Amisha Patel

Biography

Early life

Amisha 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 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.

She studied at the Cathedral and John Connon High School in Bombay and graduated from Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. After she graduated, she modelled for several products an then worked in a financial company for Morgan Stanley. After returning to India she joined Satyadev Dubey's theatre group and acting in plays, upon receiving permission from her conservative parents.[2]

Career

Patel made her acting debut with Rakesh Roshan’s Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000). The film was the biggest hit of the year, and made her a star overnight, earning her awards for Best Debut at a number of award ceremonies.[3] Her second release was a Telugu language film titled Badri. She played the role of Prakash Raj’s pampered sister who falls in love with Pawan Kalyan’s character. 2001 saw her appearing in the cross-border romance, Gadar: Ek Prem Katha, alongside Sunny Deol. 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.[4] Set during the 1947 Indo-Pakistani conflicts, it featured Patel as Sakina, 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.

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 but her last release, Humraaz, performed moderately well at the box office, and her performance earned her a nomination for Filmfare Best Actress Award. 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 debuts in Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai, the film proved to be a disappointment and resulted in a critical and commercial failure. In 2005 she starred in Vaada playing the role of Arjun Rampal’s wife who is tracked by her former crazed lover. Her next release was Elaan. The film saw her play a reporter. She later appeared in the historical epic film Mangal Pandey: The Rising where she played the role of a widow who gets rescued from committing Sati by a British man. The film did an average business.

Patel featured in six films in 2006, all of which failed commercially. She first starred in Mere Jeevan Saathi, a production that had been delayed since 2004. Ankahee, which saw her playing the role of a wife and a mother who tries to save her marriage life after her husband's extramarital affair, followed. Despite the film's box office failure, her performance received critical praise. In Teesri Aankh, she played the role of a mute girl. She learned sign language in order to fit the role.[5]

After continuous flops during 2002-2006, Amisha finally saw success in 2007 with the super hit movie Bhool Bhulaiyaa where she played the role of a rejected adopted girl opposite Akshay Kumar. She also starred in Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. where she played the bubbly and vivacious wife of Karan Khanna. In 2008, she had only one release where she appeared in an item number in Kunal Kohli’s Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic in which she co-starred Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukerji. She essayed the cameo role of Khan’s girlfriend and her dumb bimbo act has won her accolades as well as her bikini in the song Lazy Lamhe that featured her along with Saif.

As of August 2008, Patel has completed working on two comic films, Run Bhola Run opposite Govinda scheduled for a January 2009 release, and Chatur Singh Two Star opposite Sanjay Dutt.

Awards and nominations

Filmfare Awards

Winner

2001: Filmfare Special Performance Award; Gadar: Ek Prem Katha

Nominated

2000: Filmfare Best Female Debut Award; Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai

2001: Filmfare Best Actress Award; Gadar: Ek Prem Katha

2002: Filmfare Best Actress Award; Humraaz

Star Screen Awards

Nominated

2000: Most Promising Newcomer - Female; Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai

2001: Best Actress; Gadar: Ek Prem Katha

Zee Cine Awards

Winner

2000: Zee Cine Award Best Female Debut; Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai

Nominated

2001: Zee Cine Award Best Actor - Female; Gadar: Ek Prem Katha

IIFA Awards

Nominated

2001: Best Actress; Gadar: Ek Prem Katha

Other Awards

2000: 31st Annual Filmgoers "Best Female Debut"; Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai

2000: Kalashree "Sensational Discovery"; Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai

2000: Sansui Viewers Choice Award "Best Debut / Face of the Year"; Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai

2001: 32nd Annual Filmgoers, Best Actress; Gadar: Ek Prem Katha

2002: Sansui Jury Award for Best Actress; Gadar: Ek Prem Katha