Nimrat Kaur shared the profound impact of losing her father to terrorism at age 11. She reflected on her mother’s hidden struggles and the emotional burden placed on her as the eldest daughter. Nimrat acknowledged the challenges of maintaining strength for her family while longing for childhood freedom.
Nimrat Kaur, widely known for her powerful performances in Airlift, The Lunchbox, and her recent web series Kull, opened up in an exclusive interview with Zoom about the emotional toll of losing her father at a young age. She also reflected on her mother’s silent struggle and how those years shaped the person she is today.
Nimrat Kaur on her mother’s struggles
Speaking candidly, Nimrat shared the emotional aftermath her family endured following her father’s passing. She said, “My mother went through her own cycle of ups and downs and carried such deep sadness within her. I was unaware of it at the time because I was too young to understand, especially as a woman, what she was truly going through. I was just trying to be there for her in my own way, thinking I needed to be normal, to be strong. That’s what society tells you—to be strong for yourself, your sister, your mother.”
She continued, “The problem with trying to be strong all the time is that people begin to expect it from you constantly. And then, sometimes, you don’t want to be strong—you just want to be a child, to make mistakes like any kid would. A lot of those liberties were taken away. I had to grow up really fast.”
Nimrat remembers her father
Nimrat also spoke lovingly about her father and the void his absence left, “I realized only a year later what it really meant to grow up without him—the first man in your life, your father. He was a shining example of a human being. Born to a farmer-soldier, he used to work in the fields and walk over a mile to attend night school. He studied at Jodhpur University, went on to join the Indian Army through IMA, and had a bright future as an officer.”
“He was an exceptional father—so proud of his daughters. In a society that often values sons over daughters, he stood apart. When I was born in Pilani, someone said to him, ‘Oh, you had a daughter,’ and he replied, ‘That’s exactly why I’m celebrating—because I had a daughter.’ The wings he gave me during those 11 years formed the foundation of who I am today,” recalled Nimrat.
A painful loss that changed everything
Reflecting on the moment her life changed forever, Nimrat shared, “I lost my father to terrorism when I was 11. It was a strange and violent way to lose a parent, and from that moment, everything changed. We were living in Delhi, where I studied for nearly a decade—school and college. But the reality of what had happened didn’t hit me right away. I think it sinks in much later.”
“I’m the elder daughter, and my younger sister was only seven at the time. My mom was in her mid-thirties. As a family unit, we were completely disoriented and displaced. The world as we knew it had ended—we lost the captain of our ship.”