Amisha Patel Interviews

Three films so far - Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai, Badri in Telugu and now Gadar. All of them, historic blockbusters. Amisha Patel smiles at the sudden escalation in her fortunes. Shooting in Ooty for Tanuja Chandra's Yeh Zindagi Ka Safar, she's besieged by the limelight moths who want a piece of the action. Serenely and unostentatiously Amisha goes through the rhythms of her work, knowing that the dance would emerge from those rhythms:

It's been ages since we had a hit like Gadar. Are you surprised?

Thanks. Its collections seem to have overtaken Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai. But frankly this isn't a new experience for me. When Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai came everyone asked me whether I expected it to be so big. For a year and a half I had been telling people around me about Gadar. But noone believed me. I told them to just wait and watch. I felt the subject was foolproof. With a content so strong, one can never go wrong. I relentlessly sat with my director Anil Sharma working on my scenes, costume, looks, everything. He's such a passionate director, he didn't leave any stone unturned to ensure that the film came out just right. Whether it was the music or locations, no expenses were spared.

Considering that there aren't too many heroine-centric films being made, do you think Gadar has spoilt you for run-of-the-mill assignments?

I know it would be very hard for me to equal Gadar in my subsequent films. I've built certain expectations after my films so far. But roles of substance are hard to come by, specially since this isn't Hollywood where actors do one role at a time. We do five films a year and they have to be different from one another or people get bored of watching us. Having done a maturer part, I have to move back to playing a young modern woman in a light-hearted films. That's exactly what I'm doing in Vimal Kumar's Suno Sasurji and David Dhawan's Family No 1. I've taken these roles on to prove that I'm equally comfortable in light-hearted roles.

And you have another film with Hrithik Roshan coming up...

Yes. When audience see us together in Vikram's film they'll forget Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai. We've gone a 1000 per cent beyond our first film together. Like I said about Gadar, I'm saying about Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage as well. It is going to be a monumental hit. Everyone's concentration might be on Subhash Ghai's film and the other biggies but it is Hrithik's film with me that will create history. I guarantee that.

After Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai, you kept grumbling that Hrithik had cornered all the media attention?

How could I go around declaring it had made me as big a star as Hrithik? That would have been foolish. If the media chose to project my honesty as pettiness or annoyance then that's sensational journalism for you. Controversies are created where none exist. Let's be very clear about this. Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai was a film made by a father for his son. Had my father made a film for me, it would've done for me what Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai did for Hrithik. Almost every frame was designed to highlight his talents. And I couldn't have expected to get equal attention in the film. Normally heroines from star-son launches end up being one-film wonders. And unlike star-kids who get chances even when they fail over and over again, I did not have a second chance. My struggle to make an impression was my own. Considering all these hurdles, I think I've done pretty well for myself.

How do you react to gossip about you and Sunny Deol?

If some people are making a living out of writing lies about us, they might as well do it. As long as people who love me and believe in me don't believe what's written, I'm not bothered. I read about myself in the magazines and laugh. I'm pretty sure even the readers know it's junk. The gossip magazines are for bathroom reading. People read it while they're taking their morning crap and flush the gossip down the toilet. I'm not bothered. Why should I care about what strangers think of me after reading this nonsense? Even if I scream the truth from rooftops, people who want to believe the gossip would believe it. I want people to love me for my performances rather than my make-believe personal life in the magazines.

How has your family responded to your phenomenal success?

They are a very normal and non-filmi family. They still treat me as their little girl. I'm still not a star for them, I never will be. I still get whacked when I do something wrong. I still have to be accountable for every Rs 100 spent. I think that's what will help me to remain normal and sane. A cultured, sensible and disciplined background is essential to keep one's head on the shoulder.

Amisha Patel is no longer upset about Kaho... Naa Pyar Hai not doing for her what it did for Hrithik Roshan. Life moves on for the young actress as work keeps her morale going and a fair amount of good films and good banners that too. She's pleasant and friendly as ever, her smile lighting up her eyes and crinkling her face. Of late, her hectic schedules are taking a toll on her. She finds herself falling ill and succumbing to virus more often than she would like. But she takes it all in her stride with spunk. Work occupies a place of pride in her list of priorities. On the sets of Tanuja Chandra's untitled film, in a remote studio in Andheri, Amisha is shooting in raging temperature but she's her cool-n-pleasing self.

You're doing a number of films. Do they justify in terms of roles, your choice of becoming an actress?

Yes. All the films I've selected are ones in which I am the solo heroine and my roles are very substantial. They offer a lot in terms of performance. Some are weightier than the others, but I've taken care to blend both, serious roles, like that in Sunny Deol's film Gadar, as well as frothy, young roles like this one and the other one that I'm doing with Govinda, where the idea is pure entertainment. I'm very happy that I'm getting both kinds of offers. That could only mean that in spite of everything, I'm being noticed and treated as an actress.

What was your gripe with Kaho... Naa Pyaar Hai?

Actually it's not like that. I can never say that Rakesh uncle gave me the wrong picture or cheated me of my role. The film was made to launch his son and since I was playing the romantic lead opposite him, I got as much noticed because I was there almost throughout the film. I'm sure if my dad were into films and wanted to launch me, he'd do the same. All film parents would do as much for their kids. Even all the hoardings and publicity had an equal amount of me. To say that I am not happy would mean being ungrateful. I would still say that it was the best launch I could ask for.

Don't you feel resentful about Hrithik becoming such a big super star and you not being able to gain as much from Kaho Naa...?

No. Why should I be resentful? If it was meant for me, I would also get it. Everything comes in its own time. I would prefer to look at the positive side, that for every person who went to see the film because of Hrithik, I was also seen. That was very good for me. I've had a large amount of fan mail (she's almost blushing as she reveals this shyly). And after the film, we have both received good offers. In fact, for me it's a little easier because I don't have to live up to any huge expectations. After a launch like that, with all his talent, he's got an enormous amount to live up to and he must feel the pressure even more now. Secondly, we still share a good relationship. I'm doing another film with him.

What are the films you are doing?

Two films with Govinda. One is Tanuja Chandra's, which is a very female oriented role and it's something I really like. The other one with Govinda is Sanjay Chhel's film. Both are untitled as of now. Sanjay's film is one where you'll just laugh a lot. You're expected to leave your brains behind and enjoy it for the entertainment value. You enjoy yourself on the sets of such a film very much. You look glamorous and you wear glamorous clothes and there's a lot of dancing and things like that.

Then I'm doing my second film with Hrithik, Vikram Bhatt's Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage, Sunny Deol's film Gadar, a Muslim social, set 40 years ago. It's a film where I play right from a young girl to a wife to a mother, and another film with Sunny Deol, Devaa, which is his company Vijeta Films' home production. One Vimal Kumar film, Suno Sasurji, with Aaftaab, and another one with him and one film with Ajay Devgun. Of these only one or two may release this year. The rest will be in the next year.

Most actors, even if they are originally models, look down on modeling once they make it in films. And then they go ahead and do ads for phenomenal prices. Are you also planning anything like this?

I'll continue to do ads as they come my way. And I'll apply the same policy that I did earlier. I used to do ads for products that I believed in or actually endorsed. I will not do cigarette and alcohol ads or pan masala types because I genuinely believe that stars influence people. We're their role models and it becomes our duty not to lead them up the wrong path. I'll do ads that befit my image and that do not give negative messages, directly or indirectly. As a media personality I have a responsibility to the public, which I cannot be selfish and ignore.

Your parents were very cut up about your decision to join films. How do they feel today?

They're very proud of me because it was a tough battle to convince them. They understand that I stood up for what I believed in and because my conviction was firm, I went ahead and did this. They're very happy for me because they can see that is what really makes me happy.

Who are the directors you look forward to working with?

I have no preconceived demands in my head. It's a new experience, a new life for me. So far, each director I've worked with has given me something new, something progressive and something to think about. I'm a director's actress. And I'm very lucky to be working with all these banners with such good directors, who have had a record of good films. As an actress, it gives me scope for so much learning.

Can you walk up to a director and say: "I want to work with you", or are you afraid that people will say you're desperate? Every actress claims that her work comes to her on a platter.

I have no ego hassles about walking up to a director and saying that I'd love to work in their films. I have done it too. I told Tanuja that I wanted to work with her. And now I'm in her film. When they refuse, I do feel bad. I know that most often it's not a personal rejection. After all every artiste cannot fit the requirement for every role. There are physical, external conditions that are limitations as far as the look of a film is concerned. Then when I'm rejected, it urges me to push myself a little further just to prove myself to that person that I'm capable of good work. Nobody has told me to date though that I'm a bad actress. I realize that just like I reserve the right to reject films, and it may have nothing to do with the director, I may reject them because of my roles; similarly, they have a right to choose the artistes that they want to work with. And considering the fact that I do not have a godfather, it's very elating for me to think that I have achieved this much on my own steam.

What has been your growth since Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai, as an actress and as a person?

Because I had to go against so much to get to my dream, it's that much dearer to me. So today when I get fan mail, and I get a lot of it, I feel very grateful that I was able to achieve what I always dreamt of. I would not have been happy anywhere else. And I have got so much from this industry, that I cherish it dearly. The thought of losing it is very sad. And I know that I have to work very hard to keep what I've got. In any case, since I was not here for the money, I have the space to choose my films and do those that really appeal to me.

As a person, I'm constantly aware that I should not lose my moorings. There used to be so many people who scorned me when I chose to do films who now run after me as though they had never said all those hurtful words. I keep away from them. Their double standards are not something that I understand or accept. I can't stand hypocrites. There are times in this profession too where I have to be nice to people who I may not really care about or like very much. But I'm professional enough to realise that and I keep relations very cordial. I always appreciate people who are honest, because I haven't changed, and my becoming an actress should hardly be the reason that they should change their attitude towards me.

Would you have the courage to quit if you don't really find your work growing?

I do. I already have an alternate career, which I gave up to be in films. I cannot sit at home so I may just go back to being a business - woman. Though, I would be a liar if I said that it wouldn't make a difference.