Smiles to go: Amisha Patel
She's grown up, has Amisha Patel. From
the sweet young thing to a scheming, calculating temptress playing
around with two men.
"The credit goes to
Abbas-Mustan, my
directors in Humrazz,"she says in that husky voice."They've
potrayed me in a way that no one else has till now.My character is
that of a strong and confident girl;sh belongs to today's times. For
me, Humrazz will always be special because it's the first time I' ve
played a character with shades of grey."
Is that the reason why Amisha went out of
her way to complete the film? "Hey, that's not true," she
retorts. "No one can blame me for being partial to any film or
any producer. So far, all my films have released in the same order
that I signed them. Humraaz was the only film I'd signed after Gadar
and it was completed in six months."
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Akshaye
Khanna came and kissed me on my forehead. Does that mean
that we're having an affair?
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In fact, she says, signing a film,
completing it and then moving on to the next is the right way of
working. Ideally, she'd like to allot bulk dates and work on one film
at a time. In an industry which works around the availability of busy
stars, is that ever going to be possible? Even completing a project on
schedule sometimes proves a tough task. Amisha sighs, "I don't
mind doing just two or three films a year. But I must enjoy what I'm
doing."
She reflects, "It has been a process
of growth for me. When I came into the industry, I had no one to
advise me. I was a babe in the woods who wanted to try her hand at
everything. Now I know the kind of people I want to work with.
"One of those must be Akshaye Khanna.
For, here he is, dropping in on Amisha to say bye, holding her face
fondly in his hands, kissing her on the forehead before he leaves.
Au revoir over, I steer her back to our
conversation. Now that she's figured out who she wants to work with,
how does she pick her movies? It's the role all the way, she says.
"Money has never been the criterion. I want to be a good actress.
But if film-makers think my work deserves a good price, why shouldn't
I build my own bank balance?"
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If
film-makers think my work deserves a good price,
why shouldn't I build my own bank balance? |
Continues she, "It would be great if
I could be remembered as Amisha Patel, a versatile actress, and not
just as the daughter of Amit Patel. It's a great thing to stand on
your own feet. In addition to that, its important for me to earn the
respect of my fans as well as the people from the industry. And I hope
good money follows."
In that case, she should be ready to cut
her price for a good role; is she? "I did for Tanuja Chandra's
Yeh Zindagi Ka
Safar," Amisha tells me. "I'm
not greedy. If I was, I'd have been doing a lot of run-of-the-mill
stuff. What I want is
creative satisfaction."
With a dreamy look in her eyes, she adds,
"I would like to be a part of the films Mira Nair and Deepa Mehta
make. I hope I make it big as an actress in commercial cinema so that
I can do two popular films and one offbeat film every year. While the
former will reach a larger audience, the offbeat one would be
interesting to do."
One of her commercial films coming up is
Suneil Darshan's Mere Jeevan Saathi which also stars Karisma Kapoor.
This is the first time she'll be doing a two-heroine project, but
she's confident: "I'm sure I'll learn a lot while working with
Karisma who has years of experience. Plus, it'll help boost my
self-confidence. I want to find out whether I'm ready to compete with
such an established heroine."
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I eat almost every hour.Thank God I don't put on weight easily. |
I'm
stumped by Amisha's gushing over Karisma. Just a few months ago the
two actresses made news when they fought during the film's earlier
schedule. Sez who, asks Amisha. "That was blown up by the
media," she insists. "Nothing of that sort
happened."Really?
Curioser and curioser, I think, as Amisha
says, rolling her eyes, "C'mon, we are thorough professionals.
We've done two
schedules together. Karisma doesn't allow
anything personal to get in the way of work. In fact, she's someone I
can relate with. She's worked very hard to make her own place in the
industry. Even though she came from a film family, it wasn't a
cakewalk for her. I've also worked hard to prove myself. Both of us
know how to leave our differences at home."
What about Kareena Kapoor? After all,
it's an open secret that Amisha and she can't stand each other. I
blink as Amisha retorts, "This is a classic case of how the media
creates rivalry where there's none. I don't know Kareena, ours is just
a `Hi' and `Bye' kind of contact."
Hey, what's happening here, I wonder. Has
she forgotten the long and bitter exchange of fire between the two?
Taking a deep breath, Amisha asks, "Have you seen these remarks?
They're all one-sided. I've never said anything. There's no need for
that. It doesn't bother me if someone says I have two stupid hits
which don't matter. Because I know that they are the biggest hits of
the decade. I don't need to prove this to anyone. My worth and calibre
as an actress is well-known. I know she's not a bad girl. And I'd
rather not say anything about a colleague."
Looks like Amisha has matured after three
years in the film industry and has understood the importance of
success. "No one is going to help me because I'm Amit and Asha
Patel's daughter," she volunteers. "Out here, everyone
worships the rising sun. After Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai, all the
attention went elsewhere in spite of my successful debut. Suddenly,
after Gadar-Ek Prem Katha, I was the new No 1. This really shocked
me--one day you're up there and the next, you're down with a
thud."
The highs and lows can get to you badly,
she points out, but "That's where your education, your family
background and friends come in handy. Far from treating me like a
star, my friends keep reminding me of my roots!"
Hmmm, and what about her love life... and
a certain Mr Bhatt?
She says in an irritated tone, "If a heroine
associates herself with a single man, does it mean they're having
affair?
Vikram is a very sweet person; he is my director first
and
then a friend. My brother is working under him so now he's a family
friend.
Nothing more than that. It's awkward being linked with someone
you work with."
But the buzz is that Vikram and she have
reached a stage where horoscopes have been matched, I butt in. "Puhleeeeeeeeez,"
she bristles. "Do you think I'm a fool to get married when my
career's going great guns?
Getting along with someone doesn't mean
that I'm having an affair with them. You saw how Akshaye Khanna came
and kissed me on my forehead. Does that mean that we're having an
affair?
If Abbas-Mustan or Anil Sharma weren't married, I'd have been
linked with them too.
"You know, it's embarrassing when
you're on the sets and people look at you askance. It's especially
weird working with a person you've been linked with," she
complains.
Ok, so let's move to her business
venture--she's opened a food joint called Fire Place in Mumbai.
"Oh, that's my father's brainchild," the actress beams.
"He knows how much I love food. I eat almost
every hour. I'm lucky that I'm blessed with a good metabolism. Thank
God I don't put on weight easily."
Lucky her--Amisha really has a lot to
smile about!
Praveena Bharadwaj