Trigger Warning: Suicide — Veteran actor Kabir Bedi’s career has spanned three continents covering India, the United States, and especially Italy among other European countries in 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. However, his journey to success was riddled with obstacles including the loss of his son to suicide.
While speaking with Aaj Tak, the veteran actor opened up about his book ‘Stories I Must Tell’ where he has chronicled his successful run as an actor as well as the tumultuous phases in his life. Recalling the time when he had suffered bankruptcy and his son Siddharth was diagnosed with schizophrenia, Kabir Bedi said, “Whatever I have written in the book is from my heart. I have written about my tragedies in detail as well. Nobody objected to it because whatever I have written is the truth and they know that. There is nothing to hide there. I suffered great losses due to bad investments. I tried to prevent my son from committing suicide but I couldn’t and I felt guilty,”
Kabir recalled picking himself up and starting all over again. The actor shared, “I would go to auditions and did not know what to do. I lost a lot of work due to that. I was emotionally devastated and from there how I built myself again is all a part of my journey.”
On the professional front, Bedi would be a part of Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s Shaakuntalam, a mythological drama film written and directed by Gunasekhar. It is produced by Neelima Guna under Gunaa Teamworks and distributed by Sri Venkateswara Creations. Based on a popular play Shakuntala by Kalidasa, the film features Samantha in the titular role of Shakuntala and Dev Mohan as Dushyanta, the king of Puru Dynasty along with Mohan Babu, Gautami, Aditi Balan and Ananya Nagalla in supporting roles.
This news piece may be triggering. If you or someone you know needs help, call any of these helplines: Aasra (Mumbai) 022-27546669, Sneha (Chennai) 044-24640050, Sumaitri (Delhi) 011-23389090, Cooj (Goa) 0832- 2252525, Jeevan (Jamshedpur) 065-76453841, Pratheeksha (Kochi) 048-42448830, Maithri (Kochi) 0484-2540530, Roshni (Hyderabad) 040-66202000, Lifeline 033-64643267 (Kolkata)
