Ameesha Patel ( born on 9 June 1975) is an Indian actress who appears in mainly Bollywood movies. Making her acting debut in the blockbuster Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000), Patel won critical praise for her performance in Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001), which became one of the biggest hits in the history of Hindi cinema, earning her a Filmfare Special Performance Award.
She would subsequently star in a number of films, most of which proved unsuccessful at the box office. However, her performance in the 2006 film Ankahee, received critical recognition, and she followed it with a supporting role in the hit Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007).
Her relationship with filmmaker Vikram Bhatt was often talked about in the Indian media as well as her long-running rift with her parents.
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. In Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage, she played the role of Sapna who is caged in protective custody of her own father. She co-starred opposite Hrithik Roshan for the second time in this film. Unlike their successful pairing in Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai, the film proved to be a disappointment and resulted in a critical and commercial failure. Patel's performance in the film was criticized by a section of the media, but during an interview she clarified that there was an "error" because the scene explaining that her character is supposed to be asthmatic in the film was edited out not knowing that one shot would make such a difference, thus creating confusion to the viewer about her appearing out of breath, as if she's overacting or crying.
Consequently, 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 Puthiya 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.
In 2005, she starred in Satish Kaushik's thriller Vaada, playing the role of Arjun Rampal's unfaithful wife who is followed by her obsessive ex-lover. In her next release, Elaan, she played a TV reporter. She later appeared in Ketan Mehta's historical drama Mangal Pandey: The Rising where she played the role of the soft-spoken Jwala, a Bengali widow who gets rescued from committing Sati by a British commanding officer. Patel was cast as a replacement for Aishwarya Rai under the recommendation of Aamir Khan who was impressed by her IQ level when he saw her on BBC under the segment of Question Time India in 2003.The film, which saw her appearing without make-up for the first time, did an average business despite becoming a major grosser. Her other releases that year include Zameer: The Fire Within, a delayed production since 2001, and the Telugu film Narasimhudu, both which proved commercial and critical failures.
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 very small 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). Her performance as the helpless mother was not well-received.
