20 years of Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai: Ameesha says she never had acting dreams

Ameesha Patel says she has had a ‘beautiful’ journey in the industry so far.

When Ameesha Patel was busy with academics and considering her next move, destiny had different plans for her. “I wasn’t even on Mr Rakesh Roshan’s radar when he was contemplating Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (KNPH; 2000),” says the actor, before narrating how on seeing her at a wedding, the filmmaker decided to launch her alongside his son, Hrithik Roshan, in the successful romantic thriller that clocks 20 years today.

Ameesha Patel became an overnight star after the release of her debut film.

“I wasn’t supposed to go for this party. My mother was unwell so I accompanied my father. We were leaving when Rakesh uncle was entering. He did not recognise me and asked my father, ‘Amit who is this pretty young girl with you?’. The funniest thing is that after watching me dance at a common friend’s sangeet when I was 14/15, he expressed his desire to launch me alongside Hrithik. But my father declined,” Ameesha says, adding that her father and Roshan senior went to the same school.

This time, she and her family were invited by the Roshans for lunch. “After we got done, Rakesh uncle offered me the film. I was on the set on the fourth day. We started with the cruise scene, that’ll always stay with me as a beautiful memory,” she says, adding, “I got lucky… I don’t think I would’ve asked for any other film to begin my journey.”

A still from Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai.

Calling her two-decade-long journey as “beautiful” and KNPH a benchmark of her career, Ameesha says, “Right from Gadar (2001), Humraaz (2002), Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd (both in 2007)... I got the opportunity to explore various roles. And this year marks my debut as a producer.”

So, will we see her team up with Hrithik again? “People really want that magic to happen again and I hope it is recreated in 2020,” she says. Asked if she has mentioned the same to the Roshans, she adds, “I’m really shy or call it stupid, can’t say such things.”

Author tweets @Shreya_MJ

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