Kamal Ghorui
Renowned choreographer and filmmaker Remo D’Souza became a household name after appearing as a judge on Dance India Dance nearly 17 years ago. Alongside his professional journey, audiences also grew familiar with his personal life, especially his relationship with his wife, Lizelle D’Souza.However, long before fame, Remo was known as Ramesh Gopi Nair. Over the years, a common misconception has circulated that he converted to Christianity in order to marry Lizelle (formerly Watkins). The couple has now clarified that this belief is far from the truth. In a conversation with Curly Tales, Remo addressed the assumption directly. “I want to clear one thing. People think that I got converted because of her,” he said, while Lizelle quickly added, “Yeah, please. It’s not me, it’s not me. I have not taken him away.”Born in Bengaluru to Gopi Nair and Madhaviyamma Nair, Remo revealed that his decision to embrace Christianity came much earlier in life, when he was just 15 and living in Jamnagar, Gujarat. He explained that his association with the church played a significant role in this choice.“Before coming to Mumbai, I was in Jamnagar, Gujarat, and I got converted there. Because I used to do a lot of work for the church. I used to do shows for them, collect clothes, and used to give them a lot of charity. One day Father Davis came and said, ‘Tum itna kuch karte ho church ke liye, tum convert kyun nahin ho jaate? (You do so much for the church, why don’t you convert?)” he recalled.He also spoke about how his family reacted to his decision. “My cousins and everyone there were Catholics. I asked my dad, ‘Main (convert) karoon kya? (Should I convert to Christianity?)’ He said, ‘Don’t change my name, but do what you want to’,” Remo shared. Respecting his father’s wish, he retained his roots in his name and now goes by Remo Gopi D’Souza, incorporating his father’s name as his middle name. Remo and Lizelle tied the knot in 1999 in their twenties and have since built a life together. The couple are parents to two sons, Adonis and Gabriel. On work front, Remo’s last directorial was ‘Be Happy’.
