Son of Vilasrao Deshmukh, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Ritesh Deshmukh has proved that he does have a talent in acting and not just political relations. An architect by training, Ritesh Deshmukh took acting lessons at The Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute when he was working in New York. After debuting with 'Tujhe Meri Kasam' in 2003 and being labelled as a 'wooden' entry into Bollywood, Ritesh Deshmukh is gradually hitting the right notes with his films Out of control (2003), Masti (2004), Kyaa Kool Hai Hum (2005), Bluff Master (2005) etc. He enjoys playing cricket and watching films and partying at Athena, a popular Mumbai nightclub. He changed his name Riteish Deshmukh to 'Ritesh Deshmukh' for numerological reasons.