She began by sending her profile for an advertisement but ended up being chosen for a film in Telugu and Tamil followed by a Hindi one. So Genelia D' Souza debuted in three languages in the same year – Satyam in Telugu, Boys in Tamil and of course Tujhe Meri Kasam (2003). But she struck the right chord with the young audiences only with Jaane Tu…Ya Jane Na in 2008. After Preity Zinta, she is the only one to earn the soubriquets like ‘cute' and ‘bubbly'. Capitalising on this image, Fanta declared her their brand ambassador replacing Rani Mukherji and Ken Ghosh chose her for his third film Chance Pe Dance.
Now, Fanta and Ken have joined hands – to promote CPD , releasing this Friday, in a fun-filled way. To connect with the masses further, the company has launched Fanta Fun Dance Challenge and Chance Pe Dance special edition bottle this week. The all India competition saw three winners called ‘Hotsteppers' who received cash prizes and a chance to dance with Shahid Kapoor and Genelia.
Young factor
Says Genelia about her role, “I play Shahid's love interest struggling to make it big in the world of dance. I also get to do a few jigs in the film.” Ken hastens to add, “It is very unfair to put any heroine to dance with a brisk Shahid Kapoor, so frankly, I haven't made Genelia match steps with Shahid but she complements him in few easy ones. She is there to add that cute and young factor.”
Genelia doesn't mind that either. She doesn't consider her babyish face a hindrance for mature roles later. “If they (directors) take me to add cuteness to their film, what's wrong with it? Who doesn't want to be young for long? Moreover, more than the bubbly image, audiences connect with me for my ‘girl next door' factor. With such an image heroines like Preity Zinta, Rani Mukerji and Kajol have gone far with memorable roles. I am sure, I will not always remain Aditi of Jaane Tu ….,” she quips.
Even beyond the screen, Genelia chooses to remain a “normal” girl. “I don't feel big. I go to my gym from my home, walking,” she says while Ken adds quickly, “And I have to follow her to avoid incorrigible fans!”
