Amisha Patel is the daughter of Amit Patel and Asha Patel, sister of Ashmit Patel and the granddaughter of the famous Indian lawyer Rajni Patel. Amisha Patel's name is derived from her parents' names. (Amit+Asha=Ami-sha). Her brother Ashmit's name was also derived similarly first three letters of his mother's name Asha and the last three letters of his father's name Amit.
She received a degree in Economics from Tufts University, U.S. She also studied classical Indian Bharatnatyam dance.She caught the eye of Bollywood director Rakesh Roshan at a Mumbai party. He signed her to appear with his son, Hrithik Roshan, in his next film project.
She made her debut in the hit film Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000). The film made her a star overnight. She appeared next in the surprise success, Gadar: Ek Prem Katha. These two successes were followed by a series of films that did badly at the box-office. Critics said that she was a mediocre actress. However, she received good reviews for her work in Aamir Khan's recent hit film, The Rising (2005).