'Gadar' Gal Ameesha Patel Turns 36!

She's always in the news, even if it's not always for her movies. It is simply impossible to ignore Ameesha Patel. After making a splash in B'Town with Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai 11 years ago, Ameesha occupied reams of print space for her outstanding performance in Gadar: Ek Prem Katha, her relationship with Vikram Bhatt and her tiff with her family. It is indeed a special day as the actress-turned-producer turns a year older. (9th June)

Born in Mumbai to Amit Patel and wife Asha, Ameesha started training in Bharatnatyam since the age of 5. Her younger brother Ashmit Patel is also an actor. After completing her schooling from Cathedral and John Connon School, Ameesha graduated from Tufts University, Massachusetts. After rejecting some lucrative job offers, she returned to India and joined Satyadev Dubey's theatre group.

She made her big screen debut opposite Hrithik Roshan in Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai. The film struck gold at the box-office and offers started pouring in. Ameesha's second Hindi film was even more successful. Anil Sharma's Gadar: Ek Prem Katha was the top-grossing film of the year and Ameesha went on to win the Filmfare Award for 'Special Performance'.

Her next notable film was Abbas-Mustan's Humraaz, in which she shared screen space with Akshaye Khanna and Bobby Deol. A string of not-so-successful movies such as Yeh Hai Jalwa, Vaada, Elaan, Zameer: The Fire Within and Tathastu followed. She also had a special appearance in the Aamir Khan starrer, Mangal Pandey: The Rising

In 2006, Ameesha bounced back with Vikram Bhatt's Ankahee and received many accolades for her performance in the film. She also starred in hits such as Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. and Priyadarshan's Bhool Bhulaiyaa. Her last on-screen appearance was in Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic. The actress has now donned the mantle of a producer and has launched her own company called Ameesha Patel Productions.

As she turns 36, we'd like to wish Ameesha a very happy birthday and hope that she achieves great success in her new role as a producer.