Ameesha Patel’s obsession with luxury bags is no secret. Farah Khan’s vlogs had already given fans a glimpse of her enviable collection of nearly 400 bags. Now, the Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai actress has opened up about her passion for bags, revealing how she nurtures them with the same care one would give a child.“I don’t have kids, so I have bags,” Ameesha said on Ranveer Allahbadia’s podcast. “I have been collecting bags since the age of 16. I saw my mother and aunties collect bags. We are a very well-dressed family; they love accessories. So, I developed this love from childhood. My shoes and bags always matched even when I was 5-6 years old. I always had a perfume bottle and comb. I was always feminine, a girly girl, but life made me masculine. I know all designers’ history and their journeys.”
Birkins: the Rolls-Royce of bags
The actress takes special pride in her prized Birkin collection, which she treats as investments. “Birkins are the Rolls-Royce of bags. For normal leather with normal hardware, a Birkin starts from Rs 13 lakh. Also, Birkins sell for double the price. It is almost like an investment. In Japan, you can even give a Birkin as collateral for a bank loan,” Ameesha explained.
Her care routine sounds nothing short of parental. “I care for them a lot—airing, leather wipes, leather polishing. I keep them in the sun to avoid fungus because Mumbai’s weather is so bad, so humid, worst for leather bags and shoes. Just like you massage and put kids in the sun, in the same way you have to polish bags and keep them in the sun. It’s a process.”
On the work front
Ameesha was last seen reprising her iconic role as Sakeena in Gadar 2 (2023), which turned into an all-time blockbuster at the box office.