Ameesha Patel recalls quitting Morgan Stanley job for “Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai”
Ameesha Patel articulates that she gave up a lucrative job at Morgan Stanley for assignment in Bollywood with Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai featuring Hrithik Roshan and directed by Rakesh Roshan.
Ameesha also recounted that she was approached for Hrithik Roshan’s debut film just three days before its filming. The film, released in 2000, catapulted both Hrithik and Ameesha to stardom.
Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai emerged as an instant blockbuster upon its release, ranking as the second highest-grossing film of 2000. The film catapulted both Hrithik Roshan and Ameesha Patel to overnight superstardom and garnered a remarkable 92 awards across various ceremonies. It also a place in the Guinness World Records. Ameesha went on to reveal that she had turned down films like Prem Aggan, and Himalaya Putra prior to accepting the
Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai offer.
In a recent interview the actress shared how she first met Rakesh Roshan and was offered the role. She had attended a filmy wedding with her family..Back then she was working as a head economic analyst. Rakesh Roshan was entering the venue, when she was exiting it. He looked at her blinked for a while, looked at her father and asked him, ‘Girlfriend?’ her father said, ‘No, Rakesh. This is Ameesha, daughter.She just graduated and returned from Boston.’ And that was all the conversation that they had. If only she left a little later, or he came a little earlier, the meeting would have never happened at all.
After the impromptu meet, the next day, Ameesha was invited for lunch to Rakesh Roshan’s house. She recounted being reluctant on the lunch invite. “‘Oh my god, not gonna go all the way from Marine Drive to Juhu.’ She never wanted to go and moreover, also not aware that he was actually inviting her for lunch to offer her first movie Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai”.
She went on to add that said, like any teenager, she went with a white t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers, no makeup, hair in a ponytail and sulking that she had to make this whole journey. She reached his home and entered the bar room. Hrithik was sitting there. We had been friends when we were kids. We had pretty much similar social circle. She looked at him and thought to herself ‘Wow, you have become a hell of a handsome guy’. And then she said, ‘Forget all that, where is the washroom?’ That was her first sentence to him. And he just looked at her and said, ‘This girl is cracked.’ She went to use the washroom.
Adding in her absence, while she was in the washroom, she wasn’t aware what happened. But, Hrithik and Rakesh uncle told her later that after Rakesh uncle returned from the wedding, he didn’t sleep all night. He said, he has found their Soniya for the film.’ And Hrithik was waiting to see her. And they exchanged a thumbs up, when she was in the washroom. They still hadn’t told her at that point what she was there for.
Ameesha, who had no clue about the intention behind the lunch, wanted to head back to her house. She was under the impression that it was a social lunch. We had our lunch. There was Rakesh uncle, his wife, Pinky and Hrithik. After lunch,she said, better head back, she had a long trip. And Rakesh uncle told her ‘No Ameesha, wait, can you tell me one thing? What is your plan for future?’ she said, to be very honestly, she was at the crossroads, not knowing whether wanted to go back to Boston and study further or take up the job offer I had received from Morgan Stanley, who were quite impressed with my CV.
They needed someone well-exposed and educated to represent them. It was a fabulous position and she was quite confused at that point in her life, which she expressed to Rakesh uncle. But, none matched what he had in store for her.
The actress recalled how Rakesh Roshan had a contract ready for her. She revealed, “He said, ‘But, what about films? ‘Have you considered acting?’ I said, she does a skit or two in school and university. Has won awards in dramatics for best director, and best actor. She is a Bharatnatyam trained dancer. But, if you are asking her about Bollywood, she has no such intentions.
Rakesh then took out a contract. He said that he is offering her a film, would you like to do it?’ What film?’ He said, ‘I want to launch you with son. ‘Really? But, she doesn’t know anything about acting.’ He was like, ‘Really?’ And she thought about it for like five minutes and said, ‘Okay, let her just do it’”, added Ameesha.
Sharing her reasons for quickly agreeing to doing the film, Ameesha shared, she was like, ‘What worse can happen? The film will fail, and she will go back to doing what she had been doing–her education, and job. Before this, she had other offers too. Vinod Khanna had offered her Himalaya Putra with Akshaye. Feroz Khan had offered her Prem Aggan with Fardeen. But, all these films were being filmed when she was in the university. So, she kept declining these offers. Films wasn’t on her radar. But, Kaho Na… Pyaar Hai was maybe meant to be.”
She added, she sat down, and had no clue about the film. She thought maybe they will start in six months so that by then she can prep for it. He said, ‘No, Ameesha, we start in three days.’ she got the biggest shock. She had no clue how to face the camera. Rakesh uncle would say, ‘Right’, and she would go left because the camera angles are opposite. But she just went with the flow. The film released and became a major hit. That evening, Hrithik and she became the heartthrobs of the nation. It was all just meant to be.
News Edit KV Raman
