Anil Sharma and Ameesha. (Courtesy: Twitter)
Amid Gadar 2 wave at the box office, director Anil Sharma has been making headlines for talking about the heroine of the movie, Ameesha Patel. Ameesha has reprised the role of Sakeena in Gadar 2 which is a sequel to the 2001 blockbuster Gadar. In his interview with Bollywood Hungama, Anil Sharma revealed that he had chosen another actor for the role of Sakeena as Ameesha Patel's acting was "weak". However, Ameesha was finalized for her looks and "rich girl attitude". Anil Sharma told Bollywood Hungama, "Chaand jaisa chehra chahiye tha. Acting mein thodi weak thi. Maine Nitin Keni (producer) sahab se kaha, 'suit to mujhe ye kar rahi hai lekin ek dusri ladki hai wo better actor hai.' Magar yeh personality-wise, ameer ghar ki ladki hai to wo iske andar wo baat hai, wo attitude hai (I wanted an actress as beautiful as the moon. She was weak at acting. I told Nitin Keni that another girl we'd shortlisted was a better actor. Ameesha had the personality of someone who hails from a rich family, and she has an attitude)."
Anil Sharma also took a dig at Ameesha's attitude which creates problems at times. The director said to Bollywood Hungama, "Woh bade ghar ki bitiya hai, unke mizaaj thode bade hain, magar dil ki buri nahi hain, dil ki achi hain. Bade ghar ki beti jo hoti hai kabhi kabhi tunakmizaaji aa jaati hai. Hum log chote ghar ke log hain. Hum log pyaar mohabbat se rehte hain. Woh bhi rehti hain, but thoda sa attitude, ek ada hai unme jo kabhi kabhi tedhi-medhi ho jaati hai, lekin insaan achi hain (She hails from a big family, and she carries that attitude with her. I'm a simple person, I believe in living with love. She does, too, but sometimes her attitude gets in the way. But she is a kind person otherwise)."
Ahead of the release of Gadar 2, Ameesha Patel spoke about the issues of "non-payment" in a series of tweets. Ameesha wrote in her tweet that the "rightful remuneration" of many crew members was not met by Anil Sharma Productions while Zee Studios took care of the dues in a professional manner. Ameesha tweeted, "There were certain queries that many technicians like makeup artists, costume designers and others etc did not receive their rightful remuneration and dues from Anil Sharma Productions. Yes, they did not." Ameesha added, "But Zee Studios stepped in and made sure all dues were settled as they are a very professional company."
Referring to that episode, Anil Sharma acknowledged during the interview that there were issues between Ameesha and him even during the shoot of Gadar. However, Anil Sharma earlier dismissed the issues of animosity with Ameesha. After Ameesha's tweets, Anil Sharma said in a statement, "We have had a bond for over 22 years now and will continue to exist. There is no questionability on professionalism by Ameesha. All is well, and it's just chatter. I am excited for the film and at the moment, my entire focus is to get the film ready. There is no fight with Ameesha, and it's all love and affection between us."
Meanwhile, Gadar 2 has been heading towards the coveted 500 crore club. After 18 days of its release, the movie minted more than Rupees 460 crore at the domestic box office.