• Profile The protagonist of Sandokan, Kabir Bedi, and the tragedy that left him devastated
  • Television Kabir Bedi recalls in El Hormiguero his visit to Spain in 1976 that almost ended in tragedy

While much of the last generation of performers does not touch the ground because they levitate in the wake of their decaffeinated fame, there was a time when colleagues from other generations were revered by millions of analog fans. Kabir Bedi (77) is one of those deities that from the success of Sandokan, the miniseries of six chapters that TVE issued in 1976, became a star on three continents. And it has even more merit because it was not even released in the United States.

To get an idea, it is enough to point out that on one occasion he descended from the stairs of the plane and when he saw a hundred photographers at the foot of the runway, he could not help but ask who was on the plane. They were waiting for him. He was not aware of the phenomenon he had just created. Speaking to LOC, Mr. Bedi slowly recalls the fear he had when he came to Madrid for the first time in the late seventies.

Suddenly, as he navigated the uncompromising waters of success and failure, the sword of life split the Malaysian Tiger in two. His son Siddhartha committed suicide in 1997 at the age of 28 due to schizophrenia. He had studied at the elite Carnegie Mellon University. He was still in the process of healing, if that wound heals at some point, when after investing much of his fortune in technology stocks, in gold and fell into bankruptcy. From tiger he went to Phoenix. In recent days he has been in several Spanish cities to promote his biography Stories I must tell. The emotional life of an actor (AMOK Editions). Kabir Bedi is the representation of those who pursue it, get it. It has been reborn.

What message would you like to convey regarding mental illness that sometimes tends to be analyzed? Unfortunately there is still a great stigma. You have to have empathy towards the patient and the people who take care of them and are around them. There is no need to trivialize. It's a very cruel experience. Therefore, kindness is fundamental. The mentally ill need love, it is vital for them to feel loved, valued, respected and to feel that they are important. My book is a journey through emotions and, without a doubt, the chapter dedicated to the death of my son was the most difficult to write because I had to relive everything again. That trauma and how to deal with schizophrenia was tremendously complicated. And some time later you only needed to fall into bankruptcy, how did you manage to overcome? I lost everything by making very bad investments. It was really dramatic, as it happens to other families. In addition, I had to pass the pension to my children, it affected my lifestyle as an actor... It seems that it is the end of the world and, suddenly, you realize that you can recreate your destiny in a positive way remembering your strengths, growing through meditation, remembering the energy of that young man who came from Bollywood to go to Italy and Hollywood, etc. If you only remember your weaknesses, a lot of energy is lost. How did he become Sandokan? The producers were looking for an Asian actor to play the main character and in Bollywood they told them about me. They told me that I had to do a test in Rome but the trip had to be paid for by me, so I rejected the proposal. But then I changed my mind. We shot all kinds of scenes, they liked me and they hired me. The level of fame was incredible, unexpected, exorbitant, but the beginnings were hard because I had no money to buy clothes. The costume director gave me a coat because I didn't think it would be cold in Italy. And it became a mass phenomenon on three continents. Your visit to Madrid in 1976 was almost a nightmare, wasn't it? Let's say I had my own bitlemania (laughs). There were thousands of fans gathered inside the shopping center (El Corte Inglés) and warned us that the building might not be able to support the weight of so many people. I couldn't believe it. We had to get out as best we could. When I got out I had to jump from car to car to the end of the street. People grabbed my legs, tried to kiss and hug me, crazy cuffed, cars had to stop so they wouldn't run over people... In the end everything went well. Do you come to understand the great social impact it has had? Sometimes I can't see it, but thanks for the words because it's the greatest sign of appreciation that can be given to an actor. When he arrived in Hollywood he struggled to get worthy roles, but the producers refused. She blazed a trail and currently, for example, Priyanka Chopra is one of the last big stars. What do you feel? I am very happy for his success, he deserves it. We have been friends for years and I thank you very much for promoting the English release of my memoirs. It makes me very happy that everything I fought for at the time now makes sense and that in the cinema there is more diversity. There was a problem of stereotypes that were gradually eliminated. In the film 'Octopussy'GTREShow do you remember the experience of being the only journalist to interview The Beatles while in New Delhi? They had a great influence on me. They told me they didn't give interviews but I convinced and persuaded their manager, Bryan Epstein, that the Indian government had that interest. He was then twenty years old and working for All India Radio, the main national broadcaster. I said something like that I wouldn't want them to have problems with the government since they had just fled the Philippines because Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos wanted them to sing at their children's birthday party and when they refused there were reprisals. The Beatles represented a whole generation of the sixties, the time of the great revolution, the hippies, the demonstrations of peace, countless social changes, the sexual revolution ... Society was changing and John Lennon was not only one of the greatest musicians but the great symbol of the sixties and seventies. And there I was, in front of Paul, John, Ringo and George. Was he the one who impressed you the most? No doubt. In my interview I asked John Lennon what advice he would give to young people and he said, 'Never be afraid to be a rebel, to rebel against society.' That touched my heart and I followed his advice. It allowed me to do an unconventional career. He owes his life practically to them. After the broadcast of the interview I wanted a copy and was told that someone had recorded on it. In those days there was no money to buy tapes and they were reused. I was shattered by that callousness. That caused me to leave radio and move to live in Mumbai to start a new career. It was a weird way to do it (smiles). He has met some of the most important stars of the twentieth century and, of all of them, Gina Lollobrigida did not leave a good taste in his mouth. What happened? She invited us to dinner and was very disrespectful to my partner at the time. The actress told him in a very bad way what he was doing in Italy, if he was chasing a star and Parveen Babi immediately replied that he was with his man. Gina believed he was single. Faced with this fact, Parveen decided to leave and I had to make a very difficult decision such as staying with one of the great stars of cinema or leaving with the person I loved. Obviously love could. It didn't matter how big Gina was. But I feel blessed because my other encounters were loving. I will never forget Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Caine, Rock Hudson, Joan Collins, Burt Lancaster or Roddy McDowall, who was my first friend in Hollywood. Your parents always fought to achieve the end of colonialism and when you were old, India became independent from England. Charles III has recently been crowned, what do you think? I had the great opportunity to meet him alongside Lady Di at the world premiere of Octopussy in London. I remember Diana's elegance, her commitment to ecology, her humanity... That night is one of the most precious of my life. I am happy that Charles is the new king.

Before continuing with the book signing where he politely attended to all his followers since he did not want any of them to be left without his autograph, Kabir Bedi emphasizes that "playing one of the James Bond films -Octopussy (1983)- with Sean Connery, of whom I keep a pleasant and pleasant memory, meant a lot to keep my name in the industry as it was also to be hired for the soap opera Beauty and Power, where I played a prince who fell in love with Hunter Tylo."

His life has been a constant struggle of fighting different cultures, in various countries, in various industries. And, above all, "knowing how to adapt to all circumstances". Last night he was the guest of honor at a charity dinner and left Madrid at dawn for London.

  • cinema
  • Mental health

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Learn more