Learn English with Genelia Deshmukh. In 2024 at ETCIO AC (Goa), the actor-entrepreneur shares how a chance ad, years of film work across industries, a decade-long break for family, and a startup in food tech shaped her values. She opens up about luck, hard work, frozen-food myths, and why AI and digitalization help creators and founders connect with people.
Who This Speech Is For
Learners curious about balancing career, family, and entrepreneurship.
Fans of Indian cinema and those interested in how actors manage their journeys.
Intermediate to advanced learners who want to practice English through real stories of resilience and reinvention.
How This Speech Helps Your English
Gain vocabulary related to acting, entrepreneurship, and digital technology.
Notice how Genelia uses contrasts (luck vs. hard work, home vs. career) to explain complex ideas simply.
Improve listening skills with Indian English pronunciation and conversational flow.
Observe how storytelling can mix humour, honesty, and motivation in natural English.
Why This Speech Matters
Genelia shares how chance, courage, and persistence shaped her career in films and startups.
She highlights the value of investing in yourself, whether through education, self-belief, or new ventures.
Her story inspires learners to embrace reinvention, balance multiple roles, and explore how digitalization and AI create opportunities.
”The best project you can work on is you.
Transcript
Genelia Deshmukh: So I’d love to share my journey. I hope I don’t bore you guys. But I’d love to share my journey.
Mugbil Ahmar: Not at all. It’s a pleasure.
Genelia Deshmukh: I started off, acting was never a career option for me, honestly. I wouldn’t relate to myself that way. I came from a very middle-class home. There were no actors. There was nobody from the industry at all in it. I happened to be sitting outside my college. When you’re young, they come to colleges and they pick up these kids to be part of the background. So all my friends were going, and I was very excited to go because we’re all going to hang for the day. And we landed up going there, and the girl who was opposite the main actor had not turned up. So they came to me and they asked me to come there and be the second lead, opposite the girl. I was so upset. I was like, “No, I want to be in the crowd. I want to be part of the crowd. That’s what I came here to do. Have a good day.” But anyways, I went there. That ad never really happened eventually. And it was all a lull. But at that ad shoot, something went right, and I started getting these calls from a lot of people randomly. I didn’t have a portfolio done. I didn’t have things put into place. My aunt always saw me as someone who could be part of modeling in the industry. I never saw myself at all. My parents thought she was crazy, absolutely, because my parents were like, “Don’t spoil our child.” Then the industry was a big bad word, the film industry.
But having said that, she took out these pictures literally of me cutting a cake and stuff, and she was like, “I think that you have potential.” And then the next thing I know is that I was selected for an ad with Mr. Bachchan, which was a big deal. And it’ll always be the biggest deal of my career. And from there, it just never stopped. From there, from my first ad itself, I started getting movie offers. From movie offers, I started getting better movie offers. Then I had a break for ten years and I thought… and everyone says once an actor takes that break, you’re not coming back. But I got back on screen, and I’m very grateful that Amir Khan Productions has signed me on. So I think my journey has been a totally unplanned one, but I think if I’ve done anything right, I’ve given it my 100%. So it has earned some fruit somewhere, and I am who I am today, all through the love, through a zillion blessings. And I think most importantly, when you see my characters or when you relate to me as an actor, the biggest blessing that I have is that I’m taken back home to two families and to their homes. Which I think as an actor, more than your thousand awards and the biggest films that you get, you are part of people’s homes. So 10 years down the line, people in the South and people here still remember me as Aditi or still remember me as Hasini. And I think there’s nothing more rewarding than that. We all wait for validation, right? We all wait that if you get an award, you’ve validated the fact that you’ve done well. But we forget to realize and open our eyes to see that after 15 years, Jaane Tu… has been 15 years ago, people still relate to you as Aditi. What more validation do you need in that zone? So that’s been pretty much my journey.
Mugbil Ahmar: A round of applause, of course. There is no need to ask for it now. But I would say that you have been one of the luckiest persons on the planet. Because when we talk to actors or when actors tell their stories, and of course, Bombay is full of them… people who never made it or people who made it, they all come up with stories like, “I slept on the street.” “I didn’t have things to eat. I was starving.” There are stories of struggle and all of that, but you have been so hugely lucky.
Genelia Deshmukh: I have, absolutely. I can’t disagree with your statement. I absolutely think I’ve been really lucky. See, everyone has their own crosses to bear, and I think everyone, whether it’s… we talk about nepotism, we talk about all of that, but everyone is having their own cross that they’re carrying. So yeah, while someone’s struggle might have been spending the entire night on the road, my struggle could have been just not understanding what’s going on at all and being put into a place where…
Mugbil Ahmar: Which movie to pick?
Genelia Deshmukh: No, from my first film, I didn’t know what was going on. I would just cry and cry and cry, initially, because you don’t know how to be correct. You don’t know what is correct. But having said that, I cannot deny the fact that I’ve been extremely lucky. I’m extremely lucky to be in the place that I’ve been.
Mugbil Ahmar: I wish I had a similar struggle like you. So Genelia, you also spoke about the break that you took, and it would be great if you could dwell a little more on it. How it happened, why it happened, and then consequently you came back also. All of that and how has this journey been to being a mother, married life, all of that?
Genelia Deshmukh: So I got married in 2012. Like everyone and every individual, after a particular time in your life, you feel everything is monotonous and you’re not reinventing yourself. I felt my chance to just take a break was at the time that I got married because I wanted to give my 100% to the family that I was in. So prior to that, I worked 365 days. I worked in four industries. So while people thought that I was just doing Bollywood films, I was doing films all over the South, which… Today the South is a big deal. Then people didn’t know that such big films… I’ve been part of Rajamouli’s films.
Mugbil Ahmar: Absolutely. And a round of applause for that. Genelia has worked in four different film industries and is very, very versatile as an actor.
Genelia Deshmukh: Yes, yes. So that was my part of doing work. And honestly, I missed all birthdays. I missed every time my family got together. I was hardly around. Because I was working, because of the fact that I was not just stationary at one place. I had to travel to four different industries. So when I got married, I decided to take a break. I thought it would be a year, a year and a half, but then I got my babies. And I didn’t understand how to multitask. I was like, I could either be this or I could be that. I don’t think I was 100% happy in that zone because I thought there was so much more to me to give also. And I thought I was very happy, and I thought I was doing a great job. But Ritesh saw me, and he said, “You need to get back to the screen because that’s what you love.” I was like, “I can’t do this and that.” He said, “You can do everything. You’re a mom, and you’ll figure it out.” And I kept saying, “Yeah, it’s so easy for him to talk. I have to do all this hard work.” But he kept pushing me through this period that I was off to a point when he decided to direct, he said, “You have to act in it.” Now I couldn’t say no. So he said, “You’ll figure it out.” And I started acting back again with that film. And I realized I figured it out. And I realized I was a much happier mom. I was a much happier person at home because I was doing what I loved the most. I was doing something that was mine.
Versus, when we become moms, we forget the fact that we are individuals as well and we can do a lot. Of course, handling a home is handling the biggest thing ever. But I also think we do it thinking that it’s our duty to do it and we don’t know how to do better. But if you set and strategize and figure out your life, I feel that you can do both and you should do both. Because there’s an element of you that you’re losing out on when you don’t put yourself back into what you’re meant to do. And that’s why I came back to films. I started doing films again. I don’t do it as often as I used to, but that’s fine. That’s a small adjustment that you make in your life, and a happy one too. And today I’m back to doing… I’m doing a film in Hindi. I did a film in Marathi, which was widely acclaimed, and also a new industry that I was part of. And then there’s also, I’m doing a South film again. So it’s the whole system, the whole cycle starting back again. I’m very excited with my new phase into films. I’ve seen a lot change, I’ve seen a lot evolve, and all in a good way.
Mugbil Ahmar: I would want to say that you have had an envious life. And again say that you are one of the luckiest people on the planet. Why I’m saying that is because… and a round of applause for that. Her husband is the one who pushed her back into acting. Generally, we also come across these stories, and there is a perception that once women get married, there is a resistance to them continuing to work in this industry. It’s been the exact opposite with you. So again, you are very, very lucky.
Genelia Deshmukh: Yes, I am. Or maybe I’m just amazing.
Mugbil Ahmar: I think I’ll need some of your luck. So, you are also an entrepreneur. We must add that to your wonderfully versatile personality. That being a mom, acting, production, and being involved in that side of it, you also have your own venture. So how did this thought of becoming an entrepreneur come? And if you could share a little about your venture, we would love to know it.
Genelia Deshmukh: Yes. So my venture is called Impossible Foods. Again, it is something that’s related to food tech. It is a very, very new market. It’s something that me and Ritesh lived in the US for three years. And we were non-vegetarian eaters who gave up our non-veg then. Initially, we thought vegetarian food meant only peas and potatoes. And then we went there and we realized there’s so much more, and it’s probably even better than a non-vegetarian palette, which is only chicken or fish, or that’s it. But when we went there, we realized that food tech was so much on the rise. Of course, it’s a developing market. It’s more startup-ish. So it has its ‘n’ number of issues that keep arising, that the big giants keep saying, “No, this is not it. This is it.” But in our venture, the primary thing was we realized that most… and because we are so much into fitness as well, we realized that the primary source of vegetarian protein is extremely less, most often. And most vegetarians would incorporate an egg or a chicken in their diet, much against to what they feel or believe, just because of a protein requirement.
So we felt if we could change that around and we could give protein-rich foods, which are tasty, which are fine, it would make the whole world… it would make it… A market that could be developed is what we felt when we started Imagine Foods. We weren’t aiming to say that we’re vegan, we are a meat alternative, all those various things that come out in it. Our basic intent was that if you feel like reducing your meat consumption, you still have your taste with it. If you feel as a vegetarian you need more protein, you need a meal that is easy, that’s another added advantage to it. And as most of us have such busy schedules and we don’t have the time to really cook, we land up just eating out and just eating what we get. I’ve been part of that when it’s a long night shoot and I just say, “Give me Maggi, I’m fine with it.” “Give me something that’s easy to cook.” So being really convenient, being a product that was really convenient where you could make it at home was… and having all the elements of it, be it your protein content, zero cholesterol. We wanted to put something like that out there. And we are evolving every day, because we are food tech. We’re not just a food service, we are food tech today. And there is something that’s developed every day. Of course, as an entrepreneur, I did realize that while the West is developed with their cold storage setup, in India, there is a mindset against it, which needs to be educated… which we need to be educated about very often. Because we relate to frozen foods as stale foods very often. Because we’re okay to keep our food in a fridge, in a refrigerated condition for 10 days maybe, or maybe a week, and we’ll think it’s still fresh because we kept it there. The amount of bacteria that gets into that versus freezing it fresh. And when I say freezing it fresh, people always go back to the point of it being preservatives, right? Everyone thinks that there’s an ‘n’ number of preservatives in it or it is processed food. But if you use oil and salt, that is… we’ve made it a bad word, right? We’ve made it a bad word. And there have been a lot of spoilages, there have been a lot of things that have happened in that zone. I don’t feel that the consumer is wrong in feeling it.
But the education of freezing something at a minus 18, at a minus 32 is just not there. Because then you’re freezing it fresh, and all you’re doing is you’re thawing it and you’re putting it out there with zero preservatives. Which is an education and which is a fighting battle, I think, every day which will eventually someday open up. But that’s the zone that we wanted to go in. We wanted to make life easier for a mom because I found it tough when I got back to acting. We wanted it to have the protein that you need to have without it having any cholesterol in it, zero cholesterol in it. And we wanted it to be a source of a substitute to every non-vegetarian or flexitarian who wants to reduce their meat consumption on certain days, just like how we did. We were non-vegetarian seven days a week, and then we started giving it up, and we realized we still craved it, right? And when we had substitutes, we could manage our way out. So that’s been my journey as an entrepreneur. Initially, when we started off, it was a small unit, and it still is because it’s a startup. And with a startup, you have all the things that come about it, but you’re also a risk taker, which you don’t get to be in other organizations. And I think that’s the beauty of a startup, and digitalization has helped this happen, helped a startup see new venues, new avenues, new ways of life. It’s just when you’re ready and how ready you are and how much you are going to use it to your benefit that’s important.
Mugbil Ahmar: I think going by the luck that you’ve had, this venture is also going to be a huge…
Genelia Deshmukh: You seem to think I have no hard work.
Mugbil Ahmar: No, no, of course. It involves a lot of hard work, but I have been particularly… My main profession is that of a technology journalist. I’ve been loving this conversation because you have used words like digitalization, startup, food tech. And I’m very close to both parts of the word and I love them. So it’s amazing the way you’ve been talking about food tech. The way you’ve been talking about digitalization, which is impacting our lives so much. But before we go in that direction, how do you really marry the two brands which come from your personality, that of an entrepreneur and an actor? And do they influence each other? Do they impact? Do they?
Genelia Deshmukh: So when I sit with the team, and today I’m in a better position. When I started off, it was just two of us, and Ritesh trying to put this whole thing together. And I have to tell you, I learned all about the supply chain. I learned about distribution…
Mugbil Ahmar: My God. A round of applause.
Genelia Deshmukh: These were honestly words that didn’t figure in my life at all, but it was so amazing. It was unbelievable. Ritesh and me, every time we met entrepreneurs and professionals, we would literally Google what they say. Because they would use MOQ, this, that, and we’re like, “What is that? One second, let me Google and see what’s happening.” But having said that, after two years of being at Imagine, we came back. We’re back to a place where we do have a team now. We do have a supply chain head. We do have a sales head. We have a business mentor who’s on board. And I keep telling, and when we sit about marketing, they’re like, “Oh, marketing is sorted out.” We’re like, “No, no, it’s not sorted out. It’s about being honest.” Most people tell me, “Just go ahead and use this oil, palm oil.” I’m like, “No, I’m a mom first.” So I’ll figure that dynamics. It may take me longer, but it’s just something that I have to sleep back with my conscience.
So I’ll just deal with that part a bit. Having said that, I do think that being in the position that we are, Ritesh and me, we do have that slight leeway ahead in terms of we are the face of our brand very often, which would be quite a spend in terms of marketing for a startup had it not been for us. We are socially active, which makes it so much easier. But we’ve always been on the side of actors. Today we are as entrepreneurs. And honestly, what I do realize that digitally we have got closer to is consumers’ preferences. So there is some kind of transparency. I get questions every day on the Imagine Food website saying, “What is this? What is that?” You have the option of going there and messaging the company and saying, “What is this and what is that?” Something that you don’t have in larger setups, right? And that’s where startups hold a little bit of that kind of flavor. So coming back to your point, I do think being an actor has aided in my journey of being an entrepreneur. But I wouldn’t be able to make it if I was only an actor. I have to be an invested founder. I have to have the ability to know that I hand it over to professionals versus trying to grab the whole limelight, which is what we are very clear about. If it’s someone who believes in you and has the right kind of aptitude to take it, it does need people like that versus you just… you can aid it, you can’t develop a market in that zone.
Mugbil Ahmar: I couldn’t agree more with you. And I must also say that I’m loving this conversation because of the way you have been talking about technology. And I hope, I’m assuming maybe next year we will have a stall from…
Genelia Deshmukh: I really do hope. You have so much… I really do hope too.
Mugbil Ahmar: So last question, the time is up. What’s your favorite technology? I’m asking this, I wouldn’t have asked otherwise, but looking at how clued you are into the domain of technology and how knowledgeable you are. You have so much information of what is happening in the digital world. What’s your favorite technology and what would you want to do with it?
Genelia Deshmukh: I have to make an honest confession. I was technically challenged a few years ago. I was literally technically challenged. And I realized that I’m technically challenged because I’m proving myself to be technically challenged, not because I’m opening my eyes and seeing what is out there in the world. And then I started the process of understanding how much it can help. Today, if you ask me, be it in Mumbai Film Company, which is our production house, or be it in our food tech company at Imagine, I just see the best. And for me, the best kind of digitalization or the best kind of tools that is out there is AI. I think it’s a world of its own. It’s helping you create a whole ecosystem. Good, bad, ugly is up to you to figure it out, I feel. But the opportunity which was never there all these years is there for you. Today I feel… business honchos, big people, are changing their whole business strategy around AI. They’re developing more markets. They’re figuring out availability through digitalization. And when I keep specifying on transparency and clarity, I think all this is what digitalization has got us closer to. For me, AI would be a win-win for the next… I don’t know how many years ahead. But I do think what digitalization has done is it’s given you this tool. Are you ready or not? Are you ready to harness its power? It’s up to you. Now, when you are… maybe you’re two years later like me. I took two years to figure it out. But two years down the line, I don’t know how to do without it. Today, I want to do without… I go for every conference. I try and get my knowledge. I’m an actor, yeah, great. And I’ll sit and I’ll do hair and makeup when I have to. And I’ll do my 100% with being lucky. But…
Mugbil Ahmar: No, I have to give it to you, you’re very hard working as well. Hard working, lucky.
Genelia Deshmukh: No, but when I’m trying to do something, when I’m trying to understand how to push my startup ahead, I will try and understand it from a digital medium because it’s my easiest way to reach my consumer, my client. I honestly see AI as the number one out there.
Mugbil Ahmar: A huge round of applause. I can actually visualize you giving a presentation on AI.
Genelia Deshmukh: Oh, I hope so.
Mugbil Ahmar: In our next edition.
Genelia Deshmukh: I really hope so.
Mugbil Ahmar: You are so clued into it, as opposed to a lot of people who are still not that clued into it, coming from the industry. It’s an amazing thing. And, Genelia, it’s been a wonderfully, a lovely, lovely talk with you today.
Genelia Deshmukh: Thank you so much.
Mugbil Ahmar: Thank you so much for your time and sharing your journey, your stories, and your thoughts, most importantly.
Genelia Deshmukh: No, thank you for the wonderful interview. We both spoke before we reached here, just for you guys to know. And I’m like, I just need to spend more time with him because he knows everything. I just want to know so much more. It’s amazing.
Mugbil Ahmar: Now I think you know more than me. And we are going to have this presentation someday.
Genelia Deshmukh: Thank you, thank you.
Mugbil Ahmar: Thank you so much.
Genelia Deshmukh: Thank you so much for having me here.
