A recently resurfaced video of Ameesha Patel from the 2001 Zee Cine Awards created tides across social media.
Bollywood actress, Ameesha Patel has been grabbing the limelight recently, given the recent re-release of her iconic 2000 movie, Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai, co-starring Hrithik Roshan. The film, which was Ameesha’s debut work, soon became a blockbuster and landed her first award in the industry. Recently, an old speech from Ameesha’s initial days in the industry surfaced online wherein the actress was awarded the Best Female Debut Award.
In the clip, Ameesha can be seen being welcomed on the stage by Priyanka Chopra and Esha Deol. In the video, Ameesha begins her speech by expressing gratitude to her fans and sharing her life motto: ‘Believe in your dreams.’ she then adds a statement that seems like a subtle dig at nepotism: “For these dreams to come true, you need a solid backup.” Her speech was quoted as saying:
“My motto in life has always been, ‘Believe in your dreams’. Because if you believe in them and you work hard, they will come true. But only until last year, I realised that for these dreams to come true, you need a solid backup. I had four such families backing me up. My first, my mom and dad, and my sweetheart brother... The second and the third, Bhavani and Ranjoon Anikram, and Pradesh and Dakshakhan Walla… And the fourth, Mr Rakesh Roshan, Pinky Roshan, Suzanne, Rajesh Roshan, Ira Aunty, Hrithik, Om Ji, and Sunaina. They were all behind me, and they made this dream come true… I know that it's very encouraging for a newcomer who doesn’t belong to the industry to receive such an award.”
Watch the video here.
In a 2023 interview with Bollywood Bubble, Ameesha revisited her struggles as an outsider in the film industry. She candidly admitted that her journey would have been much easier had she belonged to a film family. She explained:
“I think the ones that didn’t come from a film family because we didn’t get any support from outside. The film people who belong to the industry, who’ve grown up here will always have an edge. It’s a fact. People who come from outside make it or attempt to make it in the film industry.”
Talking about how life would have been different if she belonged to the film fraternity. Ameesha highlighted the importance of having a godfather in the industry to keep getting offers irrespective of a film’s success. Ameesha shared:
“Had I belonged to the film fraternity, had been born here and had a Godfather, then even the films that didn’t do well wouldn’t have mattered because I would have time and time had still gotten the biggest films anyway. Also, not having any relationships in the film industry of any sort works against you.”
Workwise, Ameesha became an iconic heroine for her work in Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai. The film was re-released in theatres on January 10, 2025, celebrating 25 years of its original release. She later went on to deliver iconic hits including Gadar: Ek Prem Katha. Ameesha was last seen in Gadar 2.
What do you think about Ameesha Patel’s gutsy remarks after her Bollywood debut?
Also Read: Masaba Gupta's Sister-In-Law Loses Her Home In Los Angeles Wildfire: 'Devastating Past Few Days..'