Genelia D’Souza reveals she was discouraged from making a comeback after a decade-long sabbatical: ‘I remember Riteish Deshmukh telling me…’ | Hindi Movie News

Genelia D’Souza made a triumphant return to acting with her Marathi debut film Ved, alongside her husband, Riteish Deshmukh. The film became a massive success, emerging as the second-highest-grossing Marathi film after Sairat. However, the journey back to the screen wasn’t easy for the actor, who recently revealed that she was discouraged from making a comeback after a decade-long sabbatical.
Breaking the comeback stereotype
Speaking at Elle Impact’s panel discussion on women empowerment, Genelia shared her perspective on success, failure, and her return to films. “It’s a part of our life. I feel we hype our success too much and stress a bit too much on failure, whereas the impact and intent of your daily life are what truly matter. Being an actor who has worked in six languages, and someone who took a break because I was having babies, I remember people telling me, ‘Oh, you want to come back to films after 10 years? It won’t work,’ but my comeback film became a cult hit. We shouldn’t listen to people.”
Balancing motherhood and acting
During her hiatus, Genelia focused on her personal growth and her children. She credited Riteish Deshmukh for supporting her vision. “During those ten years, I was focusing on myself and my kids, and I remember Riteish telling me that we have to make our kids capable. As someone who was used to easy protein and a non-vegetarian diet, I struggled with it. That’s where Imagine was born. It is for every flexitarian—someone who consumes meat five days a week but opts for sustainable options twice a week. Even when it comes to vegetarian foods, we have very few options for protein intake. This led Riteish and me to create a sustainable option.”

For those unfamiliar, Imagine Meats is a plant-based meat initiative by Genelia and Riteish, aimed at promoting healthier and more conscious eating habits.

Looking ahead, Genelia is set to star opposite Aamir Khan in Sitaare Zameen Par, a film based on the Spanish movie Champions. The film is considered a spiritual sequel to Taare Zameen Par.