A Life, Read Worthy- Kabir Bedi!
An actor’s life is always under radar. These days we call it paparazzi. In the 90s it was the magazine culture that was dominant. I remember, being a typical Hindi speaking middle class family, Papa used to bring Mayapuri at home. What insight it gave me about this glamorous world and it’s happenings. As I grew up, Mayapuri was replaced by Stardust and Filmfare. Scoops, gossips, real or rumors, what not!
But- how about getting a first hand life map of an actor- from the actor himself, whom we have adored or- may be NOT- at any point of our lives? One such actor who had an impression, in my mind, of being horrible- is Kabir Bedi. Horrible? Why? The only memory I had of him was of being a terrible husband to Rekha, who mercilessly pushes his, sushil and survgunsampan wife in the mouth of an equally merciless crocodile. Khoon Bhari Maang! We saw this movie on VCR and how my mum cursed this extremely white looking fellow (unlike Indian standards), still lingers on my mind.
Ok, enough flashbacks. My quest for reading autobiographies recently landed me on Stories I must Tell by Kabir Bedi. Well to push it in my online cart was a difficult decision. Should I stick to my childhood opinion about the actor- Kabir Bedi? Or should I go ahead and know about the human- Kabir Bedi? Took me two days to decide, finally the reader inside me won and I decided to go for it.
Decision, I will not regret.
Writing- Kabir Bedi has wonderfully unfolded his life in Stories I Must Tell. His writing capabilities glued me from the first page itself. So much so that I completed the book in three days. For me it’s a big deal. I just could not stop reading it. Each page led to another like a flowing stream of sparkling water. Mind you the writing is simple yet it has its own beauty that one can not avoid.
Life- Kabir Bedi opens himself up-unbiased. His good times, his bad times. His highs, his dips. His profits, his losses. His popularity, his bankruptcy. His goodwill, his mistakes. His love lives, his loss of a child. His desire for money, his quest for spiritualism. His achievements, his regrets. You feel everything that you read.
The most important part of Kabir Bedi’s life that touched me and will stay with me, is his legacy, of his courageous parents, who were a prominent part of India’s freedom. Kabir Bedi for me is no more the villain of Khoon Bhari Mang. He is a life, who touched or at least tried to touch other lives. Passed or Failed is not the question! His struggles were real. His facing those struggles was daredevil. His coming out of those struggles was attainment. His life is a fulfillment! And of course, What a voice!
‘Chehra wahi chupate hai, jinhe apni asliyat se sharam ati hai’- Main Hoon Na!