pool A:...
advertisement with cricketer Krishnamachari Srikkanth
Krishnamachari Srikkanth
Krishnamachari Srikkanth is a former captain of the Indian cricket team and the current chairman of the selection committee...
.
Debut and recognition, 2003–05
When D'Souza was offered a role in Tujhe Meri KasamTujhe Meri Kasam
Tujhe Meri Kasam is a 2003 Hindi movie starring Ritesh Deshmukh, Genelia D'Souza and Shriya Saran. It was directed by K. Vijaya Bhaskar and produced by Ramoji Rao, with Viju Shah as music director...
, initially she turned it down, 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 when she saw the Telugu version
Nuvve Kavali
Nuvve Kavali is a 2000 blockbuster Telugu film under Ushakiron Movies, directed by K. Vijaya Bhaskar of Swayamvaram fame. Tarun and Richa Pallod debuted with this film. In many ways the film became a catalyst for new trends in Tollywood...
of the movie. Tamil director, S. Shankar
S. Shankar
Shankar is an Indian film director and producer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. He made his directional debut in Gentleman for which he was awarded the Filmfare Best Director Award...
, 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. D'Souza was selected among 300 girls, who had auditioned for the movie. She signed three movies simultaneously in three different languages, Tujhe Meri Kasam (Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
), Boys (Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
), and Satyam (Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
).
D'Souza's professional movie career began, with her Bollywood debut Tujhe Meri Kasam in 2003. Indian film critic Taran Adarsh
Taran Adarsh
Taran Adarsh is an Indian film critic, journalist, editor and film trade analyst. He is also a former producer and screenwriter. He is the son of film director and producer, B.K. Adarsh....
noted, "Genelia is a wonderful performer. She catches you unaware with a performance that's natural to the core." The movie garnered poor box office returns, and it failed to propel her career in Bollywood. Following her poor debut in Bollywood, she decided to act in South Indian films. Later the same year, she made her Tamil debut as the teenage girl Harini in Boys, a story about five teenagers having stereotypical teen-boy fantasies. The movie, though noted for its vulgar sexual content, was a box-office success, and subsequently she started receiving Telugu film offers. She left Tamil cinema
Tamil cinema
Tamil cinema is the film industry based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, dedicated to the production of films in the Tamil language. It is based in Chennai's Kodambakkam district, where several South Indian film production companies are headquartered...
for a while to concentrate on the Telugu film industry. She made her Telugu debut in 2003 as a medical student in Satyam
Satyam (film)
Satyam is a 2003 Telugu film which was directed by Surya Kiran. The film stars Sumanth and Genelia D'Souza and was successful at the box-office. It was Sumanth's first big commercial hit, and was Genelia's first straight Telugu film.-plot:...
. Sify
Sify
Sify Technologies Limited is an Internet service provider established in 1998, based in Chennai, India.-Company profile:...
noted in their review that, "Genelia is excellent as her body language is her major asset." The movie was well received, and it raised her profile in the Telugu film industry.
In 2004, D'Souza appeared in her second Bollywood movie, Masti. 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. Taran Adarsh
Taran Adarsh
Taran Adarsh is an Indian film critic, journalist, editor and film trade analyst. He is also a former producer and screenwriter. He is the son of film director and producer, B.K. Adarsh....
was complimentary of D'Souza's role, saying, "Amongst the wives, Genelia is the best, [...] Genelia looks the stern and demanding wife and is sure to be noticed." The film fared well at the UK box office. The same year, she appeared in two Telugu movies Samba
Samba (film)
Samba is a 2004 Telugu film directed by V.V. Vinayak. The movie stars Jr. NTR, Bhoomika Chawla, Genelia D'Souza, and Prakash Raj. The movie deals with how important education is to kids.- Plot :...
, and Sye
Sye (film)
Sye is a Telugu film which released on 23 September 2004 and was directed by S.S. Rajamouli. This is his third film after the success of both Student No.1 and Simhadri. This film has a rugby union backdrop...
, both succeeding at the box-office.
After appearing in her first Telugu movie in 2005, Naa Alludu
Naa Alludu
Naa Alludu is a 2005 Telugu film written and directed by Vara Mullapudi. The films stars Jr. NTR, Shriya Saran, Genelia D'Souza, and Ramya Krishnan...
, she starred in the Tamil romantic entertainer Sachein
Sachein
Sachein is a 2005 Tamil romance film directed by John Mahendran, starring Vijay and Genelia D'Souza. It also features Bollywood actress Bipasha Basu, in her Tamil cinema debut, Vadivelu and Raghuvaran. The film's score and soundtrack are composed by Devi Sri Prasad. The film released along with...
. A review in The Hindu
The Hindu
The Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...
noted, "Genelia, who hardly made an impression in Boys, makes much impact in Sachein." The movie evoked mixed response from audiences, but was well received with the younger generation. She later appeared in the Telugu patriotic movie Subhash Chandra Bose.
Turning point in South Indian films, 2006–April 2008
The year 2006 marked a significant turning point in D'Souza's career. She completed two Telugu movies in early 2006, one was the romantic comedy Happy, and the other was RaamRaam (2006 film)
Raam is a 2006 Indian Telugu film written and directed by N.Shankar starring Nitin in the lead role, Genelia D'Souza and Hrishitaa Bhatt in supporting roles and Krishnam Raju in a very vital role...
. She then portrayed the role of Haasini, a vibrant, effervescent and a happy-go-lucky young girl, in the 2006 Telugu romantic film Bommarillu. The movie, a blockbuster at the box-office, grossed in India, and also won the 2006 Golden Nandi award. Her character was well-received, and garnered her the Telugu Filmfare Award for Best Actress, besides Nandi Special Jury Award
Nandi Special Jury Award
The Nandi Special Jury Award is given by the state government as part of its annual Nandi Awards for Telugu films....
and Santosham Award for Best Actress
Santosham Best Actress Award
The Santosham Best Actress Award is given by the Santosham Film magazine as part of its annual Santosham Film Awards for Telugu films.The award was first given to Asin Thottumkal in 2003. Here is a list of the award winners and the films for which they won.-Winners:...
. Sify concluded about her acting in their review that, "The scene stealer is Genelia with her innocent looks and cute mannerisms. She does not overact and we just fall in love with her character. Genelia 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 played the role of the daughter of a local don, in the Tamil gangster film Chennai Kadhal
Chennai Kadhal
Chennai Kadhal is a Tamil film directed by Vikraman. The film stars Bharath and Genelia. The film's score and soundtrack are composed by Joshua Sridhar. The film released on 8 December 2006.-Plot:...
. Rediff criticized her commenting, "Genelia 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 afterwards in 2007, D'Souza played the role of sister of a notorious gangster in the blockbuster Telugu movie Dhee
Dhee
Dhee is a Telugu movie starring Vishnu Vardhan Babu and Genelia D'Souza. It was directed and produced by Srinu Vytla. The film released on 13 April 2007 and turned out to be a super hit.The Hindi remake starring Sanjay Dutt is in production.- Plot :...
, set against a gang war backdrop.
The following year, D'Souza appeared in the 2008 Telugu romantic thriller Mr. Medhavi
Mr. Medhavi
Mr. Medhavi is a 2008 Telugu film , directed by renowned Directed Neelakanta. The film stars Genelia D'Souza in the lead role and Raja.-Plot:...
, in which she portrayed the role of a student from Canada. The movie was successful, with Rediff complimenting her performance saying, "Genelia is her effervescent self – full of joie-de-vivre and lights up the screen." She made her Kannada debut in Satya In Love
Satya In Love
Satya In Love is a Kannada film directed by Raghav Loki. The film was released on 28 March 2008 and stars popular kannada actor Shivrajkumar in the lead role and Genelia, the female lead. Produced by T.N. Ramesh under Ananya Enterprises with music composed by top seeding kannada music director...
the same year. Later, she was cast in a leading role in Santhosh Subramaniam, a Tamil remake of Bommarillu. The film also turned out to be rather successful as its predecessor. Sify described D'Souza's portrayal as "the soul of the film" and the film's "biggest strength", however Rediff described her character as "appears a little too good to be true."
Return to Bollywood and recent work, June 2008–present
In June 2008, following a nearly five year hiatus in Bollywood, she appeared in Mere Baap Pehle AapMere Baap Pehle Aap
Mere Baap Pehle Aap is a 2008 Bollywood comedy film directed by Priyadarshan. The film stars Akshaye Khanna, Genelia D'Souza, Paresh Rawal, Om Puri, Shobana and Rajpal Yadav. The story is adapted from the 2001 Malayalam film Ishtam directed by Sibi Malayil...
, which failed to make profit at the box-office. A Rediff review noted, "besides her apparent cuteness, brings in tons of freshness and traits to the youthful characters she chooses to play", while a Sify review criticized her stating, "Genelia is sprightly but has a standard two-three expressions bank in this film." She later appeared in the Telugu love story Ready alongside Ram
Ram (actor)
- Personal life :Ram was born in Hyderabad, India, on May 15, 1988. He grew up in Chennai and attended Chettinad Vidhyashram school, Mandaveli. He is the nephew of Telugu producer Sravanthi Ravi Kishore.- Career :...
, which was well received. Her breakthrough performance in 2008 was through the portrayal of the role of Aditi Mahant in the blockbuster Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na, which was an economic success across India and overseas, grossing . Her role was widely admired for her sweetness and freshness, and new style of acting, with Rediff describing her acting as a "spark that has been missing in Hindi cinema for well over a decade now". In that same year, D'Souza acted in the Telugu romantic comedy Sasirekha Parinayam
Sasirekha Parinayam
Sasirekha Parinayam is a 2008 Telugu film starring Genelia D'Souza and Tarun. It was directed by Krishna Vamsi.-Plot:Independent and spirited Sasirekha is ordered by her father to get married to an NRI. She is to see a video of the groom and his house, but stamps on it, declaring she doesn't want...
. The movie received favorable reviews, and Sify noted in their review that, "The life of the film is definitely Genelia and she has shown the varied emotions from innocence, sadness, romance and anger in equal proportions without a hitch."
In 2009, D'Souza was cast in the Hindi film Life Partner, in which she was criticized for her performance. Indian fim critic Rajeev Masand
Rajeev Masand
Rajeev Masand is an Indian film critic and entertainment reporter for CNN-IBN. Masand started his career as an entertainment correspondent at the young age of 16...
commented, "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." Her next appearance in 2009 was in the Telugu thriller Katha
Katha (2009 film)
Katha is a 2009 Telugu-language thriller film directed by Srinivas Raga. The film stars Genelia D'Souza in the lead and is produced by Urmila Gunnam.-Plot:...
, which was well received, and for which she won the 2009 Nandi Special Jury Award
Nandi Special Jury Award
The Nandi Special Jury Award is given by the state government as part of its annual Nandi Awards for Telugu films....
. In 2010, D'Souza appeared in Chance Pe Dance
Chance Pe Dance
-External links:* * *...
and Orange, both receiving poor reviews from critics, but her Uthama Puthiran
Uthama Puthiran
Uthama Puthiran might refer to* Uthama Puthiran , a 1957 Tamil-language film starring Sivaji Ganesan.* Uthamaputhiran , a 2010 Tamil-language film starring Dhanush and Genelia D'Souza....
was a moderate success in Tamil.
D'Souza had a major role in 2011, starring as the Muslim warrior princess Arackal Ayesha, in her debut Malayalam film Urumi
Urumi (film)
Urumi is a 2011 Malayalam historical-fantasy film directed and co-produced by Santosh Sivan and written by Shankar Ramakrishnan. It stars Prithviraj, who was also one of the producers of the film, as Chirakkal Kelu Nayanar, Prabhu Deva as Vavvali, Robin Pratt as Vasco da Gama, Alexx ONell as...
. The film is about a fictional story happening in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
during the 15th century, about a boy who plots to assassinate the Portuguese explorer Vasco Da Gama
Vasco da Gama
Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira was a Portuguese explorer, one of the most successful in the Age of Discovery and the commander of the first ships to sail directly from Europe to India...
. She learned horse riding, and spent two weeks of training to use the sword, the short stick, and movements of the Dravidian martial art Kalarippayattu
Kalarippayattu
Kalaripayattu is a southern Indian martial art originating in Tamil Nadu but also practiced in contiguous parts of Kerala and Karnataka.Kalari payat includes strikes, kicks, grappling, preset forms, weaponry and healing methods...
. The movie portrayed her image makeover from typically girl-next-door roles to more serious roles. Her next appearance was in the Bollywood action thriller Force
Force (film)
-Critical response:The album received positive reviews from music critics, with particular praise being given to "Khwabon Khwabon". Joginder Tuteja of Bollywood Hungama gave 3 out of 5 stars and said "Force delivers as promised and turns out to be an impressive soundtrack...
, which received mixed reception from critics, with Taran Adarsh
Taran Adarsh
Taran Adarsh is an Indian film critic, journalist, editor and film trade analyst. He is also a former producer and screenwriter. He is the son of film director and producer, B.K. Adarsh....
of Bollywood Hungama
Bollywood Hungama
Bollywood Hungama is a leading Bollywood entertainment website, owned by hungama.com....
noting that D'Souza is strikingly sweet and subdued. She played the role of a journalist in a Tamil film alongside leading actor Joseph Vijay
Joseph Vijay
Vijay is an Indian film actor and playback singer, who is based in the cinema of Tamil Nadu. He is the son of film producer and director S. A. Chandrasekhar. After performing uncredited roles as a child actor in films produced by his father, he made his debut in a lead role in the 1992 film...
in Velayudham
Velayudham
Velayudham is a 2011 Tamil action-masala film directed by M. Raja. It stars Vijay, Hansika Motwani, Genelia D'Souza and Saranya Mohan in lead roles. Produced by V. Ravichandran's Aascar Films, the story revolves around an ordinary milkman, trying to eradicate corruption...
, which released during Diwali 2011 and became biggest hit of the year 2011 among the highest grossing Tamil films.
Future films of D'Souza include Hook Ya Crook, It's My Life
It's My Life (film)
It's My Life is an upcoming Hindi film directed by Anees Bazmee. It stars Harman Baweja and Genelia D'Souza in lead roles. The movie is a remake of the successful Telugu movie Bommarillu which was already remade in several Indian languages. The film is set to release on 13 January...
(a remake of Bomarillu in Hindi), and Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya
Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya
Tere Naal Love Hogaya is an upcoming Bollywood romance film directed by Mandeep Kumar, and produced by Kumar Taurani. The film stars Ritesh Deshmukh opposite Genelia D'Souza in lead roles. Its currently in production stage, and is scheduled for release on 17 February, 2012...
.
Other work and events
D'Souza was a part of Tamil director Mani RatnamMani Ratnam
Mani Ratnam is an Indian filmmaker, screenwriter and producer. He made his directorial debut with the Kannada film Pallavi Anu Pallavi starring Anil Kapoor in 1983...
's stage show, Netru, Indru, Naalai
Netru, Indru, Naalai
Conceptualized first in 2000, the original show was supposed to be a one off event in order to help The Banyan raise funds for its building corpus fund...
, an event which seeks to raise funds for The Banyan
The Banyan
The Banyan is an organization that cares for and rehabilitates homeless women with mental illness found in the streets of Chennai, India. The organization provides women a safe shelter, care, medical attention, and a supportive environment to enable them to recover and to take responsibility for...
, a voluntary organisation which rehabilitates homeless women with mental illness in Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
. She was one of the judges at the grand finale of Gladrags Mega Model and Manhunt 2009
Gladrags Manhunt Contest
Gladrags is an Indian magazine which features modeling and related events. Every year they conduct the Manhunt Contest, in which the most appealing male is selected as winner and the magazine promotes him....
contest on 28 March 2009. She also walked the ramp alongside Tushar Kapoor for fashion designer Manish Malhotra
Manish Malhotra
Manish Malhotra is considered to be India's leading and most successful fashion designer.Manish Malhotra has designed for many leading actresses in Bollywood. He is known for his different style and his ability to envision a 'look' for the character. He is known for designing the costumes for...
at the Lakme Fashion Week 2009 on 28 March 2009. On 5 April 2009, D'Souza was among several Bollywood celebrities to perform at the Pantaloons Femina Miss India 2009 finale in Mumbai. In October 2009, she appeared as a showstopper for jewellery designer Farah Khan Ali
Farah Khan Ali
-Early life:Farah Khan is the eldest of the four children of parents Actor-Producer-Director Sanjay Khan and his wife Interior Designer Zarine Khan. She finished her graduation at Sophia College, Mumbai. Not knowing what she wanted to do, she tried her hand at everything raging from Ad films to...
on the second season of Housing Development and Infrastructure Limited
HDIL
HDIL is a listed real estate development company in India, with significant operations in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. HDIL's business focuses on Real Estate Development, including construction and development of residential projects and, more recently, commercial and retail projects, Slum...
(HDIL) India Couture Week, a platform created to celebrate India’s fashion heritage by showcasing the country’s leading couture designers. On 24 October 2009, D'Souza began hosting Big Switch
Big Switch
Big Switch is a television show based on slum kids hosted by Genelia D'Souza on UTV Bindass channel. In the show, ten rich brats from around the country, are paired with a youngster from the slums, referred to as a "slum buddy". The rich brats live in the slums and try to fulfil their slum buddie's...
, a television show based on slum kids on UTV Bindass
Bindass
Bindass is a Hindi entertainment channel in India targeted at Indian youth. It was launched on 24 September 2007 under CEO Zarina Mehta.Bindass is defined by its brand values of being Fun, Frank, Fearless and Free...
channel to reach a bigger audience.
She has unveiled Spinz Black Magic deodorant on 7 October 2009 in Mumbai, and the Ceres Store retail outlet. At the Chennai International Fashion Week (CIFW) in December 2009, she appeared as a showstopper for designer Ishita Singh's spring-summer indigenous collection of 2010, showcasing the best of Indian and Western dresses. She also holds a Limca world record of delivering four different super hit films in four different languages, Ready (Telugu), Satya In Love
Satya In Love
Satya In Love is a Kannada film directed by Raghav Loki. The film was released on 28 March 2008 and stars popular kannada actor Shivrajkumar in the lead role and Genelia, the female lead. Produced by T.N. Ramesh under Ananya Enterprises with music composed by top seeding kannada music director...
(Kannada), Santosh Subramaniam
Santosh Subramaniam
Santosh Subramaniam is a 2008 Tamil musical and romantic film which was directed and co-written by Raja Mohan while Kalaprathi S. Agoram produced the film. While Jayam Ravi and Genelia D'Souza played the lead roles, Prakash Raj and Geetha, prominent actors from the south Indian film industry,...
(Tamil), and Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na (Hindi) in a span of one calendar year.
She was a part of online market portal eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
's 2010 "Dream House" challenge, where she transformed an empty three room apartment in Bandra into an attractive home with online shopping. She had been provided a budget of and two weeks to create a look she wants with items on sale on the website. On the occasion of Children's Day
Children's Day
"Children Day", as an event, is celebrated on various days in many places around the world, in particular to honor children. Major global variants include a Universal Children's Day on November 20, by United Nations recommendation...
(November 14), D'Souza auctioned a few items from the apartment. All proceeds received from the auction was given to Aseema, a Non-governmental organization
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
(NGO), which aims to provide education to underprivileged children.
Popular reception
D'Souza has been often tagged in the media as the "bubbly girl", after portraying the role of a young energetic girl in several movies, especially Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na (2008). She appeared alongside Shahid KapoorShahid Kapoor
Shahid Kapoor is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films. He is also a trained dancer.Starting off his career by working in music videos and advertisements, Kapoor made his Bollywood debut as a background dancer in Subhash Ghai's Taal . Four years later, he made his acting debut in Ishq...
on the fourth episode of Tere Mere Beach Mein
Tere Mere Beach Mein
Tere Mere Beach Mein was a celebrity chat show, hosted by Farah Khan, the ace choreographer and director from Bollywood. It premiered on Star Plus from August 23, 2009 and aired on Saturday and Sunday every week at 9:00 PM. The show ended on October 10, 2009, after completing 13...
, a celebrity chat show, hosted by Farah Khan
Farah Khan
Farah Khan is an Indian film director and choreographer. She is best known for her choreographical work in numerous Bollywood films. Khan has choreographed dance routines for more than a hundred songs in over 80 Hindi films. Khan has since become a noted Hindi film director as well...
. The theme of the show was "Second Innings", since both D'Souza and Kapoor had the same history of failures initially and success later in their acting careers. In June 2010, D'Souza was crowned as the "Brand Ambassador of the Year" at the CNBC Awaaz
CNBC Awaaz
CNBC Awaaz is a business news TV channel in India. The channel is a joint venture between CNBC and Television Eighteen IndiaLimited based in Mumbai.- Competitors :* ET Now* NDTV Profit* Zee Business* NDTV 24x7* Times Now* Headlines Today...
consumer awards, for endorsing nine brands. She is now the brand ambassador of the soft drink Fanta
Fanta
Fanta is a global brand of fruit-flavored carbonated soft drinks from the Coca-Cola Company. There are over 90 flavors worldwide. The drink debuted in Germany in 1941 and originally sold only in Europe.-History:...
(replacing Rani Mukherjee), the chocolate Perk (replacing Preity Zinta
Preity Zinta
Preity Zinta is an Indian film actress. She has appeared in Hindi films of Bollywood, as well as Telugu, Punjabi and English language films. After graduating with a degree in criminal psychology, Zinta made her acting debut in Dil Se in 1998 followed by a role in Soldier the same year...
), Virgin Mobile India
Virgin Mobile India
Virgin Mobile India Limited is a cellular telephone service provider company which is a joint venture between Tata Teleservices and Richard Branson's Virgin Group. Currently, the company uses Tata's CDMA network to offer its services under the brand name Virgin Mobile, and it has also started GSM...
(along with Ranbir Kapoor
Ranbir Kapoor
Ranbir Kapoor is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood movies.Making his acting debut in the 2007 film Saawariya, for which he won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut, Kapoor went on to earn critical praise for his performance in Wake Up Sid...
), Fastrack watches and accessories, LG mobiles (along with John Abraham
John Abraham (actor)
John Abraham is an Indian film actor and former model. After modeling for numerous advertisements and companies, Abraham made his film debut with Jism , which earned him a Filmfare Best Debut Award nomination. This was followed by his first commercial success, Dhoom...
and Abhay Deol
Abhay Deol
Abhay Deol is an Indian actor from Mumbai, India. He is an Indian film actor and producer whose family has a long history in the Hindi film industry. Deol has appeared in films such as Dev.D and Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!. He is the nephew of Bollywood actor Dharmendra, and the cousin of Sunny Deol and...
), Garnier
Garnier
Garnier is a mass market cosmetics brand of L'Oréal that produces hair care and skin care products. Much like other brands from L'Oréal, it is sold in several markets around the world.- Advertising Slogans :...
Light fairness cream, Dabur
Dabur
Dabur derived from Daktar Burman) is India's largest Ayurvedic medicine manufacturer. Dabur's Ayurvedic Specialities Division has over 260 medicines for treating a range of ailments and body conditions-from common cold to chronic paralysis.-Sustainable Development Society:Sustainable Development...
Vatika hair oil, Margo
Margo (soap)
Margo is a brand of soap manufactured in India. The soap has neem as its main ingredient. The soap was manufactured by Calcutta Chemicals and was launched in 1920. In 1988 the soap was among the top five selling brands in India, with a market share of 8.9%. As of 2001, the brand was worth 75 crores...
soap, and Spinz deodorant.
Controversies
In June 2010, she was the subject of a controversy, when a Tamil daily reported that she had attended the controversial 2010 IIFA Awards2010 IIFA Awards
The 2010 IIFA Awards, officially the 11th International Indian Film Academy Awards ceremony, was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka from June 3-5, 2010.-Background:...
in Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
. Several Bollywood actors and the South Indian film industry had boycotted the event, over the alleged killing of Tamilian civilians at the height of the conflict between the Sri Lanka Army and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was a separatist militant organization formerly based in northern Sri Lanka. Founded in May 1976 by Vellupillai Prabhakaran, it waged a violent secessionist and nationalist campaign to create an independent state in the north and east of Sri Lanka for Tamil...
(LTTE) in 2009. The rumours of her visit to Colombo started after her friend Ritesh Deshmukh was seen at the festival in Colombo. Immediately, various Tamil groups and Kollywood
Kollywood
Kollywood is a word referring two different movie industries in India and Nepal, derived from the word Hollywood and their local movie centers.* Tamil cinema, the Tamil language film industry based on Kodambakkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu,...
associations demanded her films to be banned.
In 2011, a controversy broke out for her film Force
Force (film)
-Critical response:The album received positive reviews from music critics, with particular praise being given to "Khwabon Khwabon". Joginder Tuteja of Bollywood Hungama gave 3 out of 5 stars and said "Force delivers as promised and turns out to be an impressive soundtrack...
, in a wedding sequence scene of herself and John Abraham
John Abraham
John Abraham is the name of:* John Abraham , Bollywood actor* John Abraham , Malayali Indian filmmaker and scriptwriter* John Abraham , NFL defensive end playing for the Atlanta Falcons...
. Sources claim that the wedding ceremony and rituals conducted were so authentic that, that they would have actually been husband and wife in real life. Instead of a junior artiste, a real priest was called for the scene. Again, following the reports of Ritesh Deshmukh and D'Souza's marriage plans, the priest landed up at producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah
Vipul Amrutlal Shah
Vipul Amrutlal Shah is a film producer and director of Hindi films. As of 2010, he has directed five Hindi films, four of which have starred Akshay Kumar.-Career:...
's office to register a complaint. He insisted that the couple couldn't get married, as D'Souza has been already married to John Abraham, as all marriage rituals were observed, from wearing a mangalsutra
Mangalsutra
A Mangalsutra is a symbol of Hindu marriage union in South Asia. It is a sacred thread of love and goodwill worn by women as a symbol of their marriage...
(a sacred thread worn by Indian women as a symbol of their marriage), to exchanging garlands, and taking the seven steps
Saptapadi
Saptapadi is the most important rite of a Hindu marriage ceremony. The word, Saptapadi means "Seven steps"...
around the holy fire. Shah dismissed the claims as a publicity stunt.
Personal life
D'Souza is deeply religious and 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 rosaryRosary
The rosary or "garland of roses" is a traditional Catholic devotion. The term denotes the prayer beads used to count the series of prayers that make up the rosary...
together. In an interview with The Times of India
The Times of India
The Times of India is an Indian English-language daily newspaper. TOI has the largest circulation among all English-language newspaper in the world, across all formats . It is owned and managed by Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd...
, she comments, "I keep a Novena every Wednesday at St. Michael’s Church
St. Michael's Church (Mumbai)
St. Michael's Church is one of the oldest Catholic churches as well as one of oldest existing Portuguese buildings in Mumbai. The church is situated in Mahim, located at the intersection of L.J. Road and Mahim Causeway. Due to its location, it is also informally known as Mahim Church...
in Mahim
Mahim
Mahim is a neighbourhood in Mumbai. It is also the name of a railway station in Mahim area, on the Mumbai suburban railway on the Western Railway railway line. In ancient times, the area was known as Maijim, Mejambu, Mahikawati....
." In an interview with Daily News and Analysis
DNA (newspaper)
Daily News and Analysis is an Indian Broadsheet published in the English language from Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Pune, Jaipur, Bangalore and Indore in India. It was Launched in July 2005, targeted at a young readership....
, 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." Tabloids have repeatedly linked D'Souza romantically with Ritesh Deshmukh, ever since they starred together in their debut film Tujhe Meri Kasam
Tujhe Meri Kasam
Tujhe Meri Kasam is a 2003 Hindi movie starring Ritesh Deshmukh, Genelia D'Souza and Shriya Saran. It was directed by K. Vijaya Bhaskar and produced by Ramoji Rao, with Viju Shah as music director...
in 2003. They were reportedly ready to get engaged, but Ritesh's father, the then-Maharashtra Chief Minister, Vilasrao Deshmukh
Vilasrao Deshmukh
Vilasrao Dagadojirao Deshmukh , popularly known as Vilasrao is the current Minister of Science and Technology and Minister of Earth Sciences....
did not agree. Ever since then, D'Souza has strongly denied any rumors of a relationship with Deshmukh, and responds that she has just friendly relations with him. She currently resides in Bandra (Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
), where she was brought up. Her mother tongue is Konkani
Konkani language
KonkaniKonkani is a name given to a group of several cognate dialects spoken along the narrow strip of land called Konkan, on the west coast of India. This is, however, somewhat an over-generalisation. Geographically, Konkan is defined roughly as the area between the river Damanganga to the north...
.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Tujhe Meri Kasam Tujhe Meri Kasam Tujhe Meri Kasam is a 2003 Hindi movie starring Ritesh Deshmukh, Genelia D'Souza and Shriya Saran. It was directed by K. Vijaya Bhaskar and produced by Ramoji Rao, with Viju Shah as music director... |
Anjali (Anju) | Hindi | Nominated—Star Screen Award for Most Promising Newcomer – Female |
| 2003 | Boys | Harini | Tamil Tamil language Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore... |
|
| 2003 | Satyam Satyam (film) Satyam is a 2003 Telugu film which was directed by Surya Kiran. The film stars Sumanth and Genelia D'Souza and was successful at the box-office. It was Sumanth's first big commercial hit, and was Genelia's first straight Telugu film.-plot:... |
Ankitha | Telugu Telugu language Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu... |
|
| 2004 | Masti | Bindhiya | Hindi | |
| 2004 | Samba Samba (film) Samba is a 2004 Telugu film directed by V.V. Vinayak. The movie stars Jr. NTR, Bhoomika Chawla, Genelia D'Souza, and Prakash Raj. The movie deals with how important education is to kids.- Plot :... |
Sandhya | Telugu | |
| 2004 | Sye Sye (film) Sye is a Telugu film which released on 23 September 2004 and was directed by S.S. Rajamouli. This is his third film after the success of both Student No.1 and Simhadri. This film has a rugby union backdrop... |
Indu | Telugu | |
| 2005 | Naa Alludu Naa Alludu Naa Alludu is a 2005 Telugu film written and directed by Vara Mullapudi. The films stars Jr. NTR, Shriya Saran, Genelia D'Souza, and Ramya Krishnan... |
Gagana | Telugu | |
| 2005 | Sachein Sachein Sachein is a 2005 Tamil romance film directed by John Mahendran, starring Vijay and Genelia D'Souza. It also features Bollywood actress Bipasha Basu, in her Tamil cinema debut, Vadivelu and Raghuvaran. The film's score and soundtrack are composed by Devi Sri Prasad. The film released along with... |
Shalini | Tamil | |
| 2005 | Subhash Chandra Bose Subash Chandra Bose (film) Subash Chandra Bose is a 2005 Telugu epic historical drama film. The movie was directed by veteran director K. Raghavendra Rao which was his 101 film. The film stars Venkatesh and Shriya Saran in the lead with Genelia D'Souza and Prakash Raj as the ensemble cast cast of the film... |
Anitha | Telugu | |
| 2006 | Happy | Madhumathi | Telugu | |
| 2006 | Raam Raam (2006 film) Raam is a 2006 Indian Telugu film written and directed by N.Shankar starring Nitin in the lead role, Genelia D'Souza and Hrishitaa Bhatt in supporting roles and Krishnam Raju in a very vital role... |
Lakshmi | Telugu | |
| 2006 | Bommarillu | Hasini Rao | Telugu | Nandi Special Jury Award Nandi Special Jury Award The Nandi Special Jury Award is given by the state government as part of its annual Nandi Awards for Telugu films.... Telugu Filmfare Award for Best Actress Santosham Award for Best Actress Santosham Best Actress Award The Santosham Best Actress Award is given by the Santosham Film magazine as part of its annual Santosham Film Awards for Telugu films.The award was first given to Asin Thottumkal in 2003. Here is a list of the award winners and the films for which they won.-Winners:... |
| 2006 | Chennai Kadhal Chennai Kadhal Chennai Kadhal is a Tamil film directed by Vikraman. The film stars Bharath and Genelia. The film's score and soundtrack are composed by Joshua Sridhar. The film released on 8 December 2006.-Plot:... |
Narmadha | Tamil | |
| 2007 | Dhee Dhee Dhee is a Telugu movie starring Vishnu Vardhan Babu and Genelia D'Souza. It was directed and produced by Srinu Vytla. The film released on 13 April 2007 and turned out to be a super hit.The Hindi remake starring Sanjay Dutt is in production.- Plot :... |
Puja | Telugu | |
| 2008 | Mr. Medhavi Mr. Medhavi Mr. Medhavi is a 2008 Telugu film , directed by renowned Directed Neelakanta. The film stars Genelia D'Souza in the lead role and Raja.-Plot:... |
Swetha | Telugu | |
| 2008 | Satya In Love Satya In Love Satya In Love is a Kannada film directed by Raghav Loki. The film was released on 28 March 2008 and stars popular kannada actor Shivrajkumar in the lead role and Genelia, the female lead. Produced by T.N. Ramesh under Ananya Enterprises with music composed by top seeding kannada music director... |
Veda | Kannada Kannada language Kannada or , is a language spoken in India predominantly in the state of Karnataka. Kannada, whose native speakers are called Kannadigas and number roughly 50 million, is one of the 30 most spoken languages in the world... |
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| 2008 | Santosh Subramaniam Santosh Subramaniam Santosh Subramaniam is a 2008 Tamil musical and romantic film which was directed and co-written by Raja Mohan while Kalaprathi S. Agoram produced the film. While Jayam Ravi and Genelia D'Souza played the lead roles, Prakash Raj and Geetha, prominent actors from the south Indian film industry,... |
Hasini Govindan | Tamil | Nominated—Filmfare Best Tamil Actress Award Filmfare Best Actress Award (Tamil) The Filmfare Best Actress Award is given by the Filmfare magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South for Tamil films. The Award was first given in 1953... Nominated—Vijay Award for Best Actress Vijay Award for Best Actress The Vijay Award for Best Actress is given by STAR Vijay as part of its annual Vijay Awards ceremony for Tamil films. It was given from the second ceremony onwards.-Winners and nominations:*2007 Priyamani - Paruthiveeran... |
| 2008 | Mere Baap Pehle Aap Mere Baap Pehle Aap Mere Baap Pehle Aap is a 2008 Bollywood comedy film directed by Priyadarshan. The film stars Akshaye Khanna, Genelia D'Souza, Paresh Rawal, Om Puri, Shobana and Rajpal Yadav. The story is adapted from the 2001 Malayalam film Ishtam directed by Sibi Malayil... |
Shikha Kapur | Hindi | |
| 2008 | Ready | Puja | Telugu | |
| 2008 | Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na is a 2008 Bollywood film, written and directed by Abbas Tyrewala. The film stars Imran Khan and Genelia D'Souza in pivotal roles... |
Aditi Mahant | Hindi | Nominated—Star Screen Award for Best Actress Nominated—Stardust Superstar of Tomorrow – Female |
| 2008 | King King (2008 film) King is a 2008 Indian Telugu film starring Akkineni Nagarjuna, Trisha Krishnan, Arjan Bajwa , and Mamta Mohandas. The film was directed by Sreenu Vaitla and produced by D Sivaprasad Reddy.-Plot:... |
herself | Telugu | Cameo appearance |
| 2009 | Sasirekha Parinayam Sasirekha Parinayam Sasirekha Parinayam is a 2008 Telugu film starring Genelia D'Souza and Tarun. It was directed by Krishna Vamsi.-Plot:Independent and spirited Sasirekha is ordered by her father to get married to an NRI. She is to see a video of the groom and his house, but stamps on it, declaring she doesn't want... |
Sasirekha | Telugu | |
| 2009 | Life Partner | Sanjana Jugran | Hindi | |
| 2009 | Katha Katha (2009 film) Katha is a 2009 Telugu-language thriller film directed by Srinivas Raga. The film stars Genelia D'Souza in the lead and is produced by Urmila Gunnam.-Plot:... |
Chitra Singh | Telugu | Nandi Special Jury Award Nandi Special Jury Award The Nandi Special Jury Award is given by the state government as part of its annual Nandi Awards for Telugu films.... |
| 2010 | Chance Pe Dance Chance Pe Dance -External links:* * *... |
Tina Sharma | Hindi | |
| 2010 | Uthamaputhiran Uthamaputhiran (2010 film) The soundtrack, composed by Vijay Antony, was released on 5 October 2010 in Chennai. The album consists of 6 tracks overall.... |
Pooja | Tamil | |
| 2010 | Orange | Jaanu | Telugu | |
| 2011 | Urumi Urumi (film) Urumi is a 2011 Malayalam historical-fantasy film directed and co-produced by Santosh Sivan and written by Shankar Ramakrishnan. It stars Prithviraj, who was also one of the producers of the film, as Chirakkal Kelu Nayanar, Prabhu Deva as Vavvali, Robin Pratt as Vasco da Gama, Alexx ONell as... |
Arakkal Ayesha | Malayalam Malayalam language Malayalam , is one of the four major Dravidian languages of southern India. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India with official language status in the state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry. It is spoken by 35.9 million people... |
AsiaVision Film Award for Best Actress |
| 2011 | Force Force (film) -Critical response:The album received positive reviews from music critics, with particular praise being given to "Khwabon Khwabon". Joginder Tuteja of Bollywood Hungama gave 3 out of 5 stars and said "Force delivers as promised and turns out to be an impressive soundtrack... |
Maya | Hindi | |
| 2011 | Velayudham Velayudham Velayudham is a 2011 Tamil action-masala film directed by M. Raja. It stars Vijay, Hansika Motwani, Genelia D'Souza and Saranya Mohan in lead roles. Produced by V. Ravichandran's Aascar Films, the story revolves around an ordinary milkman, trying to eradicate corruption... |
Bharathi | Tamil | |
| 2011 | It's My Life It's My Life (film) It's My Life is an upcoming Hindi film directed by Anees Bazmee. It stars Harman Baweja and Genelia D'Souza in lead roles. The movie is a remake of the successful Telugu movie Bommarillu which was already remade in several Indian languages. The film is set to release on 13 January... |
Natalie Chopra (Geenu) | Hindi | Post-production |
| 2011 | Hook Ya Crook | Sonia Rai | Hindi | Shelved |
| 2012 | Naa Ishtam Naa Ishtam Naa Ishtam is an upcoming romantic Telugu-language film directed by Prakash Toleti which features Rana Daggubati and Genelia D'Souza in the lead roles. Production works began in April 2011 and features music by Chakri.-Production:... |
Telugu | Filming | |
| 2012 | Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya Tere Naal Love Hogaya is an upcoming Bollywood romance film directed by Mandeep Kumar, and produced by Kumar Taurani. The film stars Ritesh Deshmukh opposite Genelia D'Souza in lead roles. Its currently in production stage, and is scheduled for release on 17 February, 2012... |
Mini | Hindi | Filming |
| 2012 | Rock The Shaadi Rock The Shaadi Rock The Shaadi is an upcoming Bollywood Zombie based comedy film directed by Navdeep Singh, and starring Genelia and Abhay Deol in the lead roles. It is produced by Balaji Telefilms and iRock Films .... |
Hindi | Filming |
External links
- Genelia D'Souza at Yahoo! MoviesYahoo! MoviesYahoo! Movies , provided by the Yahoo! network, is home to a large collection of information on movies, past and new releases, trailers and clips, box office information, and showtimes and movie theater information. Yahoo! Movies also includes red carpet photos, actor galleries, and production...