Celebrities at their favourite heritage sites in Ahmedabad

On July 8, 2017, Ahmedabad did India proud by becoming the country’s first Unesco World Heritage City. Nostalgia, pride and countless memories rule the hearts of our celebs when you mention the city’s varied and majestic heritage structures, which bear testimony to its glorious, royal past. As we near the first anniversary of that prestigious Unesco recognition, celebs tell us why they feel so connected to our majestic Mughal era monuments, pols and towering darwazas in the walled city.
Aditya Lakhia@Amrutlal Ni Pol
Aditya Lakhia, who recently relocated to Ahmedabad (after his Mumbai stint), fondly remembers the time he spent in Amrutlal Ni Pol, his ancestral home. He says, “I have spent some of the most wonderful times here. Uttarayan used to be special when we (along with Apoorva Lakhia) used to gather on the terraces and fly kites for hours. You can’t experience this kind of community living anywhere else in the city. The narrow bylanes, the multi-storied pol houses and their unique built make the pols extra special. It’s important for us to ensure that we can preserve the pols considering they play such an important role in the history and culture of Ahmedabad.”
Freddy Daruwala @dhal ni Pol
Freddy, who was in Ahmedabad recently to shoot for a Gujarati film, shares, “Shooting at Dhal Ni Pol was a lot of fun. There is a certain old world charm about this place. I enjoyed roaming on a two-wheeler in between shots and interacted with the local residents. The warmth of this part of the city is really infectious.”
Manish Saini @Ellis Bridge
As a student of filmmaking at National Institute of Design, Manish’s days were well spent at various heritage spots in the old city. But Ellis Bridge holds a special place in his life, as Manish has spent some memorable time here. He says, “As students, we often used to go to Ravivari and on the way back, we would sit on the Ellis Bridge for hours discussing future projects, assignments and life in general. A lot of my films’ ideas culminated on this bridge. So, it holds a really special place in my life.”

Suniel Shetty @Diwan’s Bungalow
Suniel Shetty, during his last visit to the city, shared his memories of the old city, “Being the jamai of Ahmedabad, the city has a very special place in my heart. I have really enjoyed eating at the street eateries in the walled city and flying kites on the terrace during Uttarayan.”
Aanshul Trivedi @Sidi Saiyyed Mosque
Posing in front of the iconic Sidi Saiyyed Ni Jali, Aanshul says, “This is my favourite heritage site in Ahmedabad. Coming here and sitting for a while in the vicinity of this beautiful monument makes me feel at peace.”
Mehr Mahajan @Bhadra Fort
Mehr Mahajan posed for us at the majestic Bhadra Fort after Ahmedabad received the coveted tag of being India’s first and only Unesco World Heritage City.