'I've experimented with roles always'

Ameesha Patel, who is basking in the glory of the period drama Gadar 2, sat down for a chat with DC on the success of her role as Sakina and other topics.

HOW DO YOU MANAGE TO KEEP UP YOUR GOOD LOOKS?

People often ask me what I eat to look prettier by the day. My response is simple — it’s about what I do not eat — I don’t do drugs, I take no alcohol, I don’t smoke. I think these habits have kept me healthy and beautiful. Above all, I have a clean heart.

YOUR DEBUT FILM KAHO NA PYAAR HAI CLICKED. GADAR SERIES HAVE NOT ONLY BEEN COMMERCIALLY SUCCESSFUL, THEY’VE ALSO WON YOU ACCOLADES. HAS THE BURDEN OF CHOOSING FILMS INCREASED?

I think I have always experimented and tried to do different roles. Some get accepted and some don’t. It is very difficult to surpass Gadar, certainly. When people’s expectations get so high, your mind gets bogged down thinking about what you should do next.That is a tricky part of doing such films.

DOES THE CREDIT GO TO YOUR SELFLESSNESS IN NOT FOCUSSING ON THE LENGTH OF A ROLE?

I was selfless when people told me not to do Gadar. ‘How can you play the mother? You are a college kid,’ they said ‘Every other film you are doing is glamorous, you are wearing Western clothes. It is ridiculous that you are playing a mother in your second film.’ But I loved the script. I wanted to be a part of it. I think going with my gut, I always choose quality of roles over length.

DO YOU THINK TARA SINGH AND SAKINA HAVE BROKEN THE DRY SPELL AT THE B.O?

We knew Tara and Sakina have lived in the hearts of the people for more than 20 years. People saw Gadar as not a film but an emotion. Sunny and I were re-living a legacy, which no one had done before,either in a romantic or an artistic film. None of the earlier cult films like Pakeezah, Mother India or even Sholay have a Part 2. So we were also nervous. But we felt people would be curious to know Tara Sakina ke sath kya hota hai. So we took a risk. We didn’t make the film to get a full house on Friday or Saturday. We sincerely tried to be true to the legacy.