Kabir Bedi says he felt guilty after losing son to suicide: 'I tried to prevent it but I couldn't'
Kabir Bedi has opened up about the death of his son Siddharth, who died by suicide in 1997.
Kabir Bedi has opened up on the death of his son Siddharth, who died in 1997 by suicide. The veteran actor spoke about how his death ‘emotionally devastated’ him and even left him with some amount of guilt. Kabir addressed how he wanted to write about his failures as well as successes in his autobiography, which prompted him to dwell upon this phase of his life as well. Also read: Kabir Bedi regrets not spending more time with his children Pooja and Siddharth
Siddharth was Kabir’s son with his first wife Protima, a classical dancer. Siddharth studied at Carnegie Mellon University in the 1990s and he was later diagnosed with schizophrenia. He died in 1997 by suicide. He was 26.
At an Aaj Tak event, Kabir spoke about his memoir Stories I Must Tell. “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,” he said.
As the conversation moved to his ‘failures’, he added, “I have had my share of ups and downs, bankruptcy and mistakes which I have written in the book. I suffered great losses due to bad investments. All of this happened when my son was dealing with schizophrenia. I tried to prevent my son from committing suicide but I couldn't and I felt guilty. At the same time, I went through financial disasters. 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.”
Kabir Bedi made his Bollywood debut in 1971 with Hulchal. He found international success with his Italian TV show Sandokan in the 1980s and appearances in films like Octopussy later on. He continued to act in Hindi films, switching to character roles after the 1990s.
If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist. Helplines: Aasra: 022 2754 6669; Sneha India Foundation: +914424640050 and Sanjivini: 011-24311918
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