Actor Nimrat Kaur once shared the heartbreaking story of losing her father, Major Bhupender Singh, to a terrorist attack in Kashmir.

Recalling the tragic winter of 1994, she revealed that her father, an army engineer posted at Verinag, was kidnapped by Hizb-ul-Mujahideen while she and her family were visiting him during winter break.

Despite the terror outfit's demands, Major Singh refused to comply and was killed after seven days. He was just 44 years old.

Kaur described seeing his body for the first time in Delhi and said the trauma led her to never return to the Valley, until years later, after the Cannes screening of her film The Lunchbox, when she briefly visited Verinag seeking closure.

She praised the unwavering support of the Indian Army, calling them a lifelong family that continues to stand by her. Her father was posthumously awarded the Shaurya Chakra for his bravery, an honour presented on Kaur's birthday.

Nimrat, known for The Lunchbox, Airlift, and Dasvi, is among several Indian actors from military families, including Akshay Kumar, Sushmita Sen, and Priyanka Chopra.