Ameesha Patel Had Emraan Hashmi Dropped From Mahesh Bhatt Film, Here’s What He Did: 'I'd Go to Sets And...'

Emraan Hashmi continues to reign in the hearts of audiences since his debut in the 2003 film Footpath. Originally set to star in Mahesh Bhatt’s Yeh Zindagi Ka Safar alongside Ameesha Patel, he was dropped from it after Ameesha felt he lacked experience. Emraan shared in an interview with The Lallantop, the actor said that his first film was Yeh Zindagi Ka Safar, originally with Govinda in the lead.

“I was doing an acting course with Roshan Taneja at the time. After a month, (Mahesh) Bhatt called and said that Govinda is not in the film anymore, there was an issue with his dates. He asked Roshan Taneja, ‘Is my boy ready to shoot the film?’ and Roshan Taneja said, ‘He is ready!’ I heard this, and I was trembling with nervousness because I was not ready. I was still mentally preparing myself for another film that was going on floors after six months. I said I wasn’t ready, and Bhatt sahab said, ‘No, you will never be ready. You have to jump in the deep end, and this is the film, you’ll have to jump’. I was not ready, Ameesha also felt I was too raw,” he recalled.

When asked about Ameesha’s opinion that he wasn’t right for the role, Emraan said that Ameesha thought he couldn’t handle it, after she had given just one hit film. He said, “Ameesha felt I wouldn’t be able to pull it off. She had just delivered a hit film (Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai), so she was worried, she wanted the casting to be right for the hero. She wanted an experienced actor to be cast for the role, not someone totally inexperienced, someone who’s only done one month acting course. So, she went to Bhatt sahab and said, ‘I don’t think Emraan is the right fit’. I was infuriated, I was very angry with her. Now when I look back, I feel Ameesha, from her point of view, was correct.”

Emraan then revealed that he responded to Ameesha’s criticism by visiting the film set unnecessarily and staring at her. “I used to go to the film’s set, and watch her shoot, I used to stare at her as well. I also told Bhatt sahab to give me a chance. It wasn’t that I actually couldn’t act; it was Ameesha who felt that I couldn’t act. I was free at the time, so I would go on the film’s set because I wanted to stay engaged with the process of filmmaking. I used to go on set everyday. I was not an assistant on the film, I used to just go to see. Then I signed my first film with Vishesh Films, Footpath.”