Bollywood actress Ameesha Patel recalled the times when she was tagged as “arrogant and snobbish” by the media houses. She also revealed how people made fun of her when she took a Mercedes to the first day of shoot while actor Hrithik Roshan came in Maruti.
Speaking to Pinkvilla, Patel addressed how the media treated her in the early days of her career. “I was portrayed as arrogant and snobbish and this typical south Bombay rich brat. Because on the sets, I would not indulge in idle gossip and bitching about people or talking them down. Someone else has a hit, I would always be happy that he or she has done a great job,” she said.
She added how people used to compare her and Roshan. She said, “I used to read a book. I am a bookworm. I can read a book in three days. So I used to get told that Ameesha ji is very arrogant, pata nahi apne aap ko kya samajhti hai (Don’t know what she thinks of herself). Just because she is from a big khandaan (Rich Family), on the first day of shoot she came driving in a Mercedes. They used to make fun that Hrithik came in a Maruti, Ameesha came in a Mercedes. But there was nothing to show off. That was my upbringing, my hobby. I was never brought up to talk bad or ill about anyone,” she said.
Patel made her acting debut opposite Roshan in ‘Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai’ in 2000. Actress Kareena Kapoor was the first choice as the female lead but due to unknown reasons she opted out. Later, as per media reports Kapoor called Patel a “bad actor” and even passed remarks on her role in the film. Almost two decades later Patel spoke about her feud with Kapoor.
She said, “I have no enemies. In fact when Kareena looks stunning in some song or some film and delivers a great performance, I actually tell my closest friends that ‘wow, she has done a brilliant job.’ I think she is a tremendously beautiful woman, amazing actress and I have nothing against her.”
On the work front, Patel will be seen in a sequel to ‘Gadar’ alongside actor Sunny Deol.
