Coordinates	35°27′″N139°38′″N
name	Humraaz
director	Abbas-Mustan
producer	Ganesh JainRatan Jain
writer	Shiraz AhmedShyam Goel
starring	Bobby DeolAkshaye KhannaAmisha Patel
music	Himesh Reshammiya
cinematography	Ravi Yadav
editing	Hussain A. Burmawala
distributor	Venus Movies
released	5 July 2002
runtime	174 mins
country
language	Hindi
website	}}

''Humraaz'' (Hindi: हमराज़ English: ''Our Secret'') is a 2002 Bollywood romantic thriller film directed by duo Abbas-Mustan and produced under Venus Movies banner. Released on 5 July 2002, it stars Bobby Deol, Akshaye Khanna and Amisha Patel in lead roles. The film is inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's ''Dial M For Murder'' (1954) (remade in 1998 as ''A Perfect Murder'') and was a hit in India.

Plot

Karan and Priya (Akshaye Khanna and Amisha Patel), madly in love, are the lead pair of a dance troupe. They land a gig on a cruise ship (destined for Malaysia) owned by a rich businessman named Raj (Bobby Deol). Raj meets Priya on the cruise and is attracted to her at first sight. Raj doesn't know that Priya and Karan are in love. Raj quickly falls for Priya and she is totally swept off her feet. While Karan is unaware, Raj continues to romance and woo Priya. Eventually Raj proposes to Priya and she eagerly agrees to marry him.

Then right before the interval Priya and Karan both show their true colours. The story takes a twist when we find out that Priya and Karan have been scheming and plotting all along to take Raj's money. And so begins a treacherous love triangle, where greed, ambition and love cause turmoil in the lives of Priya, Raj, and Karan.

Priya eventually marries Raj and continues to plot with Karan to get hold of the fortune. Then, unexpectedly, desires arise within Priya and she starts to develop feelings for Raj and falls in love with him. Raj eventually finds out about her treachery but forgives her and the climax is when Raj attacks Karan. In the end Priya picks up a gun and kills Karan and she and Raj get on with their lives.

Cast

Actor/Actress !! Role
Bobby Deol	Raj Singhania
Akshaye Khanna	Karan Malhotra
Amisha Patel	Priya Singhania

Soundtrack

{{infobox album | name	Humraaz | Type Album | Artist Himesh Reshammiya | Cover Humraaz albumcover.jpg | Released 15 May 2002 (India)| Recorded | Genre Feature film soundtrack | Length 48:53 | Label Venus Records & Tapes Ltd.| Producer Reviews Bollywood Hungama| Last album ''Kyaa Dil Ne Kahaa''(2002) | This album ''Humraaz''(2002) | Next album ''Yeh Hai Jalwa''(2002)| }}

The soundtrack of the film is composed by Himesh Reshammiya with lyrics provided by Sudhakar Sharma.

{{tracklist | collapsed = | headline = | extra_column = Singers | total_length = | all_writing = | all_lyrics = | all_music = | writing_credits = | lyrics_credits = | music_credits = | title1 = Dil Ne Kar Liya | note1 = | writer1 = | lyrics1 = | music1 = | extra1 = Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik | length1 = 05:19 | title2 = Tune Zindagi Mein | note2 = | writer2 = | lyrics2 = | music2 = | extra2 = Udit Narayan | length2 = 05:11 | title3 = Pyaar Kar | note3 = | writer3 = | lyrics3 = | music3 = | extra3 = Udit Narayan, Shaan, Kavita Krishnamurthy | length3 = 06:40 | title4 = Bardaasht | note4 = | writer4 = | lyrics4 = | music4 = | extra4 = KK, Sunidhi Chauhan | length4 = 05:36 | title5 = Sanam Mere Humraaz | note5 = | writer5 = | lyrics5 = | music5 = | extra5 = Alka Yagnik, Kumar Sanu | length5 = 05:30 | title6 = Life Ban Jaayegi | note6 = | writer6 = | lyrics6 = | music6 = | extra6 = Sonu Nigam, Jaspinder Narula | length6 = 05:57 | title7 = Tune Zindagi Mein | note7 = | writer7 = | lyrics7 = | music7 = | extra7 = Alka Yagnik | length7 = 05:12 | title8 = Bardaasht — Remix | note8 = | writer8 = | lyrics8 = | music8 = | extra8 = KK, Sunidhi Chauhan | length8 = 04:53 | title9 = Tune Zindagi Mein — Sad | note9 = | writer9 = | lyrics9 = | music9 = | extra9 = Alka Yagnik | length9 = 01:48 | title10 = Theme Music | note10 = | writer10 = | lyrics10 = | music10 = | extra10 = Instrumental | length10 = 02:33 }}

Awards and nominations

Below is an incomplete list showing the awards and nominations ''Humraaz'' received:

! Year	! Presenter	! Award(s)	! Result
	Won
Zee Cine Awards

External links

Category:2002 films Category:Indian films Category:Hindi-language films Category:2000s drama films

pl:Humraaz

Coordinates	35°27′″N139°38′″N
name	Bobby Deol
birth name	Vijay Singh Deol
birth date	January 27, 1967
birth place	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
spouse	Tanya Deol
occupation	Actor
years active	1995–present }}

Bobby Deol (born Vijay Singh Deol on January 27, 1967) is a Bollywood actor. Deol is the son of the acclaimed Bollywood actor Dharmendra and the brother of Sunny Deol, also a successful actor in the Mumbai based Indian film industry.

Deol has been featured mostly in thriller films, often playing wealthy but vulnerable middle class characters, affected by the corrupt establishment and women and often propelled into crime to avenge the deaths of loved ones. His films commonly involve themes of jealousy, deceit and revenge and in his more romantic thrillers often involve him caught in love triangles.

Deol was awarded the Filmfare Best Debut Award for his role in the 1995 film ''Barsaat'' and was later nominated for the Filmfare Best Actor Award for his performance in ''Humraaz'' in 2002.

Early life and background

Bobby Deol was born into a Jat family and is the second son of Bollywood movie star Dharmendra and Prakash Kaur. He is the younger brother of Sunny Deol. Bobby Deol was born in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. He has two sisters, Vijeyta and Ajita, and two half sisters – from his father's second marriage to actress Hema Malini – Esha Deol and Ahana Deol. Actor Abhay Deol is his younger cousin.

Bobby Deol is married to Tanya Ahuja, with whom he has two sons.

Career

1990s

Deol first briefly appeared as a child actor in the film ''Dharam Veer'' in 1977. Just ten years old at the time, he played the younger version of the film's lead actor, his father, Dharmendra. Deol then made his adult debut with Twinkle Khanna in the 1995 Bollywood film ''Barsaat'', directed by Rajkumar Santoshi. Deol plays the character of Badal, a naive but intelligent young man who moves from a small village to the big city and gets caught up with corrupt police and criminal gangs amidst falling in love. Partly shot in Scotland, Deol broke his leg in an equestrian accident while filming and had to be flown to London to recuperate and had to call off several publicity shoots which documented his debut. The film was nonetheless a considerable success and garnered him the Filmfare Best Debut Award.

In 1997, Deol starred in ''Gupt: The Hidden Truth'', a suspense thriller directed by Rajiv Rai, considered his breakthrough role. Cast alongside Manisha Koirala, Kajol, Paresh Rawal, Om Puri and Raj Babbar, Deol played the role of Sahil, a young man accused of murdering his step father over an engagement proposal and wrongly imprisoned. He escapes and tracks down the real killer. ''Gupt: The Hidden Truth'' was highly acclaimed for its storyline and soundtrack and was a major commercial success. In the same year, Deol appeared in ''Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya'', alongside Aishwarya Rai in her debut Bollywood role.

In 1998, Deol starred opposite Neha in the Vidhu Vinod Chopra film, ''Kareeb''. Deol played the character of Birju, an irresponsible young man from an upper middle class family in Himachal Pradesh with a love of petty thievery and deceit. Later in 1998, he appeared in Abbas Mustan's military thriller ''Soldier'', alongside Raakhee Gulzar and Preity Zinta. Deol played the mysterious character of Vicky, later revealed as Raju, son of Vijay Malhotra who was convicted of arms smuggling. In 1999, Deol starred in ''Dillagi'', directed by and co-starring his brother Sunny Deol. The film is noted for being the first time Sunny Deol directed a film and also the first time he acted alongside Bobby. This pairing was repeated in ''23rd March 1931: Shaheed'' (2002), ''Apne'' (2007) and ''Yamla Pagla Deewana'' (2011). ''Dillagi'' features the two as the brothers Ranvir and Rajvir, fighting for the affection of Shalani (Urmila Matondkar).

2000-2003

In 2000, Deol appeared in the action drama ''Badal'' alongside Rani Mukerji, under the director's helm of Raj Kanwar. The film is set in 1984 when riots were engulfing parts of Punjab and Delhi. Deol plays the character of Badal, a boy who witnesses the massacre of his family and villagers by a corrupt police official Police Inspector Jai Singh Rana (Ashutosh Rana) and grows up to be a dreaded terrorist, fuelled by the anger and hatred of the authorities who wrongly deprived him of his family and friends. The film is inspired by ''The Devil's Own'' (1997), starring Brad Pitt and Harrison Ford. Following this he starred alongside Karisma Kapoor in ''Hum To Mohabbat Karega'' (2000), and reunited with Rani Mukerji to star in ''Bichhoo'' (2000), a blatant remake of Luc Besson's 1994 film ''Leon'', starring Jean Reno and Natalie Portman. In ''Bichhoo'', Deol plays Reno's role, Jeeva, a young man from a struggling middle-class family who has the misfortune of falling in love with the wealthy Kiran (Malaika Arora). Her cruel, disapproving father in rage at their relationship has Jeeva's mother and two sisters publicly arrested for prostitution, and eventually all three kill themselves. Jeeva becomes a professional killer and later extracts vengeance against Kiran's father and his henchmen. The film and Deol's performance was panned by the critics, with Sakanya Verna of Rediff.com citing the film as "one of the most painful of the year" and commenting, "Bobby Deol's performance is quite, well, robotic. He religiously hangs on to a brooding expression right through the film. Why o why doesn't someone insist he goes to an acting school?"

In 2001 (although filmed in 2000), Deol starred alongside Karisma Kapoor, Rahul Dev and Smita Jaykar in ''Aashiq''. Following this, he featured in Abbas Burmawalla and Mustan Burmawalla's thriller, ''Ajnabee'', alongside Kareena Kapoor, Akshay Kumar and Bipasha Basu. The film, adapted from the 1992 American thriller film ''Consenting Adults'', features Deol as Raj, the new husband of Priya Malhotra (Kapoor) who after moving to Switzerland and initially befriending their neighbours (Kumar and Basu), become entangled in a web of deceit and extra-marital activity. Ziya us Salaam of ''The Hindu'' was unconvinced with Deol's performance, remarking that he "only occasionally manages to transmit fear of the fugitive."

In 2002, Deol starred alongside his brother Sunny in the historic film ''23rd March 1931: Shaheed''. Set in British India, it depicts the events leading up to the hanging of Indian freedom fighter Bhagat Singh and his companions Rajguru and Sukhdev on March 23, 1931. The film stars Bobby Deol as Bhagat Singh and Sunny Deol as another revolutionary Chandrashekhar Azad. The film received a mixed reception from critics, with some good reviews. Rediff.com believed the movie had plenty of good moments, and plenty of bad ones and believed the film was superior to that of the original on Bhagat Singh, although they believed the agony of Bhagat Singh's fight was underplayed, diminishing the brutality and anguish suffered in the real life event. While Deol was praised for some scenes, he was criticized for shouting and Rediff believed he was overshadowed by Ajay Devgan remarking, "In terms of performance, Devgan is clearly the winner, with the advantage of a stronger script and a better director. Devgan, who reportedly lost weight to look the part, is today emerging as one of India's finest actors, willing to try out different roles. Deol tries his best, but it is difficult to shout and act simultaneously." Later in 2002, Deol was nominated for the prestigious Filmfare Best Actor Award for his role as a suave, wealthy shipping businessman in Abbas-Mustan's romantic thriller ''Humraaz''. The film is inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's ''Dial M For Murder'' (1954) (remade in 1998 as ''A Perfect Murder'') and features Deol in a love triangle with Akshaye Khanna and Amisha Patel. The film was generally praised by critics/ with Chitra Mahesh of ''The Hindu'', saying "Bobby Deol spends the entire first half looking moony eyed and spaced out, but overcomes the stupor towards the end where he actually gives a good performance. Deol's final film of 2002 was David Dhawan's ''Chor Machaaye Shor'' in which he played Shyamm alongside Paresh Rawal, Shilpa Shetty, Bipasha Basu and Om Puri, a small time crook who gets his hands on some diamonds worth millions.

2004-2006

In 2003, Deol took a hiatus from acting and returned to the screen in 2004 in ''Kismat'' opposite Priyanka Chopra. In ''Bardaasht'', a drama based on the screenplay written by Vikram Bhatt, Deol starred alongside Lara Dutta and Rahul Dev as Aditya Shrivastav, a deserted army officer. The film deals with themes of police brutality and corruption and justice. Deol then played another army officer, a Lieutenant Commander in Anil Sharma's ''Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyo'' as Kunaljit Singh/Vikramjeet Singh. The film, which featured some prominent Bollywood actors such as Amitabh Bachchan (who played a general and Deol's father), and Akshay Kumar, it was arguably Deol's highest profile film to date but despite high box office expectations it was a commercial failure. His most famous role of all time in ab tumhare watan satio was when he wore a pugh/turban. That gave him more audience from the Punjabi crowd, and had gotten comments saying he looks better in a turban.

In 2005, Deol starred in Vikram Bhatt's thriller ''Jurm'' as the wealthy businessman Avinash Malhotra who suspects his wife Sanjana (Lara Dutt) of having an affair with Rohit (Milind Soman). Deol's performance was praised by a number of critics, with Vivek Fernandes of Rediff.com remarking, "Bobby Deol, Bhatt's schoolmate, does his alma mater proud with his controlled performance. There's a sense of maturity about his candour, which is good news." Deol then starred alongside Sanjay Dutt, Sunil Shetty and Ajay Devgan in Mani Shankar's war movie ''Tango Charlie'' as an Indian trooper named Tarun Chauhan of the 101st BSF Battalion, operating in the northeastern Indian province of Manipur. He followed this role by featuring in Suneel Darshan's romance film ''Barsaat'' as the ambitious young Indian Arav, who, in living in the United States, becomes involved in a love triangle with beauties Priyanka Chopra and Bipasha Basu. The film was not a critical success, with Ziya us Salaam of ''The Hindu'' concluding, " A moth-eaten love triangle with all the stereotypes Bollywood survives on - a devoted wife with her karva chauth ki thali, the other woman with her mini-skirts, a joint family, songs, festivities..... No shower of rejuvenation, this "Barsaat" is just drenched in mediocrity." She was equally unimpressed with Deol's performance, remarking, "The girls are ready with their curls and curves, the guy just appears lost, making you wonder if Bobby has grown even an inch as an actor since he made his debut in Rajkumar Santoshi's film by the same name." His final role of 2005 was as Karan in ''Dosti: Friends Forever'', opposite Akshay Kumar, Lara Dutta, Kareena Kapoor, and Juhi Chawla. He once again plays a wealthy businessman but is down on his luck with his finances and romancing women. The film, although performing below average in India was a major success in the United Kingdom, where it became the highest grosser of Bollywood in 2005, grossing around £888,000.

In 2006, Deol starred in the romantic musical film ''Humko Tumse Pyaar Hai''. Deol played Raj, a character who falls in love with Durga (Amisha Patel), a beautiful blind woman with a talent for shaping pottery but faces competition from Rohit (Arjun Rampal). Deol and Patel have been labelled as the "Bollywood equivalent of Hugh Grant and Rene Zellweger". Although the film received a mixed reception, a number of critics praised Deol's performance as Raj, with Taran Adarsh commenting, "Bobby Deol is only getting better as an actor. He manages to register an impact in a film that belongs to Amisha and Arjun primarily." Later that year, he made a brief special appearance in ''Alag'' in the song ''Sabse Alag''.

2007-present

In 2007, Deol starred in 7 films. The first of them, ''Shakalaka Boom Boom'', was shot in South Africa and is based on conflicts and the power game involved in the functioning of the music industry, addressing the themes of envy, jealousy, insecurity, anxiety, manipulation and anger. The film, which featured Bobby alongside Upen Patel, Kangana Ranaut and Celina Jaitley was generally praised by critics, especially for its choreography, and Deol received some very positive reviews. Taran Adarsh of IndiaFM.com said after viewing the film, "Both Bobby and Upen get fabulous roles and the two actors make the most of it. Bobby is one of the most under-rated actors around. His work has been consistent all through, but one tends to overlook this talented actor's abilities all the while. Watch him go negative in Shakalaka Boom Boom and you'd agree that he's amongst the best in the business today. His outburst in the end is remarkable."

Deol's second film of 2007 was ''Jhoom Barabar Jhoom'' , which saw him play the character of Steve/Satvinder Singh opposite Abhishek Bachchan (who played a gypsy in London), Preity Zinta, and Lara Dutta. Directed by Shaad Ali, the film was produced by Aditya Chopra and Yash Chopra under the Yash Raj Films banner. The film was not critically acclaimed and was mostly criticized by what critics believed was a shallow screenplay. Taran Adarsh of IndiaFM.com gave the film a 1.5 out of 5 rating, saying, "the film is all gloss, no substance". He also believed that Deol was overshadowed by his co-stars, remarking that the film, "belongs to Abhishek first and Preity next". Deol next starred in the boxing drama ''Apne''. The film was a family affair, featuring Bobby Deol alongside his father Dharmendra, a disgraced retired boxer who trains Bobby and his brother (Sunny Deol) to become champion boxers but in doing so creates a rift within the family. ''Apne'' was a major commercial success, particularly in northern India and overseas, especially in the UK, where it made £579,457 on the opening weekend, entering into the UK. Top Ten at Number 3.

- Deol commenting on the acting profession during the promotion of ''Apne'' in 2007.}}

Deol next starred in the suspense thriller ''Naqaab'', another Abbas-Mustan film which features him alongside Akshaye Khanna and Urvashi Sharma as another millionaire caught in a love triangle. Deol received a mixed reception for his performance. For instance, Raja Sen of Rediff.com praised several of his scenes, remarking, "Bobby gets a considerably meaty role, and there are a couple of moments when he genuinely works the audience", but describes his character as "sensitive to an annoying hilt". This film was followed by brief special appearances as himself in ''Om Shanti Om'' and ''Nanhe Jaisalmer''.

In 2008, Deol starred opposite in Priyanka Chopra, Danny Denzongpa and Irrfan Khan in the crime drama ''Chamku'', playing the lead character and titlesake of Chamku, a man raised by Baba (Denzongpa), a Naxal leader based in the southern interiors of Bihar, after his family was brutally murdered. He is assigned by a covert governmental program jointly conceived by RAW and Intelligence Bureau to carry out political assassinations but after falling in love with the kindergarten teacher Shubhi (Chopra), he decides to lead a reformed life but is later tempted to turn to crime again.Kabeer Kaushik, the director of the film had originally approached Deol to play the lead role in his debut film, Sehar, but despite liking the script, Deol turned it down because at the time he was not prepared to work with a debutant director. Deol next featured in ''Heroes'' as an army officer and DJ Dhananjay "DJ" Shergill alongside a strong cast which included Salman Khan, Preity Zinta, Sunny Deol and Mithun Chakraborty. Although initially set to be released on 6 June 2008, it was pushed to 24 October 2008, the opening weekend of the holiday Diwali. Much of the filming took place in northern India, including Ladakh (notably Pangong Tso), Chandigarh, Punjab, and Delhi. Deol's last role in 2008 was in the film ''Dostana'' , as Abhimanyu Singh, supporting role to the films' main stars Abhishek Bachchan, John Abraham and Priyanka Chopra under the Dharma Productions banner The film explores the story of two men who pretend to be gay but both fall in love with the same girl, their roommate.''Dostana'' is the first Bollywood film to be filmed entirely in Miami, United States and went on to become the eighth highest grossing film at the Indian Box Office in 2008.

In 2009, Deol portrayed Nandu, an orphan turned assassin wrongly accused of a politician's murder in the movie ''Ek - The Power of One''.

Deol's next film titled, ''Help'', was shot in Mauritius, in which he appeared opposite Mugdha Godse. The film was released on August 13, 2010. Deol then starred in ''Yamla Pagla Deewana'' which was released on January 14, 2011.

Filmography

''Barsaat (1995 film) ''Gupt: The Hidden Truth'' ''Kareeb'' ''Dillagi (1999 film) ''Badal'' ''Aashiq (2001 film) ''Kranti (2002 film) ''Kismat (2004 film) ''Jurm (film) ''Humko Tumse Pyaar Hai'' ''Shakalaka Boom Boom'' ''Chamku (film) ''Ek - The Power of One'' ''Help (2010 film) ''Yamala Pagla Deewana''

Year !! Film !! Role !! Other notes
1977	Dharam Veer (1977 film)>Dharam Veer''	Young Dharam
1995	Barsaat'' ||	Badal	Winner, Filmfare Best Debut Award
rowspan="2"	1997	|	Sahil Sinha
''Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya''	Bobby Oberoi
rowspan="2"	1998	|	Birju/Brij Kumar
''Soldier (1998 film)	Soldier''	Vicky/Raju Malhotra
1999	Dillagi'' ||	Rajvir
rowspan="3"	2000	|	Raja/Badal
''Hum To Mohabbat Karega''	Rajiv Bhatnagar
''Bichhoo''	Jeeva
rowspan="2"	2001	Aashiq'' ||	Chander Kapoor
''Ajnabee (2001 film)	Ajnabee''	Raj Malhotra
rowspan="4"	2002	Kranti'' ||	Abhay Pratap Singh
''23rd March 1931: Shaheed''	Bhagat Singh
''Humraaz''	Raj Singhania
''Chor Machaaye Shor''	Shyam Singh/Insp. Ram Singh
rowspan="3"	2004	Kismat'' ||	Tony
''Bardaasht''	Aditya Shrivastav
''Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyo''	Kunaljit Singh/Vikramjeet Singh
rowspan="4"	2005	Jurm'' ||	Avinash Malhotra
''Tango Charlie''	Sepoy Tarun Chauhan
''Barsaat (2005 film)	Barsaat''	Arav
''Dosti: Friends Forever''	Karan
rowspan="2"	2006	|	Raj
''Alag''
rowspan="6"	2007	|	A.J.
''Jhoom Barabar Jhoom''	Steve Singh/Satvinder Singh
''Apne''	Karan Singh Choudhary
''Naqaab''	Karan Khanna/Rohit Shroff
''Om Shanti Om''	Bobby Deol
''Nanhe Jaisalmer''	Bobby Deol
rowspan="3"	2008	Chamku'' ||	Chamku
''Heroes (2008 film)	Heroes''	Dhananjay "DJ" Shergill
''Dostana (2008 film)	Dostana''	Abhimanyu Singh
rowspan="2"	2009	|	Nandu
''Vaada Raha''	Dr. Duke Chawla
rowspan="1"	2010	Help''||	Vic
rowspan="3"	2011	|	Gajodhar Singh
''Thank You (2011 film)	Thank You''	Raj
''Players (2011 film)	Players''

References

External links

Official Webcite

Bobby Deol at Facebook

Official You Tube Channel

Category:1967 births Category:Indian film actors Category:Living people Category:Indian child actors Category:People from Mumbai Category:Hindi film actors Category:Indian actors Category:Punjabi people Category:Jat people Category:Filmfare Awards winners Category:Mithibai College alumni

ar:بوبي ديول dv:ބޮބީ ޑިއޯލް fr:Bobby Deol hi:बॉबी देओल it:Bobby Deol ml:ബോബി ഡിയോൾ mr:बॉबी देओल pl:Bobby Deol

Coordinates	35°27′″N139°38′″N
name	Ameesha Patel
birth name	Amisha Amit Patel
birth date	June 09, 1975
birth place	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
occupation	Actress, producer
years active	2000–present
parents	Asha Patel
relatives	Ashmit Patel (brother)
othername	}}

Ameesha Patel ( , ; born Amisha Amit Patel on 9 June 1975) is an Indian actress who appears in mainly Bollywood movies. Making her acting debut in the blockbuster ''Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai'' (2000), Patel won critical praise for her performance in ''Gadar: Ek Prem Katha'' (2001), which became one of the biggest hits in the history of Hindi cinema, earning her a Filmfare Special Performance Award. She would subsequently star in a number of films, most of which proved unsuccessful at the box office. However, her performance in the 2006 film ''Ankahee'', received critical recognition, and she followed it with a supporting role in the hit ''Bhool Bhulaiyaa'' (2007).

Her relationship with filmmaker Vikram Bhatt was often talked about in the Indian media as well as her long-running rift with her parents.

Early life and background

Patel is the daughter of Amit Patel and Asha Patel, sister of Ashmit Patel and the granddaughter of the famous lawyer-politician Barrister Rajni Patel who was the Congress Pradesh Committee President of Bombay. She was born in the Breach Candy Hospital in Bombay and is a trained Bharatnatyam dancer since the age of five. Her birth name is a blend of the first three letters of her father's name Amit and the last three letters of her mother's name Asha.

She studied at the Cathedral and John Connon School in Bombay and was head girl for the academic year 1992–1993 before heading overseas to study Economics at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts.

Patel's career began as an economic analyst at Khandwala Securities Limited after graduation. Later on, she received an offer from Morgan Stanley but turned it down. After returning to India, she joined Satyadev Dubey's theatre group and acted in plays, including an Urdu language play titled ''Neelam'' (1999) that was written by Tanveer Khan, upon receiving permission from her conservative parents. At the same time she plunged into modeling appearing in several commercial campaigns. Patel has also modeled for well-known Indian brands like ''Bajaj Sevashram'', ''Fair & Lovely'', ''Cadburys Jai Lime'', ''Fem'', ''Lux'' and many more.

Acting career

Debut and breakthrough, 2000–2002

Patel's first opportunity for acting came in the form of an offer from her father's schoolmate, Rakesh Roshan, to star opposite his son, Hrithik Roshan, in ''Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai'' (2000). The offer came immediately after she graduated from high school but she refused the project because she wanted to continue her education in USA. Afterward, Kareena Kapoor replaced her but luckily, Kapoor backed out after shooting for a couple of days and Patel was given the opportunity once again during a family lunch. Patel readily agreed to do the project this time. The role of an exuberant college girl in love, undergoing a tortuous time at losing her lover and rediscovering a more mature relationship gave Patel scope to perform. The film was a smashing success and established Patel as a rising star, earning her awards for ''Best Debut'' at a number of award ceremonies. In her second film, the Telugu language drama ''Badri'', she starred opposite Pawan Kalyan. The film was a major success, grossing more than Rs 120 million in India.

2001 saw her appearing in Anil Sharma's cross-border romance, ''Gadar: Ek Prem Katha'', alongside Sunny Deol. Patel signed on much before she shot into the limelight with ''Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai'' and was among 22 girls that were screen-tested from 500 girls who came to audition for the film. Patel had gone through a 12-hour audition before she got the part. The film went on to become the top-grossing film of the year, as well as the biggest hit of the 21st century, earning Rs 973 million in India. Set during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947, it featured Patel as Sakeena, a Muslim girl who finds refuge in Deol's house during the riots, and subsequently falls for him. Her performance was praised, and won her the Filmfare Special Performance Award, as well as nominations for ''Best Actress'' at various award ceremonies. Taran Adarsh of ''IndiaFM'' concluded, "Despite being one-film-old, Amisha Patel deserves full marks for handling the complex role with elegance. She looks the character she is portraying and impresses with a natural performance." The film was perceived as being excessively anti-Pakistani.

These successes were followed by a series of films that flopped at the box-office. In ''Yeh Zindagi Ka Safar'' (2001), she played a successful singer who was abandoned by her mother at the time of her birth.

In 2002, Patel had four continuous failures but her last release, ''Humraaz'', became one of the highest grossing films of the year at the box office, and her performance earned her a nomination for Filmfare Best Actress Award. The Abbas-Mustan marital thriller saw her playing a character with negative shades for the first time. She played the girlfriend of Akshaye Khanna, who marries Bobby Deol to grab his wealth – but, seeing Bobby's honesty, her character surrenders to him. Taran Adarsh commented, "Amisha Patel is just about okay as Akshaye's lover (first half), but splendid as Bobby's wife (second half). This performance should silence her detractors for sure. Also, she's looked her best with admirable outfits and perfect make-up."

Career slump, 2003–2006

During 2003 to 2006, Patel's acting career entered a slump. Despite the relative success of ''Humraaz'', Patel's string of unsuccessful films followed and would continue until 2006, although she did find minor box office success with ''Kya Yehi Pyaar Hai'', in which she played a career-oriented young woman who rejects the advances of Aftab Shivdasani's character. In ''Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage'', she played the role of Sapna who is caged in protective custody of her own father. She co-starred opposite Hrithik Roshan for the second time in this film. Unlike their successful pairing in ''Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai'', the film proved to be a disappointment and resulted in a critical and commercial failure. Patel's performance in the film was criticized by a section of the media, but during an interview she clarified that there was an "error" because the scene explaining that her character is supposed to be asthmatic in the film was edited out not knowing that one shot would make such a difference, thus creating confusion to the viewer about her appearing out of breath, as if she's overacting or crying.

Consequently, Patel's unsuccessful follow-up continued with ''Kranti'' and David Dhawan's comedy ''Yeh Hai Jalwa'' in 2002, followed by her first Tamil language film ''Pudhiya Geethai'' and Deepak Bahry's ''Parwana'' in 2003. Her releases in 2004, Vimal Kumar's comedy ''Suno Sasurjee'', a delayed production since 2000, and her second Telugu language film ''Naani'', followed. That year she also appeared in the music video for "Kasam" and "Kasam (Unplugged)" by Adnan Sami.

In 2005, she starred in Satish Kaushik's thriller ''Vaada'', playing the role of Arjun Rampal's unfaithful wife who is followed by her obsessive ex-lover. In her next release, ''Elaan'', she played a TV reporter. She later appeared in Ketan Mehta's historical drama ''Mangal Pandey: The Rising'' where she played the role of the soft-spoken Jwala, a Bengali widow who gets rescued from committing Sati by a British commanding officer. Patel was cast as a replacement for Aishwarya Rai under the recommendation of Aamir Khan who was impressed by her IQ level when he saw her on ''BBC'' under the segment of ''Question Time India'' in 2003. The film, which saw her appearing without make-up for the first time, did an average business despite becoming a major grosser. Her other releases that year include ''Zameer: The Fire Within'', a delayed production since 2001, and the Telugu film ''Narasimhudu'', both which proved commercial and critical failures.

Patel featured in six films in 2006, all which failed commercially. She first starred in ''Mere Jeevan Saathi'', a production that had been delayed since 2003. She next appeared as a blind girl in ''Humko Tumse Pyaar Hai'', another delayed production since 2002. The film had a limited release and flopped badly with some critics describing it as "outdated". In ''Teesri Aankh: The Hidden Camera'', she played the role of a mute girl who witnesses a murder. She learned the sign language in order to fit the role. Patel was next cast in ''Tathastu'', based on Denzel Washington's thriller ''John Q'' (2002). Her performance as the helpless mother was not well-received.

Renewed success, 2006–present

Patel's fifth release in 2006, ''Ankahee'', earned her critical praise despite its failure at the box office. The film centred around an extramarital affair with Patel playing a housewife whose husband cheats on her with a model. To understand the mentality of a wronged wife, Patel spoke to her own grandmother who had undergone a similar situation. Diganta Guha from ''Hindustan Times'' noted "...it's Ameesha's performance that remains in your mind. She is dignity personified in the film, playing a woman betrayed in marriage, going all out to save it and in the end choosing her own path." Later that year, she appeared alongside Akshaye Khanna and Priyanka Chopra in Dharmesh Darshan's ''Aap Ki Khatir''.

After appearing in a series of box office flops during 2002–2006, Patel's career prospects began to improve in 2007 when she saw moderate success with ''Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd.'', playing the role of Karan Khanna's talkative wife who tries to overcome her husband's gay leanings. Patel's comic timing in the film was well-received. She later co-starred opposite Akshay Kumar in Priyadarshan's hit ''Bhool Bhulaiyaa'' as a rejected adopted girl who is accused of trying to disrupt the marriage of her childhood crush.

In an attempt to renew her image, Patel appeared in a bikini item number, ''Lazy Lamhe'', in Kunal Kohli's ''Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic'' (2008). Patel learned scuba diving for the song that took 15 days to complete. Although the film flopped at the box office, Patel managed to garner attention for her appearance.

Following a two-and-a-half year hiatus, Patel made a brief comeback in the Telugu film ''Parama Veera Chakra'' (2011) alongside Nandamuri Balakrishna. Her next release in the same year, ''Chatur Singh Two Star'', marked her return to Hindi cinema after three years since the release of ''Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic''. A production that has been delayed since 2008, it was critically panned and failed to recover costs at the box office. Patel was criticized for playing a bimbo although her comic act was noted.

On April 23, 2011, Patel hosted an event launching her production company, Ameesha Patel Productions, for which she will produce and star in her first two productions. They will be directed by David Dhawan and Priyadarshan respectively, and co-produced with her friend and business partner Kuunal Goomer. By August 2011, Patel is scheduled to appear in ''Run Bhola Run'', with Govinda and Tusshar Kapoor, and ''Race 2'', with a multi-star cast including Saif Ali Khan, Anil Kapoor, and John Abraham.

Other work

Stage performances

Patel performed in a number of concerts and world tours during her career. Her first world tour, ''The Roshans: Hrithik Live in Concert'' (2001), along with Hrithik Roshan was performed across India. In 2004, Patel took part in a series of concerts in the world tour ''Craze 2004'' alongside Hrithik Roshan, Saif Ali Khan and Lara Dutta. In 2005, Patel participated in Adnan Sami's world tour ''Kuch Dil Se…'' that was performed across USA and Canada from April 15 till May 15. In October 2008, she participated in Himesh Reshammiya's comeback concert ''Karzzzz Musical Curtain Raiser'' joined by Neha Dhupia, Riya Sen and Amrita Arora. In December 2008, she took part in Akshay Kumar's Christmas Eve show ''Chandni Chowk to Hong'' along with Bipasha Basu, Priyanka Chopra, Riya Sen, Aarti Chhabria, Himesh Reshammiya and Punjabi rapper Bohemia as part of a promotional campaign for Kumar's film ''Chandni Chowk to China'' (2009). In response to 26/11, many New Year's Eve concerts for 2009 were cancelled, but Patel and Country Club India decided to go ahead with their show because they thought it would be against the terrorists' will.

Humanitarian work

In September 2004, Patel joined PETA, one of the organizations championing the cause of animals, as part of an advertising campaign which highlights the lives of captivated animals in a zoo who are robbed of their natural surroundings for the amusement of others. Patel posed as a petrified prisoner in a jail cell to throw focus on the plight of animals in zoos. She said, }}

In February 2005, along with other Bollywood stars, Patel performed at the ''HELP! Telethon Concert'' raising money for the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. She also took part in the ''Temptations 2005'' charity function in New Delhi on 24 December 2005 at the Indira Gandhi indoor stadium in aid of the National Centre for Promotion of Employment of Disabled Persons (NCPEDP), a leading disabled rights' group.

In November 2006, Patel joined an NGO called ''PlanetRead'', which helps people in villages to learn reading through film songs. In October 2007, Patel along with John Abraham and Kirron Kher joined the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to curb human trafficking in India.

Personal life

In 1999, Patel met filmmaker Vikram Bhatt on the set of their first movie together, ''Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage'' (2002), and they started dating since the film's release. Later, it caused a rift between the Patel and Bhatt families with Patel running through a financial crisis after her parents used all her hard-earned money for their personal satisfaction causing misunderstandings between Patel and her parents. In July 2004, Patel sent a legal notice to her father for mismanaging her accounts and assets amounting to Rs 120 million and demanding the money back. Patel's relationship with Bhatt was often reported to the media spectaculating a possible marriage.

In January 2008, the media reported that Patel and Bhatt broke their five-year relationship. Bhatt confirmed the break-up in a conversation with ''Mid-Day''. Shortly afterwards, Patel's parents explained their willingness to reconcile with their daughter and that "everybody is happy about the break-up" but their relationship remained strained. On 12 March 2008, Patel was spotted with London-based businessman Kanav Puri at ''Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week''. In June 2008, she confirmed their relationship in an interview with ''Mid-Day'': "I did not admit to Kanav sooner because he's very special and I did not want to jinx it. It was too precious for me to talk about it to people. It's almost six months now and now I am feeling secure and now I know our relationship is too strong for anything or anyone to come between us." The media once reported that she got married to Puri but she denied these rumors.

In August 2009, ''Mumbai Mirror'' reported that Patel and her brother, Ashmit, had patched up on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan and were spotted together at PVR Cinemas in Juhu. Although the siblings agreed that the matter is sorted, they preferred not to speak about it publicly. In December 2009, Patel's mother Asha had revealed they have finally ended their five-year estrangement during an interview with ''Times of India''.

In September 2010, ''Mumbai Mirror'' reported that Patel broke off the relationship with her long-time boyfriend Kanav Puri, to focus on her career. She confirmed it via Twitter.

Controversy

In August 2006, an Air India employee had filed a police complaint, alleging Patel had misbehaved with her after her companion was not upgraded to first class on the Mumbai-Newark flight on August 18. Patel was on her way to attend India's Independence Day parade in New York. Officers at the police station said Patel could be called in and warned about her behavior, if charges against her are proved, and would be questioned once she returns from abroad. Later, CISF personnel have corroborated the Air India employees' version of the incident. Once Patel returned to India, she stated that the employees "are only trying to safeguard themselves by filing a false complaint against us." Incidentally, there was also a drunken passenger, who joined in this verbal fight. Afterward, the organizers of the annual parade sent a written apology and a clarification to Patel and said it had booked two first class seats for Patel and her companion for the Mumbai-Newark flight but the booking was automatically transferred from one flight to another, creating confusion.

In the media

Between 2002 and 2005, Patel made an appearance in a number of talk shows such as ''Rendezvous with Simi Garewal'' and ''The Manish Malhotra Show''. In 2006, Patel appeared as the guest judge on the special Valentine's Day episode of the singing talent contest, ''Indian Idol 2''.

Patel is frequently cited as one of the sexiest Bollywood actresses. Rediff featured Patel as one of Bollywood's sexiest actresses and top Bollywood actresses of 2001. She was ranked first on Rediff's list of 2008's Sexiest Actresses. Patel was also cited by Rediff as one of 2008's Sexiest Magazine Cover Girls.

Filmography

! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
2000	''Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai''	Sonia Saxena
2000		Sarayu
2001	''Gadar: Ek Prem Katha''	Sakeena
2001	''Yeh Zindagi Ka Safar''	Sarena Devan
2002		Sanjana Roy
2002	''Kya Yehi Pyaar Hai''	Sandhya Patil
2002	''Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage''	Sapna
2002	''Humraaz''	Priya	Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actress
2002	''Yeh Hai Jalwa''	Sonia Singh
2003	''Pudhiya Geethai''	Jo
2003		Pooja
2004	''Suno Sasurjee''	Kiran Saxena
2004	''Shart: The Challenge''	Herself	Special appearance
2004	''Naani''	Priya
2005		Pooja Sharma/Varma
2005	''Elaan''	Priya
2005	''Zameer: The Fire Within''	Pooja Khanna/Chauhan
2005	''Narasimhudu''	Subba Lakshmi
2005	''Mangal Pandey: The Rising''	Jwala
2006	''Mere Jeevan Saathi''	Anjali
2006	''Humko Tumse Pyaar Hai''	Durga
2006	''Teesri Aankh: The Hidden Camera''	Ammu
2006	''Tathastu''	Sarita "Saru" Rajput
2006	''Ankahee''	Nandita Saxena
2006		Shirani Khanna
2007	''Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd.''	Pinky Kapoor
2007	''Heyy Babyy''		Special appearance in the title song
2007	''Bhool Bhulaiyaa''	Radha
2007	''Om Shanti Om''	Herself	Special appearance
2008	''Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic''	Malaika	Cameo
2011	''Parama Veera Chakra''	Ragini
2011	''Chatur Singh Two Star''	Sonia Varma
2011	''Run Bhola Run''		Delayed
2011			Stuck/On Hold
2012	''Race 2''		Pre-production

See also

List of Indian film actresses

List of people from Gujarat

References

Further reading

Udasi, Harshikaa. Reasons to smile. The Hindu. 1 June 2009.

Bharadwaj, Praveena. Who Cares? Shrugs Amisha Patel. Indiatimes.com. June 2002.

Dubey, Bharati. The Amisha Patel interview. Rediff.com. 17 April 2002.

Shariff, Faisal. 'Gadar - my heartbeat, my passion, my life!'. Rediff.com. 3 July 2001.

Verma, Sukanya. 'It's unfair to have just one goal in life'. Rediff.com. 22 November 1999.

External links

Category:1975 births Category:Indian actors Category:Indian film actors Category:Living people Category:Indian female models Category:Hindi film actors Category:Indian Hindus Category:People from Mumbai Category:Punjabi people Category:Gujarati people Category:Tufts University alumni

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