Ameesha Patel gushes over international pop icon Shakira: 'She looks hotter than 25-year-olds at 49'

Ameesha Patel has been making headlines on two very different fronts this week. On one hand, she took to social media to gush over global pop icon Shakira's electrifying return to the FIFA World Cup stage. On the other, she has been at the centre of a growing Bollywood controversy after firing pointed shots at younger actresses and their alleged PR machinery.

Ameesha Patel can't stop raving about Shakira at 49

Ameesha Patel recently reshared a viral clip of Shakira dancing in a stadium setting, dressed in a sporty yellow outfit and performing with the effortless energy that has made her a global phenomenon. The actress was clearly in awe, writing: 'Wow, @shakira, at 49 yrs, u rock, dance n dress n look hotter than at 25 yrs!!," accompanied by a string of fire emoticons.

The clip is linked to Shakira's grand return to the FIFA music world. The singer has released 'Dai Dai', the official anthem for the FIFA World Cup 2026, featuring Nigerian artist Burna Boy, marking her return to the global football stage years after her iconic 'Waka Waka' era.

Ameesha Patel's blunt take on Bollywood's PR culture

Even as she celebrated Shakira, Ameesha Patel has simultaneously been stirring up debate closer to home. The actress sparked controversy earlier this month with a series of unfiltered posts on X (formerly Twitter), targeting what she called rampant image-building and PR-driven self-promotion in Bollywood.



She wrote, "Most female actresses who haven't even achieved one film in their career where even a single film of theirs has done even 200 cr plus at the box office are paying their PR teams to call themselves nos 1 and nos 2? like really? its 2026 and not 2000, today 100 cr is nothing."

She continued, "Call ur self a super star only if u have achieved any sort of work that creates history and havoc at the box office. Until then stop playing PR games to call urself a super star...sorry but that's the harsh reality" and "A star becomes a global super star only when he or she delivers a huge hit all over the world...stop PR machinery."

Backing her claims with her own track record, Ameesha added: "Kaho na pyaar hai, 'Gadar 1' or 'Gadar 2'… Ek nahin par 3 biggest solo blockbusters as a heroine with highest footfalls in all 3 films I've given and till date they are the biggest hits of my CO STARS as well.. but my FAKE PR machinery is weak unlike other actresses."

On the work front, the actress was last seen in the film 'Gadar 2'. The movie was released on August 11, 2023.