"I am grateful to people of Andhra"

Latest youth icon”, “Bollywood’s bubbly star” and “the next Preity Zinta” — actress Genelia D’Souza wears all these titles and more with much elan. She may be a big name in Bollywood now, but the actress who attributes all her success to South movies says she will always be “attached” to Tollywood.

“I’m grateful to the Telugu industry. It gave me some of the greatest movies of my career. People from AP have supported me and showered me with love at a time when I couldn’t boast of any hit. Many South stars who made it big in Bollywood might not want to return here, but I’m too attached to Tollywood and will never turn my back on this industry. Since I’m not seen around too much, people have assumed that I’m too busy for Tollywood, that’s not true,” says Genelia, who was last seen in Sasirekha Parinayam with Tarun earlier this year.


Talking about her current Tollywood ventures, Genelia says, “I have already started shooting for Katha, which will be wrapped up this month. I will also be acting with Ram Charan Teja in his next movie.” The actress, who is shuttling between Hyderabad and Mumbai, has three Bollywood projects in her kitty. Juggling between two industries may get tiring for anyone, but not for Genelia, who claims to be an expert in “time management”.

“I believe that if you work in an organised manner, you will never be pressed for time. I never waste time and I’m always punctual. I don’t crib about shooting for even 350 days in a year. I don’t party if I have to work the next day. You can, in fact, call me a workaholic,” adds Genelia, who says that she values the little free time she gets.


“I ensure that I never work when I’m on vacation.”The actress may have wowed audiences all over the country with her spunky act, but detractors claim that all her roles have the same “bubbly” undertones. The actress however claims that her next movie will shut all her critics up. “No two bubbly girls can be the same. My character Hasini in Bomarillu and Sasirekha in Sasirekha Parinayam, may be both fun loving, vivacious girls, but they have their own distinct characteristics. Moreover, I’m in no hurry to grow up and I have a long way to go in showbiz. In fact, in my next movie Katha, I play an emotionally strong character. As an actor, it’s a role I have never done before,” says Genelia.



After her Bollywood success story, word is doing the rounds that Genelia charges Rs 2 crore for every Tollywood project. Rubbishing this as “rumours”, Genelia says,
“I wish there was some truth to this report, but it’s not true. I can confidently say that I’m one of the most affordable Tollywood actress with respect to my remuneration.”