Gadar 2 director Anil Sharma says Ameesha Patel was a weak actor when cast for 2001 film

Gadar 2 is currently kicking up a storm at the domestic box office in India, well in the running to become one of the industry's highest-grossers. The run up to the release of the film however, was not sans controversy. Ameesha Patel, who leads the film along side Sunny Deol, had called out the director, Anil Sharma, and his production house, Anil Sharma Productions for mismanagement. The two however, had resolved the issue. The director recently opened up about Ameesha and her journey with acting.

3 things you need to know

• The Sunny Deol-starrer Gadar 2 released in theatres on August 11, alongside the Akshay Kumar led Oh My God 2.
• Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel return to the screens, reprising their roles of Tara Singh and Sakeena respectively.
• The film is currently inching closer to the ₹500 crore mark having already minted upwards of ₹465 crore in the 19 days since its release.

Anil Sharma says Ameesha Patel used to be a weak actor

In an interview with Bollywood Hungama, Anil Sharma reflected on his long-standing equation with Ameesha Patel. Recalling the time she was cast for Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001), the director shared how he had two names in mind for the role of Sakeena but Ameesha turned out to be the better pick as her affluent background was similar to the character in question.

A rough translation of Sharma's statement, originally given in Hindi, states, "I wanted a face like the moon. She was a little weak in acting. I told Nitin Keni (producer) 'She (Ameesha) suits the role better but there's another girl who acts better'. But personality wise, she (Ameesha) belongs to a rich family so she already has that attitude."

(Anil Sharma and Ameesha Patel share a light moment at the Gadar 2 trailer launch | Image: Varinder Chawla)

The director elaborated on how training Ameesha to embrace the role of Sakeena was a six-month long process, something she was informed of. He shared how the actress would be trained for 4 to 5 hours daily. The same interview also saw Anil Sharma address their equation as not having changed much since Gadar. He revealed that the two got into arguments even while shooting the first film. Sharma however, still called her a kind-hearted person.

Ameesha Patel had accused Anil Sharma Productions of mismanagement 

Prior to the release of Gadar 2, across a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), Ameesha Patel had accused Anil Sharma and his production house, of gross mismanagement during the film's final schedule in Chandigarh. Patel alleged that the production house had failed to pay several technicians and makeup artists along with food bills. Non-availability of transport was also a major issue. Anil Sharma had reacted to the allegations at the time. In an interview to Dainik Bhaskar, he denied Ameesha's claims, also thanking her for making his production house famous.