‘I don’t have kids, so I have bags’: Ameesha Patel reveals she has quietly adopted kids; says she can resell her Birkin bags for double the price

Ameesha admitted that she has silently adopted children and has been supporting them with their education and other expenses. “But I have always thought about the orphans and how giving them home would be beautiful. So, I have silently adopted few children and they have no idea that I have adopted them. I pay for their education silently. I am bringing them up through whatever means I can – medical, education – to give them a better life. It’s a big responsibility to have a kid grow up with you. It is a reason I don’t have a pet also,” she said.

Talking about her bag collection and why she has been obsessed with them since childhood, she said, “I don’t have kids, so I have bags. I am collecting bags since the age of 16, I have seen my mother and aunties collect bags. We are a very well-dressed family, they love accessories. So, I have seen this since childhood and that’s why I developed this love for bags. My shoes and bags always used to match even when I was 5-6 years old. I always had perfume bottle and comb. I was feminine always, was also girly girl but life made me masculine. I know all designers’ history and about their journey.”

Ameesha also recalled how she used to carry branded bags to school but never flaunted them. “I even used to have Moschino and Louis Vuitton school bag. I had them when people in India didn’t know about these brands and they weren’t even available here. I used to get them from abroad and would borrow from my aunt and mother. I go for the craftsmanship and uniqueness and it was never to show off,” she said.

She further shared details about how she takes care of her bags, especially her prized Birkins, which she considers an investment. “Birkins are the Rolls-Royce of bags. For normal leather with normal hardware, a Birkin starts from Rs 13 Lakh. Also, Birkins sell for double the price. It is almost like an investment. In Japan, you can give Birkin as collateral for a bank loan. I care for them a lot – airing, leather, wipes, leather polishing, I keep them in sun, avoid fungus growing on them because Mumbai’s weather is so bad, so humid, worst for leather bags and shoes. Bachon ko jaise massage karke dhoop mein daalte hain, same way you have to polish bags and keep them in sun. It’s a process,” she said.