Pooja Bedi has chosen to live her life on her terms. She describes herself as a “positive result of that great liberal, bohemian, firebrand environment,” having been born to idols Kabir Bedi and Protima Bedi.
Pooja Bedi has decided to live a different life and to be a pioneer in certain ways. She says, “I march to my beat.” The actor/host, who celebrates 52 today, is in a good mood.
“I’ve always believed in nurturing the kid inside me.” Consider the ordinary 50-year-old: jaded, bored, and stuck in a rut. We silence our lively, inquisitive, and cheerful inner kid and stick to the path of seriousness. Life is so brief. We complicate a straightforward path.
Pooja Bedi, the daughter of pioneers Kabir Bedi and Protima Bedi, describes herself as a “positive outcome of that great liberal, bohemian, firebrand background.” Her father’s acting career spans sectors all over the world. Despite a 30-year age difference, he married Parveen Dosanjh for the fourth time at the age of 70. Her mother was an Odissi practitioner turned model.
As a child, I learned how to love deeply, question traditional norms, and speak up for what is right. I also learned to empower and fight for the rights of others, and to always keep a sense of humor, particularly at myself,” she added.
Taking an example, consider how Pooja became a national phenomenon after being involved in a condom commercial with model Marc Robinson. The commercial, directed by Alyque Padamsee, was filmed in Goa and featured Pooja in a shower. It was subsequently removed from Doordarshan, but it sparked a discussion over the usage of condoms to raise AIDS awareness in India.
Pooja reflected on being a part of something so innovative, saying, “It felt fantastic to be a fire-starter.” British tabloids heralded the campaign as the start of India’s sexual revolution. It received several accolades and created advertising history. It was amazing to be a pioneer as a result of it.”
She went on to say, “Thank goodness that people nowadays are so open about their sexuality,” expressing her joy that today’s young are much more comfortable discussing their sexual preferences, whether it’s live-in relationships, inter-caste marriages, or gender.
Her condom endorsement also resulted in Bollywood offers. Pooja Bedi signed her debut film, Vishkanya, in 1991. She ultimately secured a noteworthy role in Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar (1992), where she portrayed Aamir Khan’s Sanju love interest. Her flying-dress scene in “Pehla Nasha” is regarded as a Bollywood classic.”The Pehla Nasha song’s flowing red gown has made me eternal,” Making the film was a lot of fun. As she remembers, “it was the sweetest thing that ever happened to my public image and kept me in everyone’s mind.” Despite admitting that she still laughs at her movie performances now.
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Pooja debuted in show business at the age of 18, met her ex-husband Farhan Furniturewala at the age of 20, and married at the age of 24. Actresses’ careers were effectively finished once they were married at the time. But not in her case. Following her divorce in 2003, she appeared on television reality series such as Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, Nach Baliye, Khatron Ke Khiladi, Maa Exchange, and Bigg Boss 5. She also presented the Zoom channel chat program Just Pooja.
In the midst of it all, she raised two children, Alaya and Omar. The most challenging aspect of being a single mother for Pooja was “trying to juggle a job, home, kids, friends, maybe a new romance, playing both good cop and bad policeman, and coping with the inevitable guilt of any time spent away from them.”
“Your divorce does not influence their connection with either parent,” she says, emphasizing the need of being friends with her ex-husband so that her children have a solid link with him. No kid, according to Pooja, should be denied, such love.
Is she protective now that her daughter Alaya F is an actress? With 2020, Alaya made her Bollywood debut in Jawaani Jaaneman, alongside Saif Ali Khan. Pooja said that she is a protective but not possessive mother. “It is my duty as a mother to guide her children, not to rule them.” Allowing Alaya and Omar to make their own decisions is something I believe in wholehearted decisions and develop their selves.”
Pooja married businessman Maneck Contractor in 2019. Sharing how he brought “love, security, excitement, adventure, and compassion into all of our lives,” she added that her major priority throughout the years has been for her children like and appreciate the men in her life, and vice versa. She answered, “Then I will allow them to enter our territory.” My divorce in 2003 was the beginning of a long series of partnerships, each one being exactly what I needed at the time. Maneck is a wonderful person with whom I want to spend the rest of my life.
Pooja, who presently stays in Goa, may seem to be a fashionista on the Mumbai scene, but she claims to live a simple life at home. “Do as the Romans do in Rome!” You should come and meet me in Goa. I’m wearing a chappal, flouncy clothing, and hardly little makeup. A big part of Mumbai is dressing up and having a whole other character, which she enjoyed.
A few years ago, Pooja Bedi embarked on her entrepreneurial journey. She is now the creator of Happy Soul, a health marketplace, and a partner in Magicians of Wellness (India) LLP.
For all the opportunities and direction I’ve had from the universe, she said, “I’m thankful to my parents and life, and I’m grateful to the cosmos for making me who I am today says to wrap up.
