Actors Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia D'Souza recently appeared on the talk show hosted by former tennis star Sania Mirza, where the couple shared personal anecdotes about their relationship, early married life and parenthood.
During one segment, the couple was asked about the first habit of their partner that surprised them after they started living together. Riteish recalled being startled by Genelia’s energetic mornings. “First time ‘Good morning!’ I said, ‘What happened?’” he said.
Genelia explained that she used to wake up much earlier than her husband. “I used to wake up at like 6:30 and he used to wake up at eleven then,” she said. Riteish admitted that mornings were a slow start for him. “I said good morning… not very enthusiastically,” he joked.
Genelia added that he preferred quiet mornings and would not speak for a while after waking up. “He was shocked with my chirpy-choo and I was shocked that how can you not talk in the morning?” she said.
The conversation also turned emotional when the couple spoke about becoming parents and how it affected them. Genelia revealed that Riteish was deeply anxious the first night after their child was born. “He didn’t sleep the whole night,” she said.
Riteish explained the reason behind it. “My problem was… the baby was small. So I was just looking, he’s breathing?” he said, demonstrating how he repeatedly checked their baby’s nostrils to ensure he was breathing.
Genelia recalled the moment with a laugh, adding, “He kept doing this.” “Because the nostril was so small, they were not even moving. I had to make sure that he was breathing,” Riteish said.
During the conversation, Genelia also reflected on her decision to step away from acting for ten years after becoming a mother. She said she was clear about prioritising family at that stage of her life. “I didn’t think of the repercussions when I took the call. I was very clear that I can’t do two things at a time. I can either be this or that,” she said, adding that she admired women who manage both work and family responsibilities.
However, Genelia pointed out that she continued working behind the scenes through projects under their banner Mumbai Film Company and other ventures. “I had some work going on, it just wasn’t films,” she said. She admitted that she missed acting and eventually returned to the screen with the Marathi film Ved, which was directed by Riteish.
Genelia revealed that it was Riteish who encouraged her to return to acting. “He was the one who said, ‘I don’t know what you’re doing at home when you know you can act.’ I would be like, ‘No I don’t know how to do both,’ and he would say, ‘We will find a way.’” Riteish, in turn, praised his wife’s acting abilities. “I’m actually a big fan of Genelia’s craft,” he said, adding that working with her as a director was a rewarding experience. “It’s such a joy to give an actor a line and they bring something that is so magnificent on-screen.”
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