Imran
Khan's
petite
and
perky
costar
Genelia
D'Souza
in
Jaane
Tu...
Ya
Jaane
Na
started
her
career
with
Mr
Bachchan,
no
less.
"I
did
a
Parker
pen
ad
with
him
when
I
was
still
a
kid.
It
seems
I've
been
acting
forever.
Strangely,
acting
was
never
an
option.
That
ad
was
directed
by
Mansoor
Khan.
He
kept
me
in
mind
for
Jaane
Tu...
Ya
Jaane
Na,
and
here
I
am."
She
continues,
"Actually
this
film
was
being
produced
by
Jhamu
Sugandh
first.
That's
when
I
screen-tested
for
the
role
of
Aditi.
I
met
the
director
Abbas
Tyrewala
and
he
almost
finalized
me.
But
he
needed
bulk
dates
from
me
and
I
was
busy
down
South.
He
wanted
to
shoot
at
stretch.
I
couldn't
do.
I
got
busy
in
the
South.
Then
one
day
I
got
a
call
from
Aamir
Khan's
office.
Abbas
wanted
a
complete
newcomer.
But
Aamir
wanted
a
girl
who
suited
the
character.
The
next
thing
I
knew,
I
was
on
board."
Genelia
says
she
was
never
that
keen
on
an
acting
career.
"But
when
I
saw
how
I
was
appreciated
down
South,
I
fell
in
love
with
the
industry.
I've
been
lucky.
I
didn't
plan
anything.
I've
never
contacted
a
single
producer.
So
far
it's
been
an
awesome
journey." After
Tamil
and
Telugu,
Genelia
has
just
made
her
debut
in
Kannada
film.
"I'm
sure
I'll
be
able
to
dub
in
all
the
South
Indian
languages
soon.
I
know
I
can
do
it.
I
just
need
to
get
the
slangs
and
colloquialisms
correct.
Honestly,
I
need
to
dub
my
own
lines
in
the
South
to
give
complete
performances."
In
Jaane
Tu...
Ya
Jaane
Na,
Genelia
plays
a
girl
quite
like
herself.
"Except
for
one
detail.
Aditi
picks
fights
with
every
damn
person.
I'm
not
like
that.
I'd
rather
talk
it
out
than
fight.
I
had
to
really
let
go
to
be
fighting
on
screen
all
the
time.
The
workshops
really
helped.
Both
Imran
and
I
are
close
to
the
characters.
But
we
also
discovered
new
facets
of
ourselves
while
playing
the
characters."
Like
Asin,
Genelia
is
now
dividing
her
time
between
Bollywood
and
the
South.
"I'm
getting
a
lot
of
calls
in
Mumbai.
I
want
to
balance
it
out.
But
the
priority
would
be
Hindi
films
right
now
because
I've
worked
really
long
in
the
South.
But
my
South
Indian
films
are
also
very
important.
I
get
very
satisfying
roles
in
Tamil
and
Telugu.
And
I
can't
let
them
go.
Let's
just
say,
I'll
do
one
film
down
South
for
every
two
films
I
do
here.
In
any
case,
they
wrap
up
their
films
super-fast
down
South."
The
rumours
about
Genelia
D'Souza
and
her
first
co-star
Riteish
Deshmukh
have
the
child-woman
flummoxed.
"I'm
very
much
single.
Riteish
is
a
friend.
But
that's
it.
I've
no
idea
where
these
rumours
come
from.
We're
both
very
busy.
When
we
occasionally
meet
up
we're
normal
with
one
another,
not
the
least
self-conscious
about
what's
written
about
us.
I'm
very
new
to
all
this.
I've
done
the
two
films
with
Riteish,
Tujhe
Meri
Kasam
and
Masti….I
started
young,
yes.
In
2003,
I
had
three
releases
in
Hindi,
Tamil
and
Telugu," the
Mumbai
girl
informs
me.
"I
got
busy
with
the
South
that's
the
only
reason
why
it
took
me
so
long
to
get
noticed
in
Bollywood.
There's
a
buzz
about
Jaane
Tu...
Ya
Jaane
Na
because
it
is
Imran's
debut
film.
I'm
definitely
looking
at
it
as
a
high-potential
film.
I
also
had
fun
doing
Priyadarshan's
Mere
Baap
Pehle
Aap.
I
enjoy
doing
films
in
all
languages
and
genres."
She
also
has
It's
My
Life
with
Harman
Baweja
coming
up.
"I've
done
the
original
in
Telugu
down
South.
Then
I
also
did
the
remake
in
Tamil.
Now
I'm
doing
it
in
Hindi.
The
Tamil
and
Telugu
versions
were
similar.
But
the
Hindi
version
is
very
different.
Today
both
the
South
and
Hindi
are
high-potential
industries
for
me.
I'm
still
a
newcomer
in
Bollywood."
Story first published: Wednesday, October 1, 2008, 13:48 [IST]