“Adam participated in a 48-hour filmmaking competition in the city that ended last week. As his father, I decided to support him by acting in it. Ditto his older sister Pooja. And I’m glad my son is happy with what he made,” beams proud daddy Kabir Bedi, who made his desi small screen debut with Ganga Ki Dheej on Sahara One, in which he plays the villainous Dada Bhai.
“I will support my kids with their respective careers because every parent wants the best for his children. But I’m not going to go out of my way to do that because I want them to work hard and make a life of their own, just the way I did,” he says.
Bedi, one of India’s first imports to foreign shores, debuted in Bollywood with Hulchul (1971), the Italian TV series Sandokan (1976) in Europe, and with the Highlander series on the US TV scene in 1995. What drew him to desi TV now? “The role was fantastic with multiple layers,” says Bedi, adding that the rustic story was set in India’s hinterlands. “I’ve worked hard to mask my accent when I delivered lines in Hindi, which was fun. Besides, the money was perfect for me to agree.”
Bedi recalls his Italian soap debut, which he insists got him lot of recognition and work abroad: “I was this tall, well-built guy who was jumping, running and riding horses in a foreign series, which was meant for a certain set of viewers. I enjoyed it but I wouldn’t want it to be remade because every generation of soap addicts needs to have its own iconic shows.”
Comparing the TV industry in India with those abroad, Bedi admits that it is one of the best in the world. “The style and the quality of work are different. We produce more movies and shows than they can ever do in a year. There, you can’t make changes depending on TRPs. But here, you can,” says the actor.
Given that a lot of old Hindi films get remade, either as films or in the form of TV shows, would he like to see any of his works remade with his son Adam in his shoes? “Never,” retorts Bedi. “I wouldn’t want Adam to step into my shoes. He needs to do his own thing.”
Comparing the TV industry in India with those abroad, Bedi admits that it is one of the best in the world. “The style and the quality of work are different. We produce more movies and shows than they can ever do in a year. There, you can’t make changes depending on TRPs. But here, you can,” says the actor.
Given that a lot of old Hindi films get remade, either as films or in the form of TV shows, would he like to see any of his works remade with his son Adam in his shoes? “Never,” retorts Bedi. “I wouldn’t want Adam to step into my shoes. He needs to do his own thing.”