Amisha Patel (Hindi: अमीषा पटेल)

Born on June 9, 1976
Amisha Patel (Hindi: अमीषा पटेल) , also known as Ameesha Patel is an Indian Bollywood actress. 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

"Even if I wasn't an actress and I walked into a party with friends, I'd still have men gaping at me and undressing me in their minds."

"I am happy I have competition. It keeps me on my toes all the while and stops me from becoming complacent. So, it works to my advantage."

"Films were never on my agenda, may be it was written in my destiny. And since I am here, I would like to give it my best try."

"I don`t mind an item number like "Kajra Re" from Bunty Aur Babli, it`s done well and the song seems like a whole lot of fun. But if I did a "Khallas," my career would also be Khallas with it!"

"Kareena and Aishwarya are beautiful, and talented. But it hurts when I lose a project to them because I'm equally qualified."

"I would never deny the importance of the media, but I wouldn't go out of the way to splash my pictures all over town. I'd rather let my work do the talking."

"If someone talks bad about me it only goes to show that the person feels insecure. I don't manipulate. I don't carry dabbas for directors."
-Amisha Patel

Her father's schoolmate, Rakesh Roshan, offered her a position in the film Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000) and Amisha grabbed the opportunity. The role of an exuberant college girl in love, undergoing a tortuous time at losing her lover and rediscovering a more mature relationship gave Patel scope to perform. 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, grossing more than Rs 120 million in India.

2001 saw her appearing in Anil Sharma's controversial cross-border romance, Gadar: Ek Prem Katha, alongside Sunny Deol. Patel signed on much before she shot into the limelight with Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai and was selected among 500 newcomers who auditioned for the film.It 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.Set during the 1947 Indo-Pakistani conflicts, it featured Patel as Sakeena, a Muslim girl who finds refuge in Deol's house during the riots, and subsequently falls for him. Her performance was praised, and won her the Filmfare Special Performance Award. IndiaFM's Taran Adarsh concluded "Despite being one-film-old, Amisha Patel deserves full marks for handling the complex role with elegance. She looks the character she is portraying and impresses with a natural performance."The film was perceived as being excessively anti-Pakistani.

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, she had four continuous flops though 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. The Abbas-Mustan marital thriller, inspired by the 1998 Hollywood film A Perfect Murder, saw her play a negative role for the first time. She played the girlfriend of Akshaye Khanna, who marries Bobby Deol to grab his wealth – but, seeing Bobby's honesty, her character surrenders to him. She also starred in Kya Yehi Pyaar Hai, in which she played a career-oriented young woman who rejects the advances of the film's hero. In Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage, she plays 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 fifth release in 2006, Ankahee, earned her critical praise despite its failure at the box office. The film saw her play the role of a wronged wife and a mother who tries to save her marriage life after her husband's extramarital affair. Diganta Guha from Hindustan Times noted "...it's Amisha's performance that remains in your mind. She is dignity personified in the film, playing a woman betrayed in marriage, going all out to save it and in the end choosing her own path."

Later that year, she starred along with Akshaye Khanna and Priyanka Chopra in Dharmesh Darshan's Aap Ki Khatir, a remake of the 2005 Hollywood film The Wedding Date. The film saw her play a side role for the first time reprising the role played by Amy Adams.

After appearing in a series of box office flops during 2002-2006, Amisha finally saw success in 2007 with the moderately successful romantic comedy Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. playing the role of Karan Khanna's blabbermouth wife who is able to hold her husband's gay leanings mainly because she is sweet and vulnerable. She later starred in super hit movie Bhool Bhulaiyaa as the rejected adopted girl opposite Akshay Kumar who is accused of trying to disrupt the marriage of her childhood crush.

Patel's only release of 2008 was Kunal Kohli's Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic, co-starring alongside Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukerji. She appeared in an item number essaying the cameo role of Khan's girlfriend. Her dumb bimbo act won her accolades as well as her bikini in the song Lazy Lamhe,for which she learned scuba diving. The film flopped at the box office despite receiving positive reviews from critics

In July 2004, Amisha sent a legal notice to her father for mismanaging her accounts and assets amounting to Rs 120 million and demanding the money back. She then appeared in two of Bhatt's films that include Elaan (2005) and his semi-biographic Ankahee (2006) and rumors were spread on March 2006 that the couple were ready to wed.

Filmography
Actress:
1. Chatur Singh Two Star (2009)
2. Do Lucky (2009)
3. Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic (2008) (as Ameesha) .... Malaika
... aka A Litle Love, a Little Magic (USA: informal English title)
4. Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007) .... Radha
5. Heyy Babyy (2007) .... Special appearance in song
6. Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. (2007) .... Pinky V. Kapoor
7. Aap Ki Khatir (2006) .... Shirani A. Khanna
... aka Only for You (India: English title)
8. Ankahee (2006) .... Mrs. Nandita Saxena
9. Teesri Aankh (2006) .... Ammu
10. Humko Tumse Pyaar Hai (2006) (as Ameesha Patel) .... Durga
... aka Humko Tumse Pyar Hai (India: Hindi title: alternative transliteration)
11. Mere Jeevan Saathi (2006) .... Anjali
... aka Suneel Darshan's Mere Jeevan Saathi (India: Hindi title: complete title)
12. Tathastu (2006) .... Saru R. Rajput
13. The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey (2005) (as Ameesha Patel) .... Jwala
... aka Mangal Pandey (India: Hindi title)
... aka Mangal Pandey: The Rising (India: English title)
14. Narasimhudu (2005) .... Subba Lakshmi
15. Shabnam Mausi (2005) (as Amisha Patél) .... Shabnam's Mother
16. Zameer (2005) .... Pooja D. Khanna/Pooja S. Chauhan
17. Elaan (2005) .... Priya
18. Vaada (2005) .... Pooja Sharma/Pooja R. Verma
... aka The Promise (India: English title: literal title)
19. Naani (2004) .... Priya
20. Suno Sasurjee (2004) .... Kiran Saxena
21. Parwana (2003) .... Pooja
22. Puthiya Geethai (2003) .... Jo
23. Humraaz (2002) .... Priya
24. Yeh Hai Jalwa (2002) .... Sonia Singh
25. Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage (2002) .... Sapna
... aka AMALL (India: Hindi title: informal short title)
26. Kya Yehi Pyaar Hai (2002) .... Sandhya Patil
27. Kranti (2002) .... Sanjana Roy
28. Yeh Zindagi Ka Safar (2001) .... Sarina V. Devan
29. Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001) .... Sakina
... aka Gadar (India: Hindi title: short title)
... aka Mutiny: A Love Story (International: English title: informal literal title)
30. Badri (2000) .... Sarayu
31. Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000) .... Sonia Saxena
... aka KNPH (India: Hindi title: informal short title)
... aka Say This Is Love (International: English title: informal literal title)

Awards won
Filmfare Awards
Filmfare Special Performance Award
2001 Gadar: Ek Prem Katha