In this exclusive interview, actress and producer Genelia Deshmukh opens up about backing her husband Riteish Deshmukh’s ambitious directorial project, Raja Shivaji. She discusses the unique dynamics of balancing her roles as a producer, co-actor, and wife on set, shares her favourite musical tracks and cinematic moments from the film, and reflects on the strong foundation of trust and respect that anchors both their marriage and long-standing professional partnership.
What was your immediate reaction as a producer when Riteish pitched the sheer scale and vision of this project?
Riteish has been living with this dream for the last 10 years. It changed directors and it was a different script at various stages. So, I always knew it was it was something that meant a lot to him, extremely close to his heart, and we would produce it.
Generally, the films that he doesn’t act in or direct in, he produces himself. So, I knew that this was definitely something that was happening. But when he stepped in to direct it, that’s the time I came into play.
I knew it was the biggest film that we have done but I also think I did it because it was a dream, and we build dreams together. So, I think it was personal and it came from a great amount of respect.
What was the toughest production hurdle you managed on set?
I think from the word go; production was tough. It was very tough because we were trying to make it of a certain scale, without really having the budgets for that kind of scale. So, we tried our best, we used all our acumen. In fact, I think every technician, every artist, who was part of the process was the reason why the film eventually got made.
Which is your favourite track from the Raja Shivaji album?
My most favourite track in Raja Shivaji was the brothers’ track, Bhau Sambha. I have loved it from the word go. I loved the chemistry between the two brothers, I loved the ownership, I loved the ambition. And finally, it has a sad ending, I have wept and cried even though I probably heard the script the most, so for me that was the most, my most favourite part.
How do you turn off your “producer and wife role” when stepping into character as his co-actor on set?
Acting is something that I absolutely and totally love the most. And I think Riteish and me as individuals are highly respectful. So, that respect follows into our careers, into us being professionals as well. And that’s what we’ve maintained from day one. On set, I’m not his wife. I am his co-actor and we talk like co-actors. We grow like co-actors. We sit together, discuss a scene, try and figure out what I can give and what he can give in. But in this film, I was his wife and also his actor because he was my director.
I always believe that while as an actor you get in something that’s yours, to be part of a director’s vision is eventually something that he brings to life. And I feel that in any project, there’s just one director and I am, till date, a director’s actor and I like being that way. I feel acting is something that I love the most in my film career. I mean, I love producing, I love I love being part of a set, but the thing that’s mine and truly mine as a career is acting and I love it from the bottom of my heart.
You are widely admired as one of Indian cinema’s most grounded power couples. What non-negotiable boundary keeps your relationship strong amid high-stress film productions?
Riteish and me have been in a partnership for a very long time. And when I say partnership, I don’t just mean lovers, parents, husband and wife, or business partners. It is every stage that we have partnered together in life. And I think the beauty of it is that I don’t trust anyone more than I trust Riteish to partner on with. And I feel that in itself is a huge plus point for any relationship.
Because, I think when there’s respect and trust, the two things that keep things together, and we are constant. I’m someone who loves adapting to change, to various stages in life. But it’s not like I let go. I hold on and so does Riteish. And I think that’s why we enjoy each other’s company the most. I think in terms of being loved, that’s pure gratitude because that had nothing to do with us. It was someone else that opened their homes and hearts to us.
Riteish is famous for his sharp wit publicly. What is a quiet side of him that the audience rarely gets to see?
Actually, Riteish has a very quiet side to himself, and not many people know about him. But I think he’s a thinker, and I think he’s always thinking, he’s part of so many things in life, and we always get to see this really quiet side of only at home. So far as, while we have all the wit and all the laughter, we also get to see this wonderful, quiet side of him at home as well.
If you could send a message back in time to your younger self on the set of Tujhe Meri Kasam in 2003, what would you tell her?
Well, I would just say, “Genelia, you did well.” You got the man of your dreams. You got a beautiful career. You got so much love and so much, you know, growth. And honestly, it was a career that was picked up because someone else believed in me. So, when I look back at 2003, I’ve just lived it because I’ve loved living it and I wouldn’t change a thing.
