Released in 2004, Anurag Basu’s Murder became a major sensation, driven not only by its chart-topping music but also by the chemistry between Emraan Hashmi, Mallika Sherawat and Ashmit Patel. The film went on to become a defining success of its time, particularly for Sherawat and Hashmi. However, Patel recently revealed that the success of Murder did not translate into the same level of visibility or opportunities for him. He also opened up about the striking parallels between his personal life at the time and his character’s emotional journey in Murder.In a conversation with the Hindi Rush podcast, Ashmit Patel revealed that he was dealing with the aftermath of being cheated on by a former partner while filming Murder. “I was going through a similar situation in my personal life where my ex had cheated on me. I found out about it later, and that had really disturbed me. Through this film, I was able to come to terms with it in a way. It was cathartic, in a sense. So, all the emotions that you actually see on screen were very real.”‘Mallika Sherawat took the limelight’Patel also reflected on how the success of Murder affected the careers of its cast. According to him, Mallika Sherawat emerged as one of the biggest beneficiaries of the film’s popularity, while he received comparatively little attention despite the movie’s success. “It was interesting. After Murder released, Mallika Sherawat was at the top of her game. She was always good with PR. She was obviously a beautiful girl who was already in the news, so she took a lot of the limelight. And correctly so, I mean, she worked for it.”He added: “Neither Emraan got that much fame from the film, nor Anurag Basu. And I got the least. My role was such that I didn’t even have the songs. Both the hit songs had Emraan. I had only one or two shots in them. So, I didn’t get much fame or, if you may call it, popularity after the film,” he said.Also Read | The marriage was already over. Karan Johar’s ‘Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna’ just said it out loud‘I was dropped from one or two big films’While Murder did not bring Ashmit Patel the same mainstream recognition as it did for some of his co-stars, he said his performance was well received critically. “But critically, my performance was highly appreciated. And I did get some good offers. But around the same time, there were certain things happening in my personal life, particularly involving my family, which I think affected the industry’s perception of me. There were one or two big films that I had signed with major producers, and I was dropped from them without any intimation. And that was hurtful,” he said.Looking back, Patel described the period as a “mixed bag.” “So, it was a mixed bag. I got a lot of love from the right people, people who truly understand acting, who understand a person and see them through all their layers. I received a lot of love from them. But professionally, I didn’t get the amount of work that I should have. It was a struggle,” he added.Ashmit Patel was last seen in the 2018 film Nirdosh.