Genelia D’Souza Deshmukh was born on 5th August 1987. She is a famous Bollywood personality and a successful model. She appeared in various Hindi, Telegu and Tamil movies besides receiving various awards and accolades. Genelia received her first Filmfare Award in 2006 for a Telegu romantic movie named Bommarillu. She also performed in another Tamil remake of Bommarillu made by Santosh Subramaniam. Her Jaane Tu….Ya Jaane Na was also a great hit that made her a mainstream actress. Genelia had also hosted a television show Big Switch and in early 2000, she was claimed to be one of the best actresses in the South Indian film industry. Read below to find out some lesser-known facts about this famous bubble girl of Bollywood.
Genelia D’Souza’s first commercial ad was with Amitabh Bachchan
When Genelia was only 15, she made her debut on the small screen via a commercial ad with Amitabh Bachchan. In her very first ad, she shared the screen with a legendary actor and the two of them endorsed Parker Pen at that time. Genelia looks very innocent and like a next-to-door girl which was instantly loved by the viewers. Her acting career took off because of it and Genelia received many brand endorsement offers thereafter. She endorsed a few famous brands like Virgin Mobile, Fanta, Perk and Garnier Light.
Genelia’s first big screen movie was in the Tamil language
When Genelia was aired in the pen’s commercial, she was loved by movie directors instantly and hence, she bagged three films at a time at the tender age of 16. Her first movie was S Shankar’s Boys in which she was featured opposite Siddharth. The movie, however, was criticized for its bold content but Genelia’s acting skills were appreciated.
Genelia received the first Filmfare award for a Telegu movie
Bommarillu was one of the best performances of Genelia to date which even fetched her a Filmfare Award in 2006 under the best actress category. The movie was again remade in Tamil and Genelia starred opposite Jayam Ravi.
Genelia dated Riteish Deshmukh for almost a decade before their marriage
This cute bubbly Bollywood actress dated Riteish Deshmukh for almost a decade before they married each other. The couple fell in love during a movie shoot, Tujhe Meri Kasam. After the film shooting, Genelia went south but the couple did not stop dating each other and their relationship eventually led to marriage in 2012. Genelia and Riteish were blessed with a baby boy in 2014 while the second baby was also a boy born in 2016.
Genelia is a sports lover
Before Genelia entered the film industry, she was a state-level athlete and a national-level football player. She had participated in various football tournaments at different destinations.
Genelia’s philanthropic work
Although people know about Genelia’s acting skills, many do not know about her social and humanitarian works for the betterment of society. She had raised funds for many well-being programs to support homeless women suffering from mental sickness. Though she never boasts about her good work like many others and thus, people remain unaware of her soft side of hers.
Genelia participated in E-bay ‘Dream House’
In 2010, Genelia took part in the Dream House contest hosted by E-bay. She was given 450,000 rupees fund to transform an empty house in Bandra into a beautiful dream house. Later, she auctioned all the items on the children’s day occasion and the money received from the auction was given to an NGO ‘Aseema’.
Genelia and the LTTE controversy
When the actress attended the contentious IIFA awards in Colombo in 2010, a dispute arose. Due to the reported death of Tamil civilians in Sri Lanka, most of the superstars from the Tamil cinema industry abstained from attending the event. At this time, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Sri Lankan army were engaged in their most intense conflict. Her films were urged to be banned by Kollywood for this carelessness.
Genelia and John Abraham’s marriage controversy
When Genelia was shooting a movie Force with John Abraham, they were involved in a marriage scene. The scene was shot so brilliantly that many considered it a real marriage. The priest who conducted their marriage rituals in the movie later filed a complaint that the actress is married when he heard about Genelia and Riteish Deshmukh’s marriage. However, the complaint was thrashed instantly and claimed to be a publicity stunt.
Genelia is a religious person
Genelia is a very private person, unlike other Bollywood stars. She likes to keep her personal life under wraps. She is a religious person as well and never fails to attend the Sunday Mass at St. Anne’s Parish in Bandra. She keeps Novena every Wednesday at St. Michael’s Church in Mahim and always believes in communication with God.
