# 'You Made All of Pakistan Cry': Ameesha Patel Reveals How 'Gadar's Sakina Won Hearts Across the Border

> As 'Gadar: Ek Prem Katha' nears 25 years, Ameesha Patel opens up about the overwhelming love and fanbase her character Sakina earned in Pakistan, and how women there would break down emotionally on phone calls.

**Category:** Bollywood · **Published:** 2026-06-12 · **Source:** TrendKia
**Canonical:** https://trendkia.com/en/bollywood/apane-pure-pakistana-ko-rula-diya-gadara-ki-sakina-ko-sarahada-para-mile-pyara-k-158

New Delhi: Roughly 25 years have passed since Bollywood's blockbuster 'Gadar: Ek Prem Katha' hit the big screen. Marking the occasion, the film's lead actress Ameesha Patel looked back on those bygone days. She shared that the affection and respect she received from across the border, namely Pakistan, after the release was something she had never even imagined.

Speaking to 'NDTV', Ameesha revealed that 'Gadar' earned her a massive fanbase in Pakistan. Audiences there were so smitten with her portrayal of 'Sakina' that they would track down her secretary's number by hook or by crook. On the phone, Pakistani women would often become emotional.

Ameesha went on to say that many elderly women would call her and say through tears, 'Ameesha ji, you and Sakina have made all of Pakistan cry.' Watching Sakina's pain and her love on screen, people there simply could not hold back their tears. Their bond with the film had grown deeply personal.

The actress shared another heart-warming anecdote. She said that several parents from Pakistan would call her and proudly tell her that they loved the film and the character of Sakina so much that they had named their newborn daughters 'Sakina'. For Ameesha, this was nothing short of a major award.

Recalling the days of the film's release, Ameesha said that 'Gadar' had begun making history from the very first day. Across the whole of India, especially at single-screen theatres, the film opened to a thunderous 100% response. Audiences embraced the love story of Tara Singh and Sakina with open arms.

Laughing, Ameesha recalled that in that era actors used to do five films a year, which kept their schedules extremely busy. She was constantly rushing from one set to another. Amid this whirlwind, she initially did not even get the time to grasp just how huge a blockbuster her film had become.

Ameesha believes that completing 25 years in cinema is a tremendous milestone in itself. What is remarkable is that even after all these years, the film remains just as iconic. That was precisely why, when its second part arrived, it too unleashed a tsunami of earnings at the box office and proved to be a superhit.

In closing, Ameesha Patel thanked the audience and God, saying that the combined number of viewers who reached cinemas for 'Gadar 1' and 'Gadar 2' is a record in the history of Indian cinema. To play a character as demanding and special as Sakina at the start of her career and to become part of history is, for her, nothing less than a blessing.

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