Never thought I would last beyond my first film: Riteish

Actor-producer Riteish Deshmukh is happy to have completed a decade in Bollywood as he never thought he would survive in the industry for so long. The 34-year-old actor debuted with K Vijaya Bhaskar's Tujhe Meri Kasam in 2003 opposite Genelia D'Souza, but it was not until 2004 that he achieved success when he appeared in Masti and Bardaasht.

"The journey has been great. I never thought I would last in this industry for ten years. In fact, I never thought I would last beyond my first film. But it has been a great decade. I have worked with new filmmakers and superstars be it Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan. I have made many friends. It has been a very fulfilling journey as a whole," said Riteish.

In January this year, Ritesh also made a successful debut as a film producer with Marathi film Balak Palak, directed by Ravi Jhadhav, which recently completed 100 days in cinemas. The film is a comedy-drama, which deals with the topic of sex education of adolescents.

"I am happy with the success of 'Balak', but I am not planning to make every film with a social message. My aim as a producer is to make films that appeal to me. The choices I make as a producer may not be the choices I make as an actor," Riteish said.

The actor is set to make his Marathi film debut with Lai Bhaari, which is his second production. "I am working on my first Marathi film Lai Bhaari. I am excited to work with Nishikant Kamat. It took me 10 years to act in a Marathi film. Apart from that we are also looking to make Balak Palak in Hindi," he said.

Riteish is also making his debut on television as a judge on Star Plus dance reality show, India's Dancing Superstar and he feels it is the right time for him to venture into small screen. He will join choreographers Geeta Kapur and Ashley Lobo as a judge.

"Ten years back I made my debut in films and now I think it is the right time for me to step into the world of television. I am excited and also nervous. It is a completely new experience to judge a show," he said.

When asked on what criteria he will judge the contestants, Riteish said, "The acts should be entertaining. It should be creative enough. I want to see performances that will make the audience sit up because I am representing people who sit at home. For the last ten years I have worked with many choreographers and have learnt my bit. I am going to use all that experience in the show to give better judgements."

PTI