Genelia D’Souza has majorly stayed away from controversies her entire career, but a few years back, she found herself in the middle of a strange controversy. Over a decade after it first made headlines, Genelia D’Souza has finally addressed the bizarre rumour that she was accidentally married to John Abraham during the filming of their 2011 action-thriller Force. The actress cleared the air during a recent interview, shutting down years of speculation around one of the most unusual stories to come out of Bollywood.
In a candid conversation with Siddharth Kannan, Genelia dismissed the rumour that had circulated back in 2012, which claimed that a real priest was brought on set to perform an elaborate wedding sequence between her and John Abraham. The scene, according to gossip at the time, included everything from chanting mantras and exchanging garlands to tying the mangalsutra and completing the traditional seven pheras — leading to speculation that the two were, technically and legally, married.
The actress laughed off the claims, making it clear that there was no truth to the story. “There was no truth to it. We didn’t get married. These stories were spread by PR, and I think you should ask them why they did it,” she said.
In the same period, Genelia also opened up about her 10-year break from the film industry, a decision she made shortly after marrying Riteish Deshmukh in 2012. Speaking to Zoom, she reflected on the time she spent away from the limelight and why she has no regrets about her hiatus.
“Most people ask me if it’s easy to step away from the limelight for 10 years and I said, ‘It’s what I wanted to do, so I did it,’” Genelia shared. “I saw a place after 10 years and I am happy in that place. I may not do 10 films, I may do three films, but my happiness is with that and that’s what matters the most.”
Genelia made her comeback with the 2022 Marathi film Ved, which marked the directorial debut of her husband Riteish Deshmukh. The film went on to become a commercial success, earning praise from both critics and audiences. While Ved marked her full-fledged return, she had made brief appearances in films like Jai Ho and Force 2 during her sabbatical.