Never thought I would last beyond my first film: Riteish Deshmukh

Mumbai: Actor-producer Riteish Deshmukh is happy to have completed a decade in Bollywood as he never thought he would survive in the industry for so long. The 34-year-old actor debuted with K Vijaya Bhaskar`s `Tujhe Meri Kasam` in 2003 opposite Genelia D`Souza, but it was not until 2004 that he achieved success when he appeared in `Masti` and `Bardaasht`. "The journey has been great. I never thought I would last in this industry for ten years. In fact, I never thought I would last beyond my first film. But it has been a great decade. I have worked with new filmmakers and superstars be it Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan. I have made many friends. It has been a very fulfilling journey as a whole," said Riteish. In January this year, Ritesh also made a successful debut as a film producer with Marathi film `Balak Palak`, directed by Ravi Jhadhav, which recently completed 100 days in cinemas. The film is a comedy-drama, which deals with the topic of sex education of adolescents. "I am happy with the success of `Balak` but I am not planning to make every film with a social message. My aim as a producer is t make films that appeal to me. The choices I make as a producer may not be the choices I make as an actor," Riteish said. The actor is set to make his Marathi film debut with `Lai Bhaari`, which is his second production. "I am working on my first Marathi film `Lai Bhaari`. I am excited to work with Nishikant Kamat. It took me 10 years to act in a Marathi film. Apart from that we are also looking to make `Balak Palak` in Hindi," he said. Riteish is also making his debut on television as a judge on Star Plus dance reality show, `India`s Dancing Superstar` and he feels it is the right time for him to venture into small screen. He will join choreographers Geeta Kapur and Ashley Lobo as a judge. "Ten years back I made my debut in films and now I think it is the right time for me to step into the world of television. I am excited and also nervous. It is a completely new experience to judge a show," he said. When asked on what criteria he will judge the contestants, Riteish said, "The acts should be entertaining. It should be creative enough. I want to see performances that will make the audience sit up because I am representing people who sit at home. For the last ten years I have worked with many choreographers and have learnt my bit. I am going to use all that experience in the show to give better judgements." PTI