8 Movies Rejected By Ameesha Patel That Would’ve Changed Her Career

Ameesha Patel is a 48-year-old (June 9, 1975) Indian actress who appears in Bollywood and Tollywood. Her career went from starring in one of the Greatest Blockbusters of the Millennium to getting ranked 13th in the IMDB rating of Worst Bollywood films of all time.

Ameesha Patel made her acting debut in 2000 with the romantic thriller Kaho Naa… Pyar Hai directed and produced by Rakesh Roshan where she played the role of Sonia Saxena, daughter of a rich businessman who falls in love with Rohit, played by Hrithik Roshan. The movie was a major commercial success which landed Ameesha, the Zee Cine Awards For Best Female Debut and a nomination for Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut.

In 2001, Patel appeared in Anil Sharma’s cross-border romance Gadar: Ek Prem Katha alongside Sunny Deol, featuring the Indo-Pakistan war of 1947, which went on to become the top-grossing film of the year earning a staggering amount of Rs 973 Million. She won her first Filmfare Special Award and a nomination for Filmfare Award for Best Actress.

Patel’s career started going downhill majorly after 2002 when she starred in three consecutive flops, Vikram Bhatt’s Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage with her “asthmatic” performance, Naresh Malhotra’s Kranti, and David Dhawan’s comedy Yeh Hai Jalwa. In her own words, she reveals that her relationship with director Vikram Bhatt took a toll on her acting career “because the single status of a girl is more attractive to the people that you work around.”

During the years, she turned down many roles. Here are eight films offered to Ameesha that would’ve changed her life.

1. Chalte Chalte – 2003

Directed by Aziz Mirza, Chalte Chalte was a Hindi language romantic drama starring Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukerji. In an interview with ETimes, Ameesha stated “There were lots of films I couldn’t do” and the blockbuster Chalte Chalte was one of them. She had prior commitments and had to let go of the role which later went to Rani Mukerji.

2. Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. – 2003

Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. was a comeback movie for actor Sanjay Dutt in 2003. This comedy-drama was written and directed by Rajkumar Hirani. The role of Dr. Suman Asthana was originally offered to Ameesha Patel but she turned it down because of date issues. Munna Bhai was a major critical and commercial success earning Rs 34.6Cr. This movie would’ve been a major career boost for Ameesha.

3. Tere Naam – 2003

Tere Naam, directed by Satish Kaushik was the film that resurrected Salman Khan’s career and could’ve saved Ameesha Patel too. Bhumika Chawla’s role of “Nirjala” was offered to Ameesha but she couldn’t agree to the role. The film went ahead to become a Semi-Hit and collected Rs 22.23Cr at the box office.

4. Yaadein – 2001

Her prior commitments weren’t the only reason for her to lose roles. She recently revealed that she was selected for the movie Yaadein. If she had played the role, this would have been her third collaboration with Hrithik Roshan but she was replaced with Kareena Kapoor due to “filmy politics’.

5. Lagaan – 2001

Lagaan was the third highest-grossing film of the year 2001. Ameesha was originally selected for Lagaan but a last-minute change led to her exit. Though she ended up starring in Gadar which was released the same day and went on to become the highest-grossing film of the year.

6. Singh Saab The Great – 2013

Patel walked out of this Hindi language action drama film by Anil Sharma in the year 2013 as he kept changing the dates which hindered her other projects. This movie would have been the reunion of Gadar stars Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel which might have made this film a success and also boosted her career.

7. Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai – 2002

Though she claims her relationship with Vikram Bhatt impacted her career, Ameesha’s bad attitude was the reason behind her losing this movie. Director Uday Chopra swore never to work with Patel or sign her for any YRF movies as she didn’t want to work with newcomers.

8. Chameli – 2003

This 2003 movie directed by Sudhir Mishra, starring Kareena Kapoor and Rahul Bose became a turning point for Kareena in her career where she played the leading role of a prostitute. The film was originally offered to Patel who rejected the film as she didn’t wanna play the role of a prostitute.

Currently, Ameesha Patel and Sunny Deol are seen reprising their roles of Sakeena and Tara Singh in the sequel Gadar 2. Emerging as the Hindi film industry’s biggest post-pandemic hit after SRK’s Pathaan, Gadar 2 has secured its place as a blockbuster with a box office collection of Rs 389.10 crore after 11 days of its release.