Kabir Bedi | |
---|---|
Born | |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1971–present |
Spouses |
|
Children | 3 |
Mother | Freda Bedi |
Honors | Order of Merit of the Italian Republic [1] |
Kabir Bedi (born 16 January 1946) is an Indian actor. His career has spanned three continents covering India, the United States and especially Italy among other Western countries in three media: film, television and theatre. He is noted for his role as Emperor Shah Jahan in Taj Mahal: An Eternal Love Story and the villainous Sanjay Verma in the 1980s blockbuster Khoon Bhari Maang . He is best known in Italy and Europe for playing the pirate Sandokan in the popular Italian TV miniseries and for his role as the villainous Gobinda in the 1983 James Bond film Octopussy . Bedi is based in India and lives in Mumbai. [2]
Kabir Bedi was born in Lahore in the Punjab Province of British India (now in Punjab, Pakistan) on 16 January 1946. [3] His father, Baba Pyare Lal Singh Bedi, was a Punjabi Sikh author, philosopher and a direct descendent of Guru Nanak. [4] [5] His mother, Freda Bedi, was an English woman born in Derby, England, [4] [6] who became famous as the first Western woman to take ordination in Tibetan Buddhism. [7] He was educated at Sherwood College, Nainital, Uttarakhand, and St. Stephen's College, Delhi.
Bedi began his career in Indian theatre and then moved on to Hindi films. He remains one of the first international actors from India who started out in Hindi films, worked in Hollywood films and became a star in Europe.
As a stage actor, Bedi has performed Shakespeare's Othello as well as portrayed a historical Indian king in Tughlaq, and a self-destructive alcoholic in The Vultures. In London he starred in The Far Pavilions , the West End musical adaptation of M. M. Kaye's novel, at the Shaftesbury Theatre. In 2011 Bedi played Emperor Shah Jahan in Taj, a play written by John Murrell, a Canadian playwright for the Luminato Festival in Toronto. In 2013, this play was recommissioned and went on an eight-week multi-city tour of Canada. [8]
In the James Bond film Octopussy , Bedi played the villain's aide Gobinda.
He has acted in over 60 Indian films. In the historical epic Taj Mahal: An Eternal Love Story , he starred as the Emperor Shah Jahan. Other starring Hindi film roles include Raj Khosla's Kacche Dhaage, Rakesh Roshan's Khoon Bhari Maang and Farah Khan's Main Hoon Na .
Bedi shot a movie with Hrithik Roshan ( Kites ), Govinda (Showman), and Akshay Kumar ( Blue ). [9] He also starred in Deepa Mehta's film, Kamagata Maru with Amitabh Bachchan and John Abraham. He acted in the Tamil film Aravaan , directed by Vasanthabalan.
Bedi played roles in Columbia Pictures' The Beast of War , a film on the Russian war in Afghanistan, directed by Kevin Reynolds, as well as the acclaimed Italian film Andata Ritorno, by Marco Ponti, winner of the David di Donatello Award. In 2017, he acted in the Telugu historical movie Gautamiputra Satakarni , as Nahapana, an important ruler of the Western Kshatrapas.
Bedi has appeared on American television, in Hallmark's African epic Forbidden Territory, and Ken Follett's On Wings of Eagles and Red Eagle. He played Friar Sands in The Lost Empire , for NBC. He also acted in Dynasty , Murder, She Wrote , Magnum, P.I. , Hunter , Knight Rider and Highlander: The Series .
In Europe, his greatest success was Sandokan , the saga of a romantic Southeast Asian pirate during British colonial times, an Italian-German-French TV series which broke viewership records across Europe. He recently starred in a prime-time Italian television series, Un Medico in Famiglia, on RAI TV.
For over a year, Bedi starred in The Bold and the Beautiful , the second most-watched television show in the world, seen by over a billion people in 149 countries.
He had his own cinematic talk show on Indian TV, Director's Cut, a 13-part special series interviewing the country's leading directors. His success on television continued in 2013 with award-winning prime-time shows Guns and Glory: The Indian Soldier and Vandemataram, for India's news channels Headlines Today and Aaj Tak. [10]
In the Indian Biblical television series 'Bible Ki Kahaniya', Bedi played both the young and aged Abraham.
In 2007 he starred in Chat, a radio show aired by RAI Radio2, in the role of Sandokan. In 2012, he did a series of Radio One programmes titled Women of Gold and Men of Steel in honour of industry champions in India. In 2017 he did another series in English for Radio One, Ten on Ten, celebrating the top ten innovations out of India. He also did the year-end special series, Best of 2017.
Bedi is a regular contributor to Indian publications including the Times of India and Tehelka on political and social issues affecting the country. He is also seen debating such topics on Indian national television. [11]
In February 2017, Bedi was announced as the new 'brand ambassador' for international development organisation, Sightsavers, saying on his appointment, "Today there is immense awareness and attempt towards eye health and care in India and Sightsavers have shown way to people at large in the country with their achievements in the area of eye care." [12] Bedi is the honorary brand ambassador for Italian Charity Care and Share Italia, which educates and looks after street children, from school to university, in Andhra Pradesh and Telegana. [13]
Since 1982 Bedi has been a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (who are responsible for presenting the Oscar awards). He is also a voting member of the Screen Actors Guild.
He has won numerous film, advertising and popularity awards across Europe and India. [14]
By decree of the President of the Italian Republic of 2 June 2010, Bedi was officially knighted. He received the highest ranking civilian honour of the Italian Republic and was bestowed the title of "Cavaliere" (Knight) of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. [1] He has recently received Honorary Degree from Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India.
Bedi married four times and had three children, Pooja, Siddharth (deceased) and Adam. He was married to Protima Bedi, an Odissi dancer. Their daughter Pooja Bedi is a magazine / newspaper columnist and former actress. Siddharth, who attended Carnegie Mellon University, was diagnosed with schizophrenia and died by suicide in 1997 at the age of 26. [15]
As his marriage to Protima began to break down, he started a relationship with Parveen Babi. They never married. He later married British-born fashion designer Susan Humphreys. Their son, Adam Bedi, is an international model [16] who made his Hindi film debut with the thriller Hello? Kaun Hai!. [17] This marriage ended in divorce.
In the early 1990s, Bedi married TV and radio presenter Nikki Bedi. They had no children and divorced in 2005. After that, Bedi started a relationship with British-born Parveen Dusanj, [18] [19] [20] whom he married a day before his 70th birthday. [21]
Bedi supports the anti-government struggle in Myanmar, and he is an official ambassador of the Burma Campaign UK. [22] He is the brand ambassador for Rotary International South Asia for its Teach Programme and the Total Literacy Mission in India and South Asia.
Year | Film title | Character |
---|---|---|
1971 | Hulchul | Mahesh Jetley #3 |
Seema | ||
1972 | Rakhi Aur Hathkadi | Suraj |
Sazaa | Brijmohan | |
Anokha Daan | ||
1973 | Kuchhe Dhaage | Pandit Tulsiram / Daku Roopa |
Yauwan | Jhumru | |
1974 | Manzilein Aur Bhi Hain | |
Maa Bahen Aur Biwi | ||
Ishk Ishk Ishk | Diwana/Ravikant Vyas | |
1975 | Anari | Vikram |
Daaku | Daku Raju | |
1976 | Nagin | Uday |
Harfan Maula | Faulad Singh | |
Bullet | Durga Prasad | |
The Black Corsair | The Black Corsair (Italy) | |
1977 | Daku Aur Mahatma | Sangram Singh |
Vishwasghaat | Uday | |
La tigre è ancora viva: Sandokan alla riscossa! | Sandokan | |
1978 | The Thief of Baghdad | Prince Taj |
1979 | Ashanti | Malik |
Aakhri Kasam | Kishan / Badal | |
Yuvraaj | Samrat Surya Dev Singh | |
1981 | The Archer: Fugitive from the Empire | Gar |
1982 | 40 Days of Musa Dagh | Gabriel Bagradian |
Satan's Mistress | The Spirit | |
Girl from India | Artist | |
1983 | Octopussy | Gobinda |
1988 | Escuadrón | Koura |
Khoon Bhari Maang | Sanjay Verma | |
Mera Shikar | Ravi | |
The Beast | Akbar | |
1990 | Police Public | Senior Inspector Shah Nawaz Khan |
Haar Jeet | ||
Shera Shamshera | Shankar | |
1991 | Kurbaan | Inspector Suraj Singh |
Yeh Aag Kab Bujhegi | Ranveer Singh | |
Vishkanya | Forest Officer Vikram Singh | |
1992 | Dil Aashna Hai | Rai Bahadur Digvijay Singh |
Yalgaar | Raj Pratap Singhal | |
Beyond Justice | Moulet | |
Lambu Dada | Lambu Dada | |
1993 | Kshatriya | Police Officer Thakur Ganga Singh |
Yugandhar | Colonel Kanir | |
1994 | Salaami | Captain Rehmat Khan |
Lie Down with Lions | Kabir | |
The Maharaja's Daughter | Chandragupta | |
1995 | OP Centre | Abdul Fazawi |
Kismat | Rajan | |
Aatank Hi Aatank | Police Inspector | |
1996 | The Return of Sandokan | Sandokan |
1998 | Mashamal – Ritorno al Deserto | Tahar Id Bran |
1999 | Kohram | Brigadier Bedi |
2001 | The Lost Empire | Friar Sand |
2002 | Kranti | Mahendra Pratap Rana |
Maine Dil Tujhko Diya | Mr. Verma (Ayesha's Father) | |
2003 | Talaash | Chhote Pathan |
The Hero: Love Story of a Spy | Mr. Zakaria | |
2004 | Father | Karl (Father & Violinist) |
Rudraksh | Pandit Ved Bhushan | |
Asambhav | ||
Kismat | Raj Maliya | |
Roundtrip | Tolstoj (Italian film) | |
Main Hoon Na | General Amarjeet Bakshi | |
2005 | Bewafaa | Ambarkant Verma |
Taj Mahal: An Eternal Love Story | Emperor Shah Jahan | |
2006 | Do Raha | |
Jaanleva | Rakesh Khullar | |
A All About Her | ||
Take 3 Girls | Mo | |
2008 | Showman | |
2009 | Blue | Captain Jagat Malhotra |
2010 | Kites | Bob Grover |
2011 | Yaara O Dildaara | Karam Singh Sandhu |
2012 | Aravaan | Tamil film |
Chakravyuh | Mahanta, an industrialist and negotiator for the government | |
2015 | Dilwale | Dev Malik |
Anarkali | Jaffer Imam | |
2016 | Teraa Surroor | Afzal A. Khan |
Mohenjo Daro | Maham | |
2017 | Gautamiputra Satakarni | Nahapana |
Edict of Expulsion 1492 | Sultan Bayezid | |
Paisa Vasool | RAW Chief | |
2018 | Jaane Kyun De Yaaron | Shera |
Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster 3 | Maharaja Hari Singh | |
2023 | Shaakuntalam | Kashyapa Maharshi [23] |
2024 | Berlin | |
TV show title | Release year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
Sandokan | 1976 | European TV miniseries | Sandokan |
La tigre è ancora viva: Sandokan alla riscossa! | 1977 | European TV miniseries | Sandokan |
Dynasty | 1982 | TV series | Farouk Ahmed |
General Hospital | 1983 | TV series | Rama |
Knight Rider | November 1985 | TV series | Vascone |
Dynasty | 1986 | TV series | Farouk Ahmed |
On Wings of Eagles | 1986 | TV series | Mohammed |
One Life to Live | 1986 | TV series | Colonel Carlos Demitri |
The Days and Nights of Molly Dod | May 1987 | TV series | Bill |
Misteri della Giungla Nera, I – a.k.a. The Mysteries of the Dark Jungle | 1991 | TV miniseries | Kammamuri |
Il Principe del Deserto – a.k.a. Desert Law | 1991 | TV series | Moulet Beni-Zair |
The Bold and the Beautiful | September 1994 | TV series | Prince Omar |
Maharaja's Daughter | 1994 | TV series | Chandragupta |
Highlander: The Series | 20 November 1995 | TV series | Kamir |
Bible Ki Kahaniya | 1995 | TV series | Abraham, the Patriarch |
Il Ritorno di Sandokan | 6 October 1996 | TV miniseries | Sandokan |
Noi siamo angeli – a.k.a. We are Angels | 16 February 1997 | TV miniseries | Gen. Napoleon Durate |
Forbidden Territory: Stanley's Search for Livingstone | 7 December 1997 | TV series | Khamis Bin Abdullah |
Team Knight Rider | 9 February 1998 | TV series | Aristotle Drago |
Murder, She Wrote | February 1988 | TV series | Vikram Singh |
Magnum, P.I. | 10 February 1988 | TV series | Malcolm |
L'isola dei famosi | 2004 | Italian reality show | Himself |
The Bold and the Beautiful | 4 May 2005 | TV series | Prince Omar |
Vivere | May 2006 | Italian TV series | Emir Ibrahim |
Director's Cut | 2007 | TV special series | Himself |
Un medico in famiglia 5 | 2007 | Italian TV series | Kabir |
Ganga Kii Dheej | 2010–2011 | Hindi TV series | Dada Bhai |
Buddha | 2013 | Hindi TV series | Asita Muni (Cameo) |
VandeMataram | 2013 | TV special news series | Himself |
Guns & Glory: The Indian Soldier | 2013 | TV special news series | Himself |
Jai Ho | 2014 | TV special news series | Himself |
Thinkistan | 2019 | Web series | Danish Azeem |
Tanaav | 2024 | Web series | |
Life Hill Gayi | 2024 | web series |
Year | Show title | Role | Status | Sr. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2021-2022 | Grande Fratello VIP (season 6) | Contestant (entered day 113, evicted day 162) | Evicted | 15 |
Radio title | Release year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
Ch@t (Italian fiction) | 2007 | RAI Radio2 | Sandokan |
'Women of Gold' | 2012 | RadioOne | Himself |
'Men of Steel' | 2012 | Radio One | Himself |
'Ten on Ten' – 'Ten Biggest Impacts This Last Decade' | 2017 | Radio One | Himself |
'Best of 2017' | 2017 | Radio One | Himself |
Film title | Actor | Character | Dub language | Original language | Original year release | Dub year release | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time | Ben Kingsley | Nizam | Hindi | English | 2010 | 2010 | Performed alongside Yudhvir Dahiya who voiced Jake Gyllenhaal as Dastan and Joy Sengupta who voiced Toby Kebbell as Prince Garsiv in Hindi. |
Fantastic Four | Reg E. Cathey | Dr. Franklin Storm | Hindi | English | 2015 | 2015 | Performed alongside Karan Trivedi who voiced Miles Teller as Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic in Hindi. |
Project | Type | Language | Year |
---|---|---|---|
The Keeper of the Flame – The History of TATA | Documentary | English | 2007 |
An Introduction to CHILDLINE India | Public awareness campaign – narrator | English | 2008 |
Aircel Save the Tiger Campaign | Public awareness campaign – narrator | English | 2009 |
Ford Motors launch Figo, India | Live event | English | 2010 |
Somnath Temple, Gujarat | Sound & light show | English | 2010 |
Red Fort, New Delhi | Sound & light show | English | 2011 |
Virasat-e-Khalsa – Khalsa Heritage Memorial Complex, Punjab | Narrator | English | 2011 |
Apollo Tyres | Advertisement | English | 2013 |
Jindal Panther | Advertisement | English | 2014 |
Banda Singh Bahadur – War Memorial, Punjab | Sound & light show | English | 2014 |
TAJ Hotels, Resorts & Palaces | Advertisement | English | 2014 |
DHL | Advertisement | Hindi | 2015 |
Yamaha | Advertisement | Hindi | 2015 |
Mount of Excellence | Documentary narrator | English | 2015 |
Parle | Advertisement | Hindi & English | 2016 |
Tanishq | Advertisement | English | 2016 |
Konark Sun Temple, Odisha | Sound & light show | English | 2017 |
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |
---|
The Screen Actors Guild |
The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists |
The British Actors' Equity Association |
Parveen Babi was a famous Indian actress and a model of early 1970s & 80s who worked in Hindi films. Regarded as one of the finest actresses of Hindi cinema, she was one of the highest-paid actresses of early 1970s & 80s. Babi was known for her "glamorous" acting style; her modeling and fashion sense additionally established her as an icon.
Protima Gauri Bedi (12 October 1948 – 18 August, 1998) was an Indian model turned Odissi exponent. In 1990, she established Nrityagram, a dance school in Bangalore, Karnataka.
Pooja Bedi is an Indian actress, television talk show host and newspaper columnist. She is the daughter of Indian actors Kabir Bedi and Protima Bedi. She appeared in the reality television shows Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, Nach Baliye, Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi and Bigg Boss.
Monica Bedi is an Indian actress and television presenter who primarily appears in Hindi films. She has also worked in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Bengali films. Bedi debuted in Hindi films in the mid-1990s, with notable works including "Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat" and "Jodi No.1." She is known for participating in reality TV shows such as "Bigg Boss 2" and "Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 3," and for her role as Gumaan Kaur Vyas in Star Plus's "Saraswatichandra." Bedi has received several accolades including Gold Awards, PTC Awards, TSA Awards, Bharat Ratna Dr. Ambedkar Award. In 2002, Bedi was convicted for using a forged document.
Taj Mahal: An Eternal Love Story is a 2005 Indian historical drama film directed by Akbar Khan. The film starred Kabir Bedi, Sonya Jehan, Manisha Koirala, Arbaaz Khan, Vaquar Shaikh, Rahil Azam and Pooja Batra in the title roles. The film was released on 18 November in India.
Sergio Sollima was an Italian film director and script writer.
Sandokan is a fictional late 19th-century pirate created by Italian author Emilio Salgari. His adventures first appeared in publication in 1883. Sandokan is the hero of 11 adventure novels. Within the series, Sandokan is known throughout the South China Sea as the "Tiger of Malaya".
Puneet Issar is an Indian actor, writer, director, producer and dialect coach best known for his works in Hindi films, Bengali films, Telugu films, Kannada Films, Malayalam Films and television shows. Issar started his acting career as a villain in Manmohan Desai's 1983 film Coolie, but gained recognition with the portrayal of Duryodhana in B. R. Chopra's television series Mahabharat (1988–1990).
Khoon Bhari Maang is a 1988 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed and produced by Rakesh Roshan. Based on the Australian mini-series Return to Eden (1983), it stars Rekha as a wealthy widow who is almost killed by her second husband and sets out for revenge. The film was a comeback venture for Rekha, and was a critical and commercial success. It received seven nominations at the 34th Filmfare Awards, including for Best Film and Best Director for Roshan, and won Rekha her second Best Actress award. Khoon Bhari Maang was released on 12 August 1988.
Rajinder Singh Bedi was an Indian Urdu writer of the progressive writers' movement and a playwright, who later worked in Hindi cinema as a film director, screenwriter and dialogue writer and he is grandfather to Rajat Bedi and Manek Bedi.
The Mystery of the Black Jungle is an exotic adventure novel written by Italian author Emilio Salgari, published in 1895. It features two of his most well-known characters, the hunter Tremal-Naik and his loyal servant Kammamuri, and introduces his most famous character, Sandokan, the Tiger of Malaysia.
Bedi may refer to:
La tigre è ancora viva: Sandokan alla riscossa! is a 1977 Italian adventure film directed by Sergio Sollima and starring Kabir Bedi. It follows on from the 1976 television series Sandokan, itself inspired by the series of novels by Emilio Salgari featuring the pirate hero Sandokan.
Thendral Sudum is a 1989 Indian Tamil-language film directed by Manobala and written by M. Karunanidhi, starring Nizhalgal Ravi and Radhika. It is a remake of the Hindi film Khoon Bhari Maang (1988), itself loosely based on the Australian miniseries Return to Eden (1983). The film revolves around a woman seeking revenge on her husband after surviving a murder attempt by him. It was released on 10 March 1989.
Mandala Tayde is a German actress and model who works in Italy and Germany.
The Return of Sandokan is a 1996 television series produced by Germany and Italy. It is a sequel to the 1976 Sandokan television series starring Kabir Bedi. Bedi had also appeared in a 1977 spin-off film La tigre è ancora viva: Sandokan alla riscossa!.
Sandokan is a 1976 Italian six-part television series directed by Sergio Sollima, based upon the novels of Emilio Salgari featuring the pirate hero Sandokan. It was followed the next year by a feature-length spin-off film, and another twenty years later by a sequel series named The Return of Sandokan, with Kabir Bedi reprising his role as Sandokan in both.
The Son of Sandokan is a 1998 Italian adventure television miniseries. It is a sequel to the 1996 series The Return of Sandokan, which itself followed on from the original 1976 series Sandokan. All were based on the series of Sandokan novels by Emilio Salgari about a Malaysian pirate fighting against the British in the nineteenth century.
Aalia Furniturewala, known by her stage name Alaya F, is an Indian actress who appears in Hindi films. Born into the Bedi family, she is the daughter of actress Pooja Bedi. She made her acting debut in 2020 with the comedy film Jawaani Jaaneman, for which she won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. She has since starred in the thriller Freddy (2022) and the biopic Srikanth (2024).