Genelia D’Souza at nocturne. Picture by Aranya Sen

Your first film Tujhe Meri Kasam didn’t do well and your Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na director Abbas Tyrewala was not sure about casting a failed newcomer. How difficult was it to claw your way back into an industry like Bollywood?

Well, it wasn’t really that difficult because I was always working. I never stopped working. I was doing a lot of films in the South. See, for me, honestly, fame is not the be all and end all of life. It’s my work that really matters. Be it regional projects or international projects or even smaller projects I will do all of it as long as it’s something that gives me a high. It could take a little longer because I am not someone to do the wrong things at the wrong time. But I will do things with my whole heart and soul.

I definitely look at Jaane Tu... as an opportunity given to me again. But I cannot forget the four years before... they did work for me. I evolved in those years. And strangely, even that first film Tujhe Meri Kasam ran brilliantly in the interiors. A lot of people don’t know that. The film plays till today at a place in Satara. Nobody knows these things. But that’s a huge thing for an artiste.

But how do you manage to do films in so many languages in the South — Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam? Do you speak all the languages?

I understand all the languages. I can speak my dialogues in all the languages. Conversations are not that easy. I am not really a language person. Things that you try to avoid in school and college follow you all the way eventually! But I am glad that as a face I have been accepted in both north and south India. That’s a very big plus point for me. And I would never really let that go. You know the biggest of Bollywood celebrities would probably not work in the South as much as a big south Indian celebrity. So I am very fortunate that I have this kind of thing and I really don’t want to ever lose it. And, as I said, it is the work that matters and I have done a lot of great work down South. I have learnt films while working there.

When I came to the industry it was just a matter of someone offering me a role and someone thinking that I am good enough. It wasn’t me thinking that I could fit in. But somewhere down the line I fell in love with my profession and that was honestly because I went down South and I found love and respect and responsibility. It was not just about glitz and glamour. It was a lot of hard work and I started enjoying the whole process.

So with language no longer a barrier, on what basis are you signing films?

I think everything has to come together. It’s like a whole meal. You can’t eat rice without daal and you can’t eat daal without a side dish. It’s a whole meal for me. It’s the producer, the director and, of course, there is the script for starters. But you can’t have a terrific script and nobody willing to make it the right way. I think ratio-wise it differs from project to project. But primarily what makes me want to do a film is that I make an impact. No matter what. It’s not the length of the role but the importance of the role that matters to me. I could be there for five minutes.

Genelia D’Souza in Urumi

Also, I honestly enjoy people seeing me in a light that I haven’t seen myself in. When I did this recent Telugu film called Orange [it released here too at Fame, South City] it was about the director, Bhaskar, being able to extract a different side of me from what he had done in Bommarillu.

And I am willing to test for roles. For any role, even till today. I am willing to give a test to convince someone that I want to work with him. As a girl I am very, very simple. I don’t understand what an actor should do and what an actor shouldn’t do. I enjoy it when someone says that you are my star and I want you do this film. You tell me that and I will give you 300-400%... if you make me feel that I am worth the role.

Bommarillu is your Jaane Tu... down South, which made you a household name there...

Yes, that’s one film which has gone all over... Tamil, Telugu and Hindi right now. I am in the Hindi one as well. Even a Bengali version of Bommarillu is on. Because I got a call from someone to do it in Bengali as well.

So why don’t you do it?

No, I can definitely do it. As I said, language is not a barrier. I have to work a little harder because I don’t know Bengali at all. But then again I didn’t know Tamil and Telugu at all before I did the films there. It has to be worth it. Like I have just done my first Malayalam film with Santosh Sivan, Urumi. That’s another film that I am doing because nobody has seen Genelia without a smile. I haven’t smiled even once in the film. I am a warrior (laughs)! See, I do commercial films, I do popular stuff in Bollywood and in Tamil and Telugu but I want to be challenged. So maybe if I get to work with an Aparna Sen or a Rituparno Ghosh, why not? I would love to play a character which has a lot of Indianness and a lot of simplicity.

What was the Urumi experience like?

It was phenomenal and it had a lot to do with technical brilliance, I would say. He (Santosh Sivan) would shoot an amazing six scenes a day! But apart from all that, I fought in the film, which was very exciting for me. Doing all the stunts, horse riding... it was great fun!

Don’t you feel upset that a lot of your South work is not being seen by the fans you earned after playing Meow in Jaane Tu...?

I think they are wasting their time. They should be watching the films from the South. A lot of them are very good. I would appeal to people who love films that they should watch films from all regions. And I do believe that the habit is catching on because all the films that are doing really well in Bollywood today like Wanted are remakes of South films. Eventually you are taking the content from there and that’s why I work there. They make really nice stuff. I wish that greater India would be a little more fair to all types of cinema.

You are also the queen of endorsements. Have you figured out how?

I think I am relatable and that’s the reason why. I think everyone can see themselves in me and my ads and my films. I am glad that I am related to as an endorsement queen. I think it’s a lot of hard work from my agency (Kwan). They believed in me from the word ‘go’. I didn’t believe in me as much as they did. And I think I had that very big selling point before I came into films. My Fair & Lovely ad ran for five years and won an award at Cannes. It’s always something that I have done seriously and I am quite particular about what I endorse. I like what my brands are doing with me. Even when I dress I am extremely particular that a normal girl sees herself in me. It also stems from the fact that I am middle class and I was not born into a film family. I was born into a normal home and I remember how I looked up to my stars and I know how I want everyone to look up to me.

Why did you choose to endorse Nocturne, the new lounge on Shakespeare Sarani?

I really like the fact that it’s a lounge and not just a nightclub or not just a bar. It’s a nice lounge... you can come and relax. You needn’t party, if you are not up to it. Just enjoy the music and have a drink maybe. If I have to hang out it would be a lounge. Honestly, I don’t get the time. Maintaining five film industries is no joke! I can’t tell you how busy I am. If you see only Hindi films, you will say, “arey woh toh sirf ek ya do film karti hai.” But I am doing five industries... I am crying out loud! I love it... I have no complains.

So you are doing well on your frequent-flier miles?

(Laughs out loud) Yeah, very well! Now, I think, I travel more by air than local transport. I think I take like an hour to reach from the Mumbai suburbs to town. And I take one hour to reach Hyderabad from Chennai (laughs out louder)!

What is the reason for Brand Genelia’s success? Tell t2@abpmail.com