Ameesha Patel revealed how her family history shaped her emotional connection to ‘Gadar’ as the film completes 25 years. The actor said both sides of her family carried direct links to Partition and India’s freedom struggle, making Sakina’s story deeply personal. Her maternal family had roots in Lahore and Karachi, while her paternal grandparents played active roles in preserving and supporting India’s independence movement.
Ameesha Patel reveals her family’s Partition connection
Speaking exclusively to Variety India, Patel said her Sindhi mother’s family came from Lahore and Karachi before moving to India. Her maternal grandfather carried a lasting longing for the places the family had left behind.“There was always that craving, which my maternal grandfather felt till his last day,” Patel said.Her paternal family also had strong ties to the freedom struggle. Patel said her grandmother, Sushila Gokhale-Patel, helped create Gandhi museums at Mani Bhavan in Mumbai and Gandhi Bhavan in New Delhi before donating them to the Government of India. Her grandfather, Rajni Patel, served as a Congress president and was jailed during the freedom movement.Patel added that her paternal grandmother initially opposed her decision to enter films. However, her reaction changed after Patel explained the subject of ‘Gadar’. “When I told her the subject of ‘Gadar,’ she was very proud,” the actor said.
Why ‘Gadar’ felt close to Ameesha Patel
Patel played Sakina, a young woman whose life changes during Partition before she builds a family with Tara Singh, played by Sunny Deol. She said the role required her to understand the emotional journey of someone displaced from her home and country.The actor began filming ‘Gadar’ while still working on ‘Kaho Na… Pyaar Hai’. Her first scene featured Sakina confronting her father, Ashraf Ali, played by the late Amrish Puri.Patel said she had to imagine Sakina’s entire life before filming many of the earlier scenes. The challenge felt greater because she was still new to acting.She also described ‘Gadar’ as “a gut-wrenching love story that’s so raw and sincere.” According to Patel, the film’s lasting appeal comes from Tara and Sakina’s innocence, vulnerability and devotion.She believes Partition stories work when filmmakers treat the subject sincerely instead of using history as a gimmick. For Patel, ‘Gadar’ remains tied not only to cinema, but also to her own family’s past.
