When Sanjay Leela Bhansali told Ameesha Patel to RETIRE after Gadar: ‘You’ve already achieved in two films…’ |

Ameesha Patel recalls Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s surprising advice to retire after her initial success with ‘Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai’ and ‘Gadar: Ek Prem Katha.’ Despite praising her performance in ‘Gadar,’ Bhansali felt she had already achieved a lifetime’s worth of success. Patel also revealed missed opportunities with top filmmakers due to issues with her manager, contributing to a career slump.

Sanjay leela bhansali is enjoying the success of his latest web series, Constitutionald: The Diamond Bazaar. He is known for bringing out powerful performances from his actors. However, actress Ameeesha patel once revealed in an interview that Bhansali had advised her to retire after her first two hit films, which were huge successes.
A Heartfelt Compliment After Gadar’s Success
While promoting Bridge 2Ameesha recalled a memorable moment with the filmmaker. After watching Gadar: Ek prem kathahe sent her a heartfelt letter praising her performance. During a meeting, he even suggested she retire, saying she had achieved in two films what many actors never do in a lifetime. At the time, she didn’t fully grasp his words as she was still new to the industry.
A Grand Debut Followed by a Blockbuster
The actress began her Bollywood career with Kaho naa … pyaar hai opposite Hrithik roshanwhich became a huge hit. She followed it up with Gadar: Ek Prem Katha alongside Sunny Deol. The film turned into a blockbuster and earned immense love, collecting around $1.33 billion worldwide.
Missed Opportunities with Top Filmmakers
Ameesha once shared that she lost out on working with top filmmakers due to issues with her then-manager. In an interview with Siddharth Kannan, she revealed that even Sanjay Leela Bhansali avoided projects with her because he didn’t get along with her manager. These missed chances affected her career growth.
Facing a Career Slump
Ameesha Patel faced a career slump in 2003 when several of her films failed at the box office. Although she was part of hits like Bhool Bhulaiyaa, her role didn’t gain much attention. She later shared that she felt targeted during this phase and believed having a godfather in the industry might have protected her career.
After her impressive debut, Gadar: Ek Prem Katha proved to be a turning point in Ameesha Patel’s career. While it established her as a strong performer, she believes the film also hurt her career. In an interview with IANS, she said the success set such a high benchmark that her later films couldn’t match up, affecting her journey negatively.