When Genelia D’Souza was told her career will be over: ‘But that didn’t stop me from marrying Riteish Deshmukh’

Genelia D’Souza and Riteish Deshmukh’s love story is no less than a Bollywood film. The two met on the sets of their first film, Tujhe Meri Kasam, and more than a decade later, they tied the knot. However, their marriage didn’t come easy as Genelia prioritised her family over work. She once said that people told her that her career was over, days before taking the plunge with Riteish Deshmukh. (Also read | Genelia D’Souza reveals why she ‘broke down’ a month after marrying Riteish Deshmukh, told him ‘I can’t do this’. Watch)

Genelia turned a year older on Friday. She married Riteish on February 3, 2012. Later they were blessed with two sons, Rahyl and Riaan. After tying the knot and starting her family, Genelia took a break from films, which was met with mixed reactions from people.

Addressing her hiatus from work during the peak of her career, Genelia told Pinkvilla in 2020, “Honestly, when I got married, I was very clear that I wanted to spend some time with my family. I had worked so much before that, people might have not seen me much in Hindi cinema but in South cinema, I literally worked 365 days of the year hence, I felt like I needed that kind of a break. I wanted to give my family priority and then I had babies, one after the other, so it was my time with my family, which I wanted and I am glad I am in that age of the film where all of that doesn’t matter anymore.”

“When I was getting married, I had people telling me that, ‘Oh you are getting married, for a girl, your career is done’. I heard everything but I was clear that it is not going to stop me from marrying because I wanted that. I think but now I see a very positive change in the industry, where the content is evolving. There is a lot of work that artists and actors get which are not star-driven, or monotonous. There is a lot to do today as actors,” she had added.

Besides acting, Genelia has also produced films. She is now all set to mark her comeback after 10 years with her upcoming Marathi film Ved. The film marks the directorial debut of Riteish and will be her first Marathi movie. Besides this, she will also be reuniting with Riteish in Mister Mummy.