Genelia D’Souza had so far been seen as an actress who had failed to make her presence felt in bollywood. However, now with two back-to-back films - Mere Baap Pehle Aap and Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na - she seems to be ready to go now.

“I had won an award for my telugu film Bommarillu. Priyan Sir had noticed that. That’s how I got Mere Baap Pehle Aap. However, for Aamir Khan’s film I had been screen-tested a year before the shooting commenced. I was too busy down South. However, as I had been working non-stop, I decided to take a month’s break and come to Mumbai. The day I was supposed to come back, I got a call from Aamir Khan’s office saying they wanted to meet me and a week later, I was on board,” says the chirpy actress.

But what was the reason that kept her away from Bollywood for so long? Though she has been a part of the film industry for almost five years, she had just two Bollywood releases, “Well, films were not on my agenda. When they happened, it took me a while to realize where I was heading towards. Initially it was just the excitement of being a star. After having done a few films, I have fallen in love with the industry,” she says.

“Imran my co-star in Jaane Tu…and I hit it off from the day we met. We hardly chatted or spoke initially. But then as shooting progressed, we became friends. And today Imran is my best friend,” says genelia excitedly. Genelia also has a very high regard for Abbas, who she feels is a ‘brilliant actor’. “While narrating any sequence, he used to sub-consciously act it out. That made our task much easier.”

She was also once linked with her co-star Ritiesh Deshmukh. Ask her about these gossips, and she gushes there’s absolutely nothing between us. “I and Ritiesh are good friends. We have been always clear that there’s nothing happening.” But everybody keep saying this in bollywood dear. ab sach kya hai, ye to waqt hi batayega…