A true campaigner

If a Bollywood actress fails to make an impact early on, then it's almost a foregone conclusion that she will be relegated to B-grade flicks and eventually disappear. But the spunky Genelia D'Souza proved this theory wrong when she made a terrific comeback in 2007's blockbuster Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na (JTYJN), five years after she debuted with Tujhe Meri Kasam. And during the lean period in between the two films she tasted huge success in the South Indian film industry.

One wonders if it's her selection of characters that's helped her secure a top slot in the industry. "I've portrayed bubbly characters in most of my films. I guess it's because I identify with such characters. I'm like any other simple, fun-loving girl who respects her family and traditions. And on-screen I'm mostly seen playing the girl-next-door. I think it helps me connect with young girls, and probably the guys find it easy to identify with me as well. For my next release Chance Pe Dance I essay a similar character. I have no qualms about being stereotyped because I think the image works as I'm still young in the industry," says D'Souza.

There are many who compare her vivacious persona to Preity Zinta. In fact, D'Souza has replaced Zinta in a chocolate (Cadbury's Perk) advertisement, perhaps indicating that she has taken over Zinta's mantle in Bollywood. "I take it as a compliment to be compared to someone like Preity Zinta. But I don't see myself as replacing anyone, I want to create my own space in the industry."

D'Souza comes from a Mumbai-based Mangalorean family with no Bollywood connections. So it was pretty unusual that this graduate in Business Management stepped into the world of glitz and glamour. "I took acting up as it came my way. Honestly, I was a bit apprehensive about getting into the film industry as I perceived it as a big bad world, but once I started modelling work and TV commercials, my thinking changed. Now I can't think of anything else but acting and I believe that the film industry is as professional as any other industry."

Interestingly, after her subdued start in Bollywood, the multi-lingual lass took Telegu cinema by storm, and her stunning performance in Bommarillu fetched her best actress trophies. She went on to chart a successful career in the Tamil and Kannada film industries before returning to Bollywood with JTYJN.

Ever since, the 22-year-old actress' journey has been amazing. "Honestly, none of the roles or films that I've done were planned. I think I've been very lucky. I didn't plan to do Telegu, Tamil or Kannada films. In fact, when I took on the role of Aditi in JTYJN, I never imagined that it would do wonders for my Hindi film career. It all just fell in place and I have to thank God for being so kind to me."

Written off

After seeing several ups and downs she is accustomed to erratic behaviour from people. "I heard that people wrote me off in the initial phase of my career and after a couple of flops in Telegu films I was cold-shouldered by some colleagues, but all that changed when my films became hits. After JTYJN, I received a lot of recognition, with many industry people warming up to me."

With her Bollywood career taking off, will D'Souza have the time and inclination to do more South Indian films? "I realise that if I have to make a mark in Hindi films I have to give more time to Bollywood, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to abandon South Indian cinema. In fact, I consider myself someone from South Indian films who has been exported to Bollywood. I learnt a lot from my mistakes and sharpened my acting skills while doing Telegu films. I would like to see myself do at least one quality Telegu film every year as well as being open to other South Indian films," she says.

Link-ups

Though D'Souza has maintained a squeaky clean image so far, she has been periodically linked with Riteish Deshmukh, her co-star in both Tujhe Meri Kasam and Masti. "Riteish and I are very good friends who hang out together. Since our first film together we have shared a special rapport. Talking to or drinking a cup of coffee with a friend doesn't necessarily mean we are in love," says D'Souza.

In Chance Pe Dance she is paired opposite Shahid Kapur. "Shahid's a fantastic guy and a good friend. He inspires you with the amount of effort he puts into his work. We really hit it off well and I'm curious to see how the audience reacts to our pairing."

She will be seen next with John Abraham in David Dhawan's Hook Ya Crook and alongside Harman Baweja in Anees Bazmee's It's My Life (remake of Bommarillu). But D'Souza remains philosophical about love. "I've not thought about being in a relationship. In fact, I don't have any huge expectations from my life partner, except that we should be on the same wavelength mentally. Anyway, I currently see myself as focused on my career."

Her film journey

Genelia has the rare distinction of delivering four major hits in four different languages in one year (2007-08). We take a closer look at her work across the industries.

Bollywood

■ Tujhe Meri Kasam, 2003 (an average film)

■ Masti, 2004 (a semi-hit)

■ Mere Baap Pehle Aap, 2007 (an above average film)

■ Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, 2008 (a true blockbuster)

■ Life Partner, 2009 (had moderate success)

Telegu film industry

■ Satyam, 2003 (a hit)

■ Bommarillu, 2006 (a blockbuster)

■ Dhee, 2007 (a super hit)

■ Ready, 2008 (a super hit)

Tamil film industry

■ Boys, 2003 (just a hit)

■ Sachein, 2005 (just a hit)

■ Santosh Subramanium, 2007 (a super hit)

Kannada film industry

■ Satya In Love, 2007 (a super hit)