Meet actress who met CM's son at airport, fell in love at 16, quit acting for marriage, changed religion, is now..

Genelia D'Souza celebrated her 37th birthday yesterday. While many fans wished her by sharing her film journey on social media, others shared photos of her and Riteish Deshmukh and highlighted their unique love story on the occasion of her birthday. Genelia D'Souza has been married to actor Riteish Deshmukh since 2012. The couple dated for 10 years and have been married for 12. 

Whenever we talk about the cutest couples in Bollywood, the first face that comes to mind is that of Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia D'Souza. The two are not just perfect as husband and wife but are also good friends who always have each other's back. Their relationship is cited as an example in the film industry. However, very few people know that the couple had to walk through fire for 10 years before they could be each other's forever.

Genelia D'Souza was born on August 5, 1987, in Mumbai. She belongs to a Mangalorean Catholic family. Her mother, Jeanette D'Souza, was a managing director of the Pharma Multinational Corporation, and her father Neil D'Souza, is a senior official with Tata Consultancy Services. She also has a younger brother, Nigel D'Souza, who works with the Bombay Stock Exchange.

Just like the script of a Bollywood film, Genelia D'Souza and Riteish Deshmukh's love story has also been very unique. When Genelia D'Souza came into films, she fell in love with the lead actor of her debut film - Riteish Deshmukh. The now-married couple made their debut with 'Tujhe Meri Kasam' which was a super hit at the box office. 

The couple came close to each other during the shoot of 'Tujhe Meri Kasam'. Once while recounting his love story, Riteish Deshmukh said that he first met Genelia D'Souza at Hyderabad airport when both of them were going out for the shooting of their first film.

Riteish Deshmukh said that after dating for 10 years, they got married in 2012 as per both Hindu and Christian traditions. Genelia D'Souza liked Riteish Deshmukh since their first meeting, however, she was afraid that Riteish Deshmukh, who belongs to a political family, would be very arrogant. Riteish had said that Genelia thought that since he was the son of a Chief Minister, he would be arrogant or have a little attitude. Later when she did the film 'Tujhe Meri Kasam' with him, her confusion was cleared and she realised that Riteish Deshmukh was a good person.

Genelia D'Souza and Riteish Deshmukh were reportedly ready to get engaged, but the actor's father, the then–Maharashtra Chief Minister, Vilasrao Deshmukh did not agree. However, things worked out for the best as the couple got married in February 2012. 

Their first child, a son named Riaan, was born in November 2014 and their second son, Rahyl, was born in June 2016.

Let us tell you that after marrying Riteish Deshmukh and becoming the daughter-in-law of former Maharashtra Chief Minister, Genelia took a break from films. She made a comeback after marriage but she could not succeed in Bollywood as an actress. Getting married at the peak of her career and taking a break from films proved fatal for her career. Now, Genelia D'Souza spends most of her time creating content on social media.