New Delhi: The simple comedy of the 90s still fascinates the audience. However, there are very few comic actors in Hindi cinema, who do not have to resort to vulgarity to make the audience laugh. One of them is actor Rakesh Bedi, whose comic timing and effortless acting have made him the favorite actor of every generation. In the 70s and 80s, when the means of entertainment were very limited, some Doordarshan artists had become part of the families.
In the same period, Dilruba of ‘Shriman Shrimati’, Raja of ‘Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi’ and Omi of ‘Chashme Baddoor’ had joined the everyday conversations of people. He had once jokingly said that perhaps he had come to the wrong address, at that time he had no idea that that very sentence would decide the direction of his life.
Got into acting in school
Rakesh Bedi was born on 1 December 1954 in Karol Bagh, Delhi. Father Gopal Bedi was an aircraft engineer in Indian Airlines and wanted his son to also pursue studies. Rakesh did his early studies from Delhi, but he was less interested in studies and more in acting. He told in many interviews that he enjoyed playing a character on stage more than studying. He started participating in mono-acting competitions during his school days and also won many awards. The applause he received on these small stages awakened the artist within him, but there was opposition to this decision at home.
Parents wanted to become an engineer
Rakesh Bedi’s parents wanted him to do engineering, so he was sent to appear for the engineering entrance exam. From here his life took a new turn. Just five minutes after the exam started, he came out with the answer sheet. Coming out, he just told the examiners, ‘I have come to the wrong address.’ Everyone was shocked to hear this, but this moment proved to be decisive for Rakesh Bedi. He listened to his heart, which was drawing him towards acting.
This decision took Rakesh Bedi to the Film and Television Institute (FTII), Pune. Here he learned acting deeply and entered the world of theatre. During FTII itself, he gave a brilliant performance in the play ‘Love in Paris, War in Kutch’. This presentation left a deep impression on ‘Sholay’ producer JP Sippy, who was sitting in the audience. Sippy stood there and gave him a chance to work in his film ‘Ehsaas’. This was no less than a campus placement for him. Rakesh Bedi’s film journey started from here.
Worked in more than 150 films
Rakesh Bedi worked continuously in all three mediums, theatre, films and TV. His famous one-man show ‘Massage’ is still recorded in theater history, in which he played 24 different characters in a single play. He acted in more than 150 films, the prominent ones being ‘Chashme Baddoor’, ‘Ram Teri Ganga Maili’, ‘Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahi’, ‘Gadar’, ‘Uri’ and ‘Coolie No. 1’. His influence on Doordarshan was even greater. Serials like ‘Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi’, ‘Shriman Shrimati’, ‘Yes Boss’ and later ‘Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain’ made him a favorite actor of the audience of all ages.
Also faced the challenge of being typecast
Rakesh Bedi also faced the challenge of being typecast in his career, but he never considered it a weakness. He says that in that era there were fixed templates in films, one hero, one heroine and one villain. In such a situation, comedy was the strongest path for artists like him and he adopted it in the best way. This is the reason why even today his characters are fresh in people’s memories.