Nimrat Kaur has opened up about the loss of her father, Major Bhupener Singh, who was killed in Kashmir when she was 11, and recalled how her mother rebuilt the family after the tragedy.
For Nimrat Kaur, the loss of her father remains one of the defining experiences of her childhood. In a conversation with ANI, the actor reflected on the death of her father, Major Bhupener Singh, and the impact it had on her family.
Nimrat was only 11 when her father was killed in Kashmir. She recalled how the tragedy suddenly changed the lives of her mother, her sister and the entire family, while highlighting the extraordinary strength her mother showed while raising two daughters.
Nimrat Kaur Recalls the Loss of Her Father
Nimrat said her mother was in her early to mid-30s when the family lost Major Bhupener Singh. With two young daughters to raise, her mother was forced to rebuild a life that had changed overnight.
“My mom was very young when we lost him in Kashmir. My mom was like literally in her early to mid-30s. So the world she knew collapsed. We were just two young girls she was bringing up. We had family around us to support us at the time, my maternal side. But having said that, the life we knew was over,” she said.
The actor said the circumstances surrounding her father’s death made the experience particularly difficult. She also recalled that her father had spoken about his family before he was killed.
“Nothing prepares you for that. Even for my father, in the way he went, nothing can prepare you for that. And I know from the conversations that happened before he was shot, he told them that, ‘I have a family, I have two girls.’ I know that he was thinking of us in his last thoughts,” Nimrat said.
She added that her mother faced the aftermath one day at a time.
Major Bhupener Singh Was Kidnapped While Returning From Duty
Nimrat also recalled what she knew about the circumstances of her father’s death. According to her account, Major Bhupener Singh was kidnapped while returning from a duty assignment in Kashmir by people who were dressed as soldiers.
“He was actually kidnapped from a normal day of work. He was going somewhere for a duty that he had been assigned and then on his way back he was kidnapped by people who posed as soldiers. They were wearing army fatigues and he was taken away,” she said.
According to Nimrat, the kidnappers made demands over several days, including demands concerning the release of people held in captivity in India.
“There were some ridiculous demands. They demanded the release of other people who were in captivity in India and other ridiculous demands that came up over a period of seven days. On the seventh day, we got news that he had been assassinated,” she added.
‘The Next Time I Saw Him Was in a Coffin’
For Nimrat, one of the most painful aspects of the tragedy was the absence of closure. She remembered seeing her father leave for work that morning, only to see him again after his death.
“I saw my father leave for work that morning. I just remember him leaving and then after that the next time I saw him was in a coffin. So there is no closure there,” she said.
Although several decades have passed since the tragedy, Nimrat said the emotional impact has never simply disappeared.
“Technically you feel like it’s been so long, it’s been a few decades, but nothing quite repairs that. Not for my mom, not for my sister, not for me and not for the rest of the family,” she said.
Nimrat Kaur Praises Her Mother’s Strength
While remembering the loss, Nimrat also spoke with admiration about her mother and the way she rebuilt their family life.
She described the manner in which her mother raised her and her sister as deeply inspiring, particularly because she had to take on the responsibility of rebuilding their lives after such a devastating loss.
“I really feel like the way my mother has brought us up and the way she has rebuilt her life and rebuilt our lives after that, I don’t know of many women who would be able to do that single-handedly and so respectfully and in such a dignified way,” Nimrat said.
Her mother’s resilience remains an important part of how Nimrat remembers her childhood and the years that followed her father’s death.
How the Tragedy Shaped Nimrat’s Understanding of Loss
Nimrat also explained that experiencing such a profound loss as a child has influenced the way she understands families affected by violence and tragedy.
“When you’ve gone through something so dense as a child, you know exactly the cycles the family will go through, how they’re going to live from day to day. What I saw my mother go through, what I personally went through or what my sister went through, it’s something you recognise very closely,” she said.
Her comments offer a deeply personal perspective on the long-term impact that a violent loss can have on the family members left behind.
Nimrat Kaur’s Career Continues
Alongside reflecting on her personal journey, Nimrat Kaur continues to be active in the entertainment industry. She was most recently seen in The Family Man 3, which features Manoj Bajpayee and Jaideep Ahlawat.
Created by Raj and DK, the series follows Manoj Bajpayee’s Srikant Tiwari, a middle-class family man who works as an intelligence officer with the fictional Threat Analysis and Surveillance Cell (TASC).
For Nimrat, her career in cinema has unfolded alongside a personal history marked by profound loss. Her latest reflections underline how memories of her father and her mother’s resilience continue to shape her understanding of grief, family and perseverance.
