I am not a great fan of actors as such, barring the one and only Mr. Bose :D However of late, I've taken a great liking for Riteish Deshmukh, not so much for the actor but more for the person that he is. Not that I know him personally :P But whatever I have been able to decipher while watching the reality show India’s Dancing Superstar (IDS). However that’s not how I always looked at him.
I quite liked Genelia D'Souza especially after Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na. She seemed so vivacious, positive and full of energy all the time. So when I heard that she would be marrying Riteish Deshmukh my instant reaction was she deserves someone much better. How did she even fall for him in the first place? It changed a bit when I got to know that they had been dating for eight years. I really appreciated the consistency and when I saw them together on a reality show they looked so much in love. So I thought, well, love conquers all.
That was a couple of years ago. Genelia kind of disappeared after her marriage and I moved on with my life, shuttling between Delhi and Siliguri :P
Next I saw Ritesh on IDS. Initially I only used to watch glimpses or repeat telecasts of this show as the timings coincided with one of my favourite shows ever – Jhalak Dikhla Jaa. I have been an ardent fan of this show right from the first season. True the celebrities in the current season aren’t as exciting, but Madhuri Dixit is enough to keep one hooked to the show. And of course Manish Paul, who I believe is the best anchor in the country today. So there was no way I would miss Jhalak for a new dance show.
That started changing. With every passing week, I started to get hooked on to the show. Not that I suddenly fell in love with Mr. Deshmukh. It was primarily due to the performances, especially those of MJ5, D-Maniax, Loyola Dream Team and Akshay Pal. Every week they would come up with remarkable performances and as the judges say, ‘win me over’. During the course of watching this show, I discovered what an amazing human being Riteish is.
The first time I saw him on the judging panel I thought, like many others, “What is he doing as a judge of a dancing show? Didn't they find anyone better? He doesn't have great dancing skills to boast of.” After watching a few episodes I felt he was doing a great job. And then I started liking him more.
He is always such a sport, going up to the stage every time some participant calls him, mimicking the most difficult of stunts in his own charming style. Then, in one of the episodes, when co-judge Geeta Kapoor praised him for the person that he is, he humbly replied, echoing my previous sentiments. He said that he knew a lot of people had doubts about him being a fit judge for a dancing show. How beautifully he said that he was watching the performances, giving his comments both appreciating and picking faults just like a viewer would do in front of his television set. In that regard he was no different from a viewer. Only that since he was famous he got the chance to be on that seat. That day he completely blew my mind. I fell in love with his humility. I have even switched over from Jhalak to IDS and one of the main reasons is to watch him.
And as I said above, I really like him now. He comes across as a very nice human being. He is witty, humble, sweet, polite and has an amazing sense of humour. Genelia is indeed very lucky to have him as a husband. A couple made for each other :)
