No on-screen kissing for me please: Genelia

Starring opposite Shahid Kapoor in her latest, Genelia hopes to claim her place under the sun without kissing on-screen.

Genelia d’Souza is a happy-go-lucky kind of a girl that we all saw and adored in ‘Jaane tu, ya jaane na’- her first successful Bollywood outing. It was a dream debut in the Hindi film industry that made her and the guy opposite her- Imraan Khan- new shining stars. But five Hindi films later, the southern sensation is still looking for her place under the sun.

Genelia tells Shashank Chouhan of Spicezee.com that she is hoping at yet another breakthrough in her latest with Shahid Kapoor, ‘Chance pe Dance’. Excerpts: Tell us about your role in ‘Chance Pe Dance’ My role is that of a choreographer Tina, who plays the love interest of Shahid`s character Sameer Behl. More than anything else she is a caring and nurturing girlfriend, who is Sameer`s biggest support system. Is there any kissing scene in the film between you and Shahid? Would you have any problems with on-screen kissing or nudity in films? No, there wasn`t any kissing scene ever shot by us. When I was approached with the idea of an onscreen kiss, I refused as I wasn`t comfortable. Thus they never did end up shooting for that scene. How was it working with Shahid? Shahid is great fun, full of energy, extremely focussed and hardworking. He was great to work with and some instances in the film do bear resemblance to his real life struggle hence he too feels close to his character. He ends up starting rumours of going around with all of his leading ladies…but there is not anything linked to you. Surprised? Shahid and I became good friends on the sets and thus we look at each other just as buddies, nothing more or less. How did you react when you came to know you will be replacing Jiah? Didn’t you think of rejecting the offer, as you were apparently the second choice? The script was reworked when it was offered to me. Hence I was offered a role that was totally different from the one etched out earlier. For me, it was a brand new script that caught my eye. And if I didn`t do it, someone else would`ve. Based on your experience and if given a choice, which would you choose for a full fledged career- Bollywood or the Telugu industry? I belong to four industries as we speak! Hence all four matter to me as much. The South industry was instrumental in making me come into my own and made me fall in love with films and acting. And being a name in Bollywood ofcourse is a high, but I don`t think I would want to choose for I am happy with how my career has panned out so far, and I hope that it gets better each day. After a breakthrough performance in ‘Jaane Tu…’, your fans have been awaiting a repeat but to no avail. Why do you think that has happened? ’Jaane Tu’ was a one of its kind films that made people stop and take notice of me. Aditi`s character is very close to who I am minus her aggression. I am working towards being part of films that help me maintain that magic and I hope they get that from Chance Pe Dance. Having worked with big stars in your films right at the start, who would you like to work with now? I`d love to work with everyone who`d like to work with me :) How did the rumours of your marriage to Ritesh Deshmukh start? I have no idea! You should probably help me find out since its something the media came up with. I am single and not marrying anyone as of now. I want to work some more please! When I do decide to settle down, I will announce it out loud! Are you waiting for Mr Right, then? Aren`t we all? In your case a Miss right ofcourse! What was the worst and best part of 2009 and what are you looking forward to in 2010? 2009 has been a great year for me. In addition to my films, I now endorse 7 brands and have bought myself a new house and car. I hope 2010 starts with a bang with ‘Chance Pe Dance’ and gets better as the year progresses.