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.