Genelia D’Souza: I have not put myself in a zone around how I want to be seen on screen

As Genelia D’Souza returns to the acting world, the actor is spending time thinking about the onscreen narrative that she wants to explore, instead wants to take it as it comes.

“When I joined acting, it wasn’t a career option. For me, it was something that someone saw in me. As I got roles that I did, again, it was about the thing that people saw when they gave me a chance with the role,” D’Souza says.

A mum of two, she stepped out of her 10-year hiatus from screen with Marathi film, Ved earlier this year. While she continued to make cameo appearances throughout these years through projects such as Jai Ho and Force 2, Ved is her full-fledged role since the 2012 Telugu project, Naa Ishtam.

The 35-year-old adds, “I really have not put myself in a zone that I only want to be seen like this or like that. I look at everything that has happened to me as an opportunity because I didn’t think about being an actor. The fact that I am an actor today is because of the kind of opportunities that I got.”

Now, when she thinks about the roles she wants to do, she sees herself in diverse roles.

“For instance, the role of a housewife in Ved was an extremely new role for me. I have not done this before. It is not a bubbly character which I have done in the past. There is some sense of shyness in her. That makes me excited about the roles coming my way in this phase of my life. I’ve also seen so much and have been through so much. I think that makes you a more fulfilled actor,” she says.

In fact, there is no set bracket she wants to see herself in. “The industry challenges me constantly in a good way. And these challenges bring out the best in me as an actor. So, when you don’t have too many expectations for yourself, it could really be a good thing because then you’re allowing a filmmaker to utilise you. It is a good fortune to have someone want to mould you into something that they have written,” she says, adding, “I hope to be seen a lot more on screen. So, let’s see what comes my way. I am looking forward to good roles that I consider that I can add some value to.”