Ved, which marks the directorial debut of Riteish Deshmukh and the Marathi film debut of Genelia Deshmukh, has emerged as an all-time blockbuster. On its second Sunday, it raked in a staggering Rs 5.69 crore at the box office, which is the highest single-day collection for a Marathi film. And over the last weekend, it completed a glorious 50-day run. Having broken many records, its gross collection currently stands at Rs 74 crore, thus becoming the third highest-grossing Marathi film of all time.
Apart from it being her first Marathi film, the romance drama is also special to Genelia as it marks her onscreen reunion with Riteish a decade after Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya (2012). In a freewheeling and exclusive tête-à-tête with News18, she said that the love and appreciation that has come her way for her performance in the film has left her ‘overwhelmed’. “I’m so happy that I could break into a silent dance (laughs)! I feel an immense sense of gratitude for those who have gone to the theatres and watched the film and treated it like their own. They remember all the sarees I wore in it. They’ve taken the film home. So, for us, the numbers are the cherry on the top,” she remarked.
Expressing her thankfulness towards the Marathi cinema-watching audience, Genelia excitedly said, “They treat me like a family member and call me ‘vahini’. All I can do is join my hands and tell them a ‘thank you’ with all my heart. I don’t know how many people get this kind of love. I would say that the success of Ved is also a product of some crazy amount of love, prayers, and luck.”
The film also received a stupendous response from the audience in Latur, a district Riteish belongs to. Recalling the day when the actor couple visited Tuljapur a few days following the release of Ved, Genelia shared, “The atmosphere was unbelievable there. People had come there from nearby villages and towns. Then, we went to our village Babhalgaon and it was so crowded! That kind of euphoria is something that we didn’t expect when we made the film. At every stage, we were as thrilled as the people there were to see us.”
This experience was similar to the one they had when they visited a theatre in Latur after the release of their debut film, Tujhe Meri Kasam (2003), during the shoot of which Genelia and Riteish fell in love. “We had finished the promotions and were very tired and so, we decided to go home to Latur and visit a theatre. And it was just another world! People were dancing on the streets and we couldn’t walk (laughs). But it was very special. We went there with the intent of visiting a temple, which Riteish’s family always does before doing something important,” the 35-year-old elaborated.
When asked if her sons – Riaan and Rahyl – have watched Ved yet, Genelia said, “Yes! In fact, this is the first film of ours that they have watched. They’ve watched Dhamaal (2007) in bits and pieces before. They didn’t know that their mother is an actor. They always thought, ‘Aai is someone who’s always at home sitting with us.’ They thought for the longest time that their aai is their property (laughs).” Talking about their reaction to Ved, she stated, “They were very proud of us after they watched Ved, which means a lot to us. More than the film, they’re crazy about the song Ved Lavlay. They keep doing the hook step every five minutes!”
The Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na (2008) and Force 2 (2016) actor lauded Riteish for his eye for detail and directorial chops but believes it is the simplicity of the story that made Ved resonate with the audience. “Riteish was extremely particular about my sarees being simple without any zari work and embroidery and the bindi being a certain colour. When I started working on the film, I told him, ‘I’m returning to the movies after ten years, why aren’t you showing me like a heroine?’” She further adds, “But he feels that there’s beauty in simplicity and I do agree with him. We tend to forget that and end up trying to outdo ourselves very often. But just being yourself can sometimes mean so much.”
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