Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia D'Souza: Two Weddings, One Love Story

First, a correction: the original version of this story, published in 2011, congratulated Genelia D'Souza and John Abraham in its headline. That was simply wrong. John Abraham had nothing to do with it. The couple in question was Genelia D'Souza and Riteish Deshmukh, and their wedding, when it finally happened, became one of Bollywood's most-loved romances.

How did Riteish and Genelia's story begin?

The two met in 2002 on the sets of their debut film, Tujhe Meri Kasam. What followed was nearly a decade of dating kept remarkably private by Bollywood standards. While tabloids speculated through the 2000s, the couple only made things official when the wedding was announced (SheThePeople).

When did they get married?

On February 3, 2012, Riteish and Genelia married in a traditional Maharashtrian Hindu ceremony, followed on February 4 by a Catholic church wedding honoring Genelia's faith (SheThePeople). Photographs from the celebrations show the couple at their festive best (Getty Images).

The family has since grown: their son Riaan was born in November 2014, and Rahyl in June 2016 (Zoom TV).

What about the rumors from 2011?

In the run-up to the wedding, gossip columns claimed that a priest had objected to the interfaith marriage and that family tensions were brewing. Those stories were never verified by anyone close to the couple, and the twin ceremonies went ahead joyfully. It is a useful reminder of how tabloid speculation fills the gaps before the facts arrive.

Why does their story still resonate?

Because it was, by industry standards, refreshingly old-fashioned: a decade of courtship, no publicity stunts, and a wedding that honored both families' traditions. In an industry where romances often play out on magazine covers, Riteish and Genelia kept theirs almost entirely off them.

Nearly ten years of dating, two weddings in two days, zero drama. Some love stories just need patience.