Ashmit Patel is an Indian actor born on 13 January 1978 in Mumbai, Maharashtra. His parents are businessman Amit Patel and actress Asha Patel; his sister is the well-known Bollywood actress Ameesha Patel. He attended Bombay Scottish School and graduated from H.R. College of Commerce and Economics, Mumbai. He began his career as an assistant director, working with director Vikram Bhatt on films including Raaz (2002), Awara Paagal Deewana (2002), Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage (2002), and Footpath (2003) before transitioning to acting. He made his acting debut with the Vikram Bhatt-directed Inteha (2003), followed by his first major commercial success in the erotic thriller Murder (2004, produced by Mahesh Bhatt), where he played the cuckolded husband opposite Mallika Sherawat and Emraan Hashmi — the film becoming a milestone in Bollywood for its bold content. He went on to appear in Nazar (2005), Silsiilay (2005), Lucky: No Time for Love (2005, with Salman Khan), and other films. He also appeared in the web series Poison (2019) on ZEE5. He entered Bigg Boss 4 in October 2010 as one of the original housemates, where his close friendship with Pakistani actress Veena Malik became one of the season's most discussed dynamics. He stayed the full 96 days, finishing as second runner-up on 8 January 2011.
Breakthrough role in the erotic thriller Murder (2004, dir. Mahesh Bhatt) alongside Mallika Sherawat and Emraan Hashmi; roles in Nazar (2005), Silsiilay (2005), and Lucky: No Time for Love (2005); elder brother of actress Ameesha Patel; Bigg Boss 4 second runner-up.