Riteish Deshmukh began his career at the movies with Tujhe Meri Kasam, a romantic drama. It was only after Masti in 2004 that people felt the actor had potential as he displayed an impressive knack for comedy. Be it farcical (The Masti Series) or frivolous (Humshakals), Deshmukh has always been a dependable comic, but there's a lot more to him than his often smart and often slapstick celluloid deamenaour.

Very early on in his career, he played a film director in Ram Gopal Varma's Naach. He kept his mannerisms restrained and barely raised his voice, very similar to RGV himself. But the film nearly sank without a trace. But it was evident the actor could pull off other genres too. In Varma's Rann six years later, he found another character he could play with, and it was that of a journalist out to expose the dark side of journalism. Again, the film vanished as quickly as a news item.