Amisha Patel (Hindi: अमीषा पटेल) (born June 9, 1976, also known as Ameesha Patel) is an Indian Bollywood actress. Making her acting debut in the blockbuster Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000), Patel won critical praise for her performance in Gadar: Ek Prem Katha, which became one of the biggest hits in the history of Hindi cinema. She would subsequently star in a number of films, most of which proved unsuccessful at the box office. However, her performance in the 2006 film Ankahee, received critical recognition, and she followed it with a supporting role in the hit Bhool Bhulaiyaa.
Amisha Patel is the daughter of Amit Patel and Asha Patel, sister of Ashmit Patel and the granddaughter of the famous Indian lawyer Rajni Patel. Her name is a blend of the first three letters of her father's name Amit and the last three letters of her mother's name Asha.
She graduated from Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. She then worked for Morgan Stanley. After returning to India she joined Satyadev Dubey's theatre group and began acting in plays, but only after receiving permission from her conservative parents.
