Ameesha Patel: A Timeless Beauty in Bollywood
Amisha Patel is an Indian actress. She appears in Hindi and Telugu movies. She received many awards like Filmfare award & Zee Cine Award.
In 2000, she made her acting debut with a romantic thriller movie ‘Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai’. In the same year she acted in Telugu movie Badri. Both were hit films. In 2001, she acted in Gadar: Ek Prem Katha with Sunny Deol. It was a top-grossing film. Later she acted in Humraaz, Kya Yehi Pyaar Hai, Bhool BUlaiyaa, Race 2 etc.
In 2023, she made a career comeback with Gadar 2. It also emerged as her highest grossing release.
Apart from her acting career she is a humanitarian & works for a number of causes.
Early Life and Career Beginnings
Ameesha Patel was born on 9th June 1975. She was born in a Gujarati family. Her father was Gujarati named Amit Patel & mother was Punjabi NRI named Asha. She has a brother Ashmit Patel. She is a granddaughter of lawyer-politician Barrister Rajni Patel. She has been a trained Bharatnatyam dancer since the age of five.
Education and early interests in acting
Ameesha Patel studied at Cathedral and John Connon School in Mumbai. Later she went to Tufts University in Boston in the United States to study bio-genetic engineering, which she studied for two years, before eventually switching her major to economics.
Ameesha Patel’s career began as an economic analyst at Khandwala Securities Limited after graduation. After returning to India, she joined Satyadev Dubey’s theatre group and acted in plays like an Urdu language play titled Neelam.
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At the same time, she plunged into modelling. She appeared in several commercial campaigns Bajaj, Fair & Lovely, Cadburys, Fem, Lux and many more.
Debut film and initial breakthroughs in Bollywood
In 1999, Ameesha Patel met filmmaker Vikram Bhatt on the set of their first film together; Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage. Later they started dating since the film’s release. The relationship with Bhatt was often reported to the media speculating on a possible marriage.
In January 2008, the media reported that Patel and Bhatt broke their five-year relationship. Bhatt confirmed the break-up in a conversation with Mid-Day. On 12 March 2008, Patel was spotted with London-based businessman Kanav Puri at Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week. In June 2008, she confirmed their relationship.
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In September 2010, Mumbai Mirror reported that Patel broke off the relationship with her long-time boyfriend Kanav Puri.
Acting career
Debut and initial success
She made her acting debut with Hindi movie Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai opposite Hritik Roshan in 2000. The film was a major commercial success and established Patel as a rising star, earning her a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut.
In her second film, the Telugu language drama Badri, she starred opposite Pawan Kalyan. The film was also a major success. It earned more than ₹12 crore distributor share in India. In 2001, she appeared in Gadae: Ek Prem Katha alongside Sunny Deol.
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The film went on to become the top-grossing film of the year, as well as the biggest hit of the 21st century, earning Rs 973 million in India. Her performance in the movie was praised, and won her the Filmfare Special Performance Award, in addition to her first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress.
During same time she acted in Zindgi Ka Safar, Aap Mujhe Achche lagne Lage, Yeh Hai Jalwa etc. But they were not successful. She acted in Humraaz with Bobby Deol & Akshay Khanna. Humraaz was fifth highest-grossing film of the year at the box office, and her performance earned her a second nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress.
Obstacles faced in her career journey
During 2003 to 2006, her acting career entered a slump. After the success of Humraaz, her string of unsuccessful films continued until 2006. In 2003, her only releases were the Tamil language film Pudhiya Geethai and the Hindi film Parwana. In 2004, she acted in Sasurjee.
The same year, she also appeared in the music videos for “O Meri Jaan” and “Hai Kasam Tu Na Ja” by Adnan Sami. In 2005, she starred in Vaada. Later she appeared in Ketan Mehta’s historical drama Mangal Pandey: The Rising alongside Aamir Khan.
In 2006, Ameesha Patel acted in Mere Jeevan Saathi, Humko Tumse Pyaar Hai etc. Later that year, she appeared in Aap Ki Khatir. In 2007, she acted in Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. Later in the same year she acted in Bhool Bhulaiyaa with Akshay Kumar and Vidya Balan.
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In 2011, she made a comeback to Telugu movie Param Veera Chakra with a brief role. On 23rd April she launched her production company named Ameesha Patel Productions with Kuunal Goomer. On 2nd April 2013, they launch an event of Desi Music.
In 2013, she returned to Hindi cinema with Race 2. The film opened to mixed reviews and performed poorly at the box office.
Ameesha Patel also entered the reality show Bigg Boss 13 with a twist. In 2023, Patel returned to acting by reprising her role as Sakeena in Gadar 2, 22 years since its predecessor released. The film was declared an all-time blockbuster. In 2024, she appeared in the romantic thriller Tauba Tera Jalwa.
Exploration of her ventures outside of the film industry
Stage performances
Ameesha Patel performed in a number of concerts and world tours during her career. Her first world tour was; The Roshans: Hrithik Live in Concert in 2001, along with Hrithik Roshan, was performed across India.
In 2004, Ameesha Patel took part in a series of concerts in the world tour Craze 2004 alongside Hrithik Roshan, Saif Ali Khan and Lara Dutta. In 2005, she participated in Adnan Sami’s world tour Kuch Dil Se… that was performed across the US and Canada.
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In December 2008, she took part in Akshay Kumar’s Christmas Eve show Chandni Chowk to Hong along with Bipasha Basu, Priyanka Chopra, Riya Sen, Aarti Chhabria, Himesh Reshammiya and Punjabi rapper Bohemia for a promotional campaign for Kumar’s film Chandni Chowk to China.
Philanthropic efforts and social impact initiatives
In September 2004, she joined PETA, one of the organisations championing the cause of animals, for an advertising campaign.
In February 2005, along with other Bollywood stars, Patel performed at the HELP! A Telethon Concert for raising money for the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.
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In November 2006, Patel joined an NGO named PlanetRead. It helps people in villages to learn reading through film songs. In October 2007, Patel along with John Abraham and Kirron Kher joined the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to curb human trafficking in India.
Controversies
In August 2006, an Air India employee filed a police complaint, alleging that Ameesha Patel had misbehaved with her after her companion was not upgraded to first class on the Mumbai-New York flight on 18 August.
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