A quick scroll through Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia D’Souza’s social media feeds and you can easily call them the cutest B-town couple on the ‘gram. From adorable pictures to funny lip dubs, the couple can’t stop posting each other. Quite obviously, the love is very much alive even after almost 2 decades of dating and being married to each other.
In fact, did you know that Genelia was just 16 when she met Riteish for the first time on the sets of Tujhe Meri Kasam? Gradually, the hush-hush romance blossomed and ten years later they exchanged vows in 2012. It was the same year when Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya released and the jodi became quite a hit owing to their crackling chemistry. And after all these years, their chemistry is still sizzling as ever! Ask them the secret behind it, and they just smile and communicate so much even without saying a word.
In a recent chat with POPxo during the #WeSeeEqual Gender Summit by Procter & Gamble Company, the two talked about the foundation of their marriage and what makes it an equal partnership. Here are some excerpts.
On Being Equal Partners At Home
For Riteish, being a partner has a lot to do with listening and as he says “everything else automatically follows.” Ask him what it is that makes their marriage an equal partnership and he very candidly replies: “I really haven’t given it a thought in terms of what makes it equal. This is because we have anyway always created a relationship as equals. Having said that, I think equality begins with your ears which means that you really need to listen to your partner.
He adds, “The moment you stop listening to them, it means you think that you are superior. So equality needs to begin with listening to each other’s needs and that’s the foundation of our relationship.”
Riteish On That One Quality In Genelia He Is Really Thankful For
“Genelia and I have a long list,” says Riteish when asked about that one quality in his partner that is really thankful for. However, it is how she supports him on tough days that he values the most. He shares, “I can’t thank her enough for always comforting me after a long day or whenever I am feeling a bit low or when things are not going in the right direction. She is the one who comes up and says, “It’s okay. This will work out and we’ll figure this thing out.'”
Genelia On The One Quality In Riteish She Is Grateful For
As for Genelia, it is communication that happens to be the foundation of their relationship. She says she feels grateful that Riteish as a partner is very upfront when it comes to navigating the hardest topics together.
She explains, “I think one of the most important things is to be able to communicate, and that’s exactly why Riteish and my relationship works. When it comes to romantic relationships, it is not very often emphasized, because it is always about ‘love’.”
She adds that at some point in a relationship everything else takes a back seat, and effective communication is what keeps you going. “A lot of people feel that relationships are just matches made in heaven, but I’d like to believe they are a work in progress every single day. Communicate your thoughts, communicate your feelings, communicate your aspirations and I’m thankful Riteish does all of this.”
On How The Pandemic Impacted Their Relationship
For so many of us, the pandemic drastically changed our family lives and dynamics. It was no different for Genelia-Riteish’s relationship as well. As he shares, “I think it impacted our relationship in a positive way because of the kind of time that we got to spend with each other as a family. Genelia and I have been together for so long, but we are not the same people we met 19 years ago. And after a few years, we won’t be the same people again because our experiences and influences will keep changing.”
He adds, “Our choices might differ, our lives might change, but our commitment to understanding each other remains. And our bond only got stronger post the lockdown experience.”
On Returning To The Big Screen As Co-Actors
It has been close to a decade since both Riteish and Genelia co-starred in a movie, and fans have been waiting for them to return to the big screen as a couple. Well, you’ll be glad to know that so are they. “Genelia and I hope that we get something really exciting to do together. I am saying that she has to do a Marathi film, because she has done so many languages already. As a producer, I am requesting her to accept my sincere request to do a full-fledged Marathi film,” shares Riteish.
Well, here’s hoping that it happens soon and we get to watch their adorable jodi on-screen again. Aren’t these two couple goals?
Featured Image: Instagram
