Ameesha Patel.
Credit: PR Handout.
Bollywood actress Ameesha Patel, who is currently in the limelight for the phenomenal success of Gadar 2, said that Gadar 3 is "in the pipeline" and also said that Shah Rukh Khan is one actor she would really want to do a romantic film with.
In an exclusive interview with DH's Suparno Sarkar, the actress spoke about how she missed chances to work with Shah Rukh Khan, a possible Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai 2, and why she would never feature in Gadar series as a mother-in-law. Here are the excerpts from the interview:
DH: Gadar 2 shattered many box office records. Were you always sure that the film would do so well, or did you have some apprehensions as not all sequels do as well as the original?
Ameesha: Well, the original film will always be the base platform because it was a class apart. It had broken box office records that time itself when the quantity of theatres and the volume of people were far lesser. Gadar 1 was definitely the engine that pushed Gadar 2, but if you ask me whether I was sure about Gadar 2 becoming such a colossal hit and setting new box office records, you know no one can tell that.
The only thing that I was certain about is there is so much attachment with the characters of Tara (Sunny Deol’s character) and Sakina (Ameesha Patel’s character). People who were not even born when Gadar 1 was released, got attached to these characters. I was not born when iconic films like Sholay and Mughal-E-Azam were made, but I have watched them and loved them. I knew that Gadar 2 would be one-time watch for people for sure, but people went to watch it multiple times. I am truly grateful to God and audiences who held their love for Tara and Sakina for so long, and also the new audiences who also loved it. But, no one can predict success and failure as no one goes in to make a bad film; we always hope to make a good film.
DH: How was it working with Sunny Deol after so long? Is he the same on the sets as he was before?
Ameesha: Sunny and I are meant to be together; we are magical together both on and off screen. It did not feel like so many years had passed. I was such a raw baby when I came into Gadar 1, and he used to keep me so well-protected. I was shooting for Gadar 1 and Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai at the same time, and I was playing completely different characters for the two films. I had received a lot of help from Sunny back then as well. Our relationship has grown more mature, he has become an even finer actor. He has also become a brilliant dancer (laughs), he is so good at his dancing now and he is not shy about it anymore. We are exactly the same off-screen as how you people have seen Tara and Sakina on the screen. We are just ourselves when we are together.
DH: After the success of Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai and Gadar, you faced a dull phase at the box office, and now you have come back strong with Gadar 2. What do you think went wrong in between?
Ameesha: Not at all…there were Humraaz, Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Honeymoon Travels, Race 2. People always ask me why did I face a dull phase after two such big hits. But the problem is when you begin on such a high note, people forget that you also had other big hits. People tend to overlook the smaller hits because they were used to seeing me giving such huge hits. But no actor can do that their entire life, right? I will not say I had a dull phase; I would say my career began on two higher notes, and I did not have another Gadar again. But I had numerous good films and numerous good hits. My Telegu and Tamil films were also bumper hits.
DH: Since Gadar sequel worked so well for you, would you like to have Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai 2 now?
Ameesha: I think all the successful films should be made into a part 2 because there will always be a curious audience. So, a Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai 2 would be a rage again for sure. My fans had asked for it way before Gadar success. It has been an era of sequels – Pushpa 2 is coming, OMG 2 came, Bhool Bhulaiya 2 also came and it did well. But it is up to the producers and directors to decide.
DH: We have seen many actresses like Katrina Kaif, Priyanka Chopra doing action scenes in Bollywood. Would you like to do something of that sort?
Ameesha: Absolutely, I would love to do action. I would love to play a cop, a negative character, a spy, or an undercover agent. I would even love to play a Maharani in a period film. For an actor, there is never an end as there are so many characters to play.
DH: One actor and one director you would really want to work with?
Ameesha: Well, I have worked with almost every actor, but I never had the fortune to work with Shah Rukh Khan. There were some opportunities like Chalte Chalte, which I was offered, but I was busy with other films, and it was such a missed opportunity. I really hope I get a chance to do a nice romantic film with Shah Rukh. I also had missed an opportunity to work with Amitabh Bachchan as his daughter in a film, which did not work out due to date constraints. I would really want to share screen space with Mr Bachchan, even for an ad film would be a good learning experience. When it comes to directors, there are so many – Rohit Shetty, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Karan Johar, Aditya Chopra, Kabir Khan and many others. I would love to work with my old directors as well because I have been fortunate to have worked with several good directors.
DH: Please tell us about your upcoming projects.
Ameesha: You would be hearing about something very soon. If you are asking me about Gadar 3, I am sure it is in the pipeline as everyone wants it.
DH: You played the character of the mother of a little boy in Gadar, now you were seen as the mother of a young man. Will you be seen as a mother-in-law in Gadar 3?
Ameesha: I would never play a mother-in-law, not for the next decade for sure. Gadar is not a TV serial, where you start seeing saas-bahu type of stuff. People want Tara and Sakina to be evergreen.
DH: One personal question on public demand – Why is beautiful Ameesha not married yet?
Ameesha: Ameesha is not married because she has not met her prince charming yet who could sweep her off the feet (laughs).