Ameesha Patel is a popular face in the Indian cinema. Ameesha Patel has performed in several plays and movies in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu languages.
Background
Patel is the daughter of Amit Patel and Asha Patel, sister of Ashmit Patel and the granddaughter of the famous lawyer-politician Barrister Rajni Patel who was the Congress Pradesh Committee President of Bombay. Her birth name is a blend of the first three letters of her father's name Amit and the last three letters of her mother's name Asha.
Education
She became a gold medalist in Economics.
Career
Patel's first opportunity for acting came in the form of an offer from her father's schoolmate, Rakesh Roshan, to star opposite his son, Hrithik Roshan, in “Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai” (2000). The film was a smashing success and established Patel as a rising star, earning her awards for Best Debut at a number of award ceremonies. In her second film, the Telugu language drama “Badri”, she starred opposite Pawan Kalyan. The film was a major success. 2001 saw her appearing in Anil Sharma's cross-border romance “Gadar: Ek Prem Katha”, alongside Sunny Deol. These successes were followed by a series of films that flopped at the box-office. In “Yeh Zindagi Ka Safar” (2001), she played a successful singer who was abandoned by her mother at the time of her birth. In 2002, Patel had three failures but her last release, “Humraaz”, became one of the highest grossing films of the year at the box office, and her performance earned her a nomination for Filmfare Best Actress Award. During 2003 to 2006, Patel's acting career entered a slump. Despite the relative success of “Humraaz”, Patel's string of unsuccessful films followed and would continue until 2006, although she did find minor box office success with “Kya Yehi Pyaar Hai”, in which she played a career-oriented young woman who rejects the advances of Aftab Shivdasani's character. Patel's unsuccessful follow-up continued with “Kranti” and David Dhawan's comedy “Yeh Hai Jalwa” in 2002, followed by her first Tamil language film “Pudhiya Geethai” and Deepak Bahry's “Parwana” in 2003. Her releases in 2004, Vimal Kumar's comedy “Suno Sasurjee”, a delayed production since 2000, and her second Telugu language film “Naani”, followed. That year she also appeared in the music video for "Kasam" and "Kasam (Unplugged)" by Adnan Sami. Patel featured in six films in 2006, all which failed commercially. She first starred in “Mere Jeevan Saathi”, a production that had been delayed since 2003. She next appeared as a blind girl in “Humko Tumse Pyaar Hai”, another delayed production since 2002. The film had a limited release and flopped badly with some critics describing it as "outdated". In “Teesri Aankh: The Hidden Camera”, she played the role of a mute girl who witnesses a murder. She learned the sign language in order to fit the role. Patel was next cast in “Tathastu”, based on Denzel Washington's thriller “John Q” (2002). Patel's fifth release in 2006, Ankahee, earned her critical praise despite its failure at the box office. After appearing in a series of box office flops during 2002–2006, Patel's career prospects began to improve in 2007 when she saw moderate success with “Honeymoon Travels” playing the role of Karan Khanna's talkative wife who tries to overcome her husband's gay leanings. In an attempt to renew her image, Patel appeared in a bikini item number, “Lazy Lamhe”, in Kunal Kohli's “Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic” (2008). She learned scuba diving for the song that took 15 days to complete. Although the film flopped at the box office, Patel managed to garner attention for her appearance. Post the release of “Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic”, Patel signed on to “Run Bhola Run” and “Chatur Singh Two Star”. However, both films were continuously delayed despite reaching completion in 2009. She next attempted a comeback by signing on to Rajkumar Santoshi's “Power”, but the film was shelved. Despite repeated attempts to land a starring role, Patel dropped out of several projects due to various reasons. Following a two-and-a-half-year sabbatical, Patel made a brief comeback to the Telugu film industry with “Parama Veera Chakra” (2011) alongside Nandamuri Balakrishna; the film flopped. “Chatur Singh Two Star” released in the same year and marked her return to Hindi cinema after three years since the release of “Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic”. However, the film was poorly received both critically and commercially. On 23 April 2011, Patel hosted an event launching her production company, Ameesha Patel Productions, in collaboration with her friend and business partner Kuunal Goomer.