Ameesha Patel is enjoying the massive success of her latest film Gadar 2, which has surpassed the record box office collections. The actress has now revealed some shocking details about her career after the first part, Gadar: Ek Prem Katha, in 2001. She said that director Sanjay Leela Bhansali asked her to retire right after watching the original film, and that many people in the industry, as well as her friends and family, had ‘written off’ the sequel.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali Told Ameesha Patel To Quit
In an interview, Ameesha Patel said that Sanjay Leela Bhansali wrote a beautiful letter to her after watching Gadar, and praised her performance as Sakina, a Pakistani woman who falls in love with an Indian truck driver Tara Singh (Sunny Deol) during the Partition. However, when she met him in person, he gave her a surprising advice.
“He said, ‘Ameesha, you should retire now.’ I said, ‘Why?’ He said, ‘Because you’ve already achieved in two films what most people don’t achieve in their entire career. Once in a lifetime, a Mughal-e-Azam, a Mother India, a Pakeezah, a Sholay gets made. You had it in your second film. So what’s next?’ I didn’t understand it at that time because I was a kid, so new to the film world,” Ameesha recalled.
She added that what Sanjay said turned out to be true throughout her career as people could not digest the success of Gadar because it surpassed that of her dream debut film, Rakesh Roshan’s 2000 romantic film Kaho Na… Pyaar Hai. Interestingly, no other film of hers could match the success of Gadar, until Gadar 2 came along this year.
“Gadar set the bar so high that anything in my films that were superhits after that, whether it was Humraaz (2002), Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007) or Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. (2007), it was a straight comparison to Gadar,” Ameesha said.
No One Believed In Gadar 2, Says Ameesha Patel
Ameesha Patel also revealed the difficulties she faced while making Gadar 2, which is the sequel of Anil Sharma’s blockbuster 2001 action romance Gadar: Ek Prem Katha. She said that many people in the industry discouraged her from doing the film, and even her friends and family had ‘written off’ the project.
“When Gadar 2 was under production, many people had written off Gadar 2 just like they did during the release of Gadar. There’s too much similarity that happens I think when it comes to the brand Gadar. And many questioned, ‘Will people go?’” said Ameesha.
Ameesha said that some people also told her that Gadar 2 might get a few viewers because people will want to know what happened in Tara and Sakina’s life. However, they told her she shouldn’t expect Gadar 2 to work as well as Gadar did. “This was said by people within the industry and outside it. Even friends and family told me this. I know that a lot of people had doubts and stuff,” said Ameesha.
She said that she had to face a lot of negativity and criticism from all sides, but she did not give up on her belief in the film and the director. She said that she trusted Anil Sharma’s vision and Sunny Deol’s conviction, and decided to reprise her role as Sakina after 22 years.
Blockbuster Success Of Gadar 2
Ameesha Patel’s faith in Gadar 2 paid off as the film became a huge hit at the box office, breaking several records and earning rave reviews from critics and audiences alike. The film also stars Anil Sharma’s son Utkarsh Sharma as Jeete, Tara and Sakina’s grown-up son.
Ameesha said that she is overwhelmed by the response and feels vindicated for her decision to do the film. She said that she is grateful to the fans who have supported her throughout her journey and made Gadar 2 a success.
Ameesha concluded by adding, “The most important thing is for everyone involved in a filmmaking process to do it with all your heart and soul. Because that’s when bade parde pe dikhta hai woh mehnat aur woh lagan and I guess that’s what’s happened.”
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