In today’s episode, Rajan travels to India to meet internationally renowned actor Kabir Bedi, whose career not only spans five decades but also three continents, three languages, three mediums and whose life has been as exciting as his reels! From Knightrider, The Bold and the Beautiful, Octopussy, through to portraying Shah Jahan, Kabir’s accomplishments are unrivalled!
Kabir Bedi was born to two remarkable parents – his father was a descendant of Guru Nanak and spiritual mystic, and his English mother, Freda Bedi was the first Buddhist nun of extraordinary distinction, a life-long social redeemer and a spiritual leader in her own right. Growing up in a Buddhist/Sikh home, Kabir shares the values that were instilled upon him and how they have identified with him throughout his life. He shares the challenges of his global Indianness, tumultuous relationships, love, setbacks and loss in addition to changing belief systems.
His autobiography “Stories I Must Tell: The Emotional Life of an Actor”, is well worth a read to get a further glimpse into this icon’s life.
The autobiography ‘Stories I Must Tell: The Emotional Life of an Actor’ is available to purchase at all leading bookstores.
or
Stories I Must Tell: The Emotional Life of an Actor: Amazon.co.uk: Kabir Bedi: 9789390679409: Books
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About Kabir Bedi:
Kabir Bedi is a famous international actor know by his European fans for Sandokan, American fans for Bold and Beautiful, James Bond fans for Octopussy, and all those who love his Bollywood films, across India and the Indian diaspora of millions abroad. His career has spanned three continents, in three mediums, film, tv and theatre, for over three decades. Kabir Bedi went from Bollywood, worked in Hollywood, and become a star in Europe. In 2010, the Italian Government Knighted him by anointing him Cavaliere, Italy’s highest civilian honor, for his lifetime achievements as an actor. Kabir is an international actor with millions of fans across the world.
WORLDWIDE
Kabir has been a voting member of the “Oscars Academy” (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) since 1982. In the James Bond film Octopussy, Kabir played the villain Gobinda, Roger Moore’s villainous antagonist. He was the swashbuckling hero in Sandokan, the Italian TV series which broke viewership records across Europe. Over two million people saw him every week on The Bold and The Beautiful for over a year. He has acted in big Bollywood films with superstars Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan and Akhshay Kumar. His most famous Bollywood film is Khoon Bhari Maang with the legendary Rekha.
INTERNATIONAL FILMS
Kabir starred with Michael Caine in Ashanti; Roddy McDowell in Thief of Baghdad. He played the title role in the Italian film The Black Pirate (Il Corsaro Nero). He starred in Donatello Award winner Marco Ponti’s Return Ticket (Andata Ritorno). He had a pivotal role in The Beast, directed by Kevin Reynolds. He also starred in The Broken Key with Rutger Hauer, directed by Louis Nero. Other international films and tv series are all listed on Imdb.com.
INTERNATIONAL TELEVISION
Kabir played roles many on American television like The Bold and the Beautiful; Highlander, Murder She Wrote, Magnum P.I and Dynasty, and Knight Rider and two HBO mini-series. He has starred in many Italians films and famous mini-series. Most recently, he starred with Lino Banfi, one of Italy’s best comic actors in A Doctor in the Family, (Un Medico in Famiglia), a prime-time Italian tv series.
INDIAN TELEVISION
Kabir presented an award-winning series on India’s wars in the 20th century. Guns and Glory. He has hosted national film awards and many television events. He anchored a show on India’s leading directors, Director’s Cut and played a pivotal role in the Buddha tv series on Zee worldwide.
INTERNATIONAL THEATRE
Kabir played the title role of Othello, directed by Alque Padamsee, for India’s famous Theatre Group. In 2006, Kabir starred in M.M Kaye’s Far Pavillions at the historic Shaftesbury Theatre in London’s West End. In 2016, he played Emperor Shah Jahan in playwright John Murrell’s TAJ at the Luminato Theatre Festival in Toronto. He has also played the mad historical Indian king, Tughlaq, and a self-destructive alcoholic in The Vultures.
FAMILY
Kabir Bedi was born into a family that had devoted itself to India’s fight for independence from British colonial rule. His mother, Freda Bedi, went on to become the highest-ranked Buddhist nun in the world. His father, Baba Bedi, a Punjabi Sikh, a famous author and philosopher in Italy. One of three children, Kabir Bedi went to school at Sherwood College, Nainital, and graduated from St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi. After living abroad for 25 years, Kabir now lives with his wife Parveen Dusanj, a film producr, in Juhu, Mumbai, India.
Biography taken from www.kabirbedi.com
About the Global Indian Series:
My name is Rajan Nazran Chief explorer for the Global Indian Series, the official platform for people of Indian origin (PIO), because let’s face it, we are everywhere!
For almost 15 years we have travelled across the globe covering 58 countries to date whilst exploring the kaleidoscope of our remarkable 50 shades of brown community.
Voyaging to the edges of the Amazon, facing Ebola in West Africa, being held hostage in Eastern Europe, tapping rubber in Malaysia, drinking chai with Heads of State and sharing laughter with local fishermen – I have been there, looking for us!
Our purpose is simple, to build a living encyclopaedia of the human experience of the community and a safe mooring ground for open discussions, whether you are an NRI, Indian Diaspora, person of Indian origin (PIO) or a fan of South Asian anthropology, what we do is bring people and communities together.
We do this by plunging into the human experience of being a person of Indian origin (PIO), taking a second look at the countries we now call home and tackling the conversations we need to know more about.
Through our range of award-winning original content (print, podcasts, events and TV) and fascinating discussions, our impactful stories and platforms have spearheaded national and international conversations that have brought people together.
Our work is featured in global brands including The Indian Express through to the CNBC network.
How to get involved:
Interested in getting involved in building the world’s largest living encyclopedia on the community? Whether you want to become a patron, buy us a chai in a new location or have your story shown, simply get in touch via our website, we would love to hear from you. www.globalindianseries.com
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Episode: 80
Presenter – Rajan Nazran
Producer – Global Indian Series/NazranRoth
Guest – Kabir Bedi
Art Design – Vanisha Patel
Special thank you to TAIZU for the music
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https://globalindianseries.com/veena-sood-the-journey-to-the-silver-screen/
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