Pooja Bedi
Pooja Bedi (born 11 May 1970) is an Indian actress, television talk show host and newspaper columnist. She is the daughter of Indian actors Kabir Bedi and Protima Bedi. She has also participated in the reality television shows, Bigg Boss and Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi.
Pooja Bedi | |
|---|---|
 Pooja Bedi in 2019 | |
| Born | 11 May 1970[1] Bombay, Maharashtra, India |
| Occupation | Actress, television presenter, relationship columnist |
| Spouse(s) | Farhan Ebrahim Furniturewala
(m. 1994; div. 2003) |
| Children | Alaya Furniturewala (Daughter) Omar Furniturewalla (son) |
| Parent(s) | Kabir Bedi (father) Protima Bedi (mother) |
Life and career
Early life and career beginnings (1970–2006)
Pooja Bedi was born in Bombay (present-day Mumbai) to the late Indian classical dancer Protima and film star Kabir Bedi. She was brought up in what she calls a bohemian progressive artistic environment.[1] She received her basic education at Besant Montessori in Bombay and then at The Lawrence School, Sanawar.
From 1991 to 1995, Bedi worked in Bollywood films and appeared in many commercials and campaigns. She is remembered for the Kama Sutra condom campaign which she endorsed and used as a vehicle to raise awareness of AIDS.
She appeared in plays such as Carry On Papa, Wow What a Girl, and A Bengali Jatra.
She made her film debut with Jag Mundhra's film Vishkanya (1991). She went on to act in Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander (1992) with Aamir Khan for which she earned a nomination in the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1993. Her other films include Lootere (1993) and Aatank Hi Aatank (1995).
Breakthrough role and debut in reality shows (2006–2011)
In 2000, she compiled and edited Timepass, the memoirs of her mother Protima Bedi. She has been a columnist with the Times of India, the Hindustan Times, and MiD DAY newspapers, and has written articles for numerous publications, including L'officiel, Femina and The Week. In 2000, she had a public tiff with Amitabh Bachchan.[2]
In 2005, Bedi along with Hanif Hilal participated in Nach Baliye. In 2006, Bedi participated in Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa in its first season followed by Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi. In 2011, Bedi was a celebrity contestant in the fifth season of the Indian version of the reality TV show Big Brother, Bigg Boss.[3] She was evicted after surviving for 8 weeks in the house, which was Day 56 (27 November).[4][5]
Personal life
Bedi married Farhan Ebrahim Furniturewala, a Muslim of Gujarati Khoja descent, whom she met in 1990. She has two children, a daughter Alaya Furniturewala born in 1997 and son Omar Furniturewala, born in 2000. Bedi and Farhan divorced in 2003.[6]
In February 2019, Bedi got engaged to Maneck Contractor.[7] Her daughter, Alaya made her Bollywood debut in January 2020 with comedy drama film Jawaani Jaaneman which also stars Saif Ali Khan & Tabu.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2020, she traveled from Mumbai which was highly infected to one of her homes in Goa, which was a safe zone, and created a ruckus on social media regarding the quarantine facilities at the state. She also caused an outrage among the residents of Goa, by claiming to be a Goan.[8]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Vishkanya | Lead Actress | Jag Mundhra |
| 1992 | Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar | Supporting Actress | Mansoor Khan |
| Chittamma Mogudu (Telugu film) | Co-starring Mohan Babu | ||
| 1993 | Lootere | Dharmesh Darshan | |
| Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Aayee | Mahesh Bhatt | ||
| 1995 | Aatank Hi Aatank | Guest Appearance | Dilip Shankar |
| 2011 | Shakti (Telugu film) | Faqtooni | Meher Ramesh |
| 2020 | Comedy Couple | Zohra | Nachiket Samant |
Television
| Year | Show | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 1 | Contestant | Along with choreo partner Hanif Hilal |
| 2007 | Nach Baliye 3 | Along with boyfriend Hanif Hilal | |
| 2008 | Bigg Boss 2 | Host | In a different segment |
| Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 1 | Contestant | ||
| 2011 | Maa Exchange | ||
| Bigg Boss 5 | Evicted Week 8, Day 56 |
References
- Sawhney, Anubha (1 June 2003). "Pooja Bedi: The siege within". The Times of India. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
- Vivek Fernandes; Priyanka Bhattacharya (17 May 2000). "Why is the man such a grump?". Rediff.com. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
- "Bigg Boss 5: Juhi Parmar to Shakti Kapoor, here's the final list of contestants". 2 October 2011.
- "Pooja Bedi evicted from Bigg Boss 5 house". 26 November 2011.
- "Sky is the most fake person in Bigg Boss". 5 December 2011.
- "My kids wanted me to settle down for many years now, says Pooja Bedi"
- "Pooja Bedi engaged to childhood friend Maneck Contractor; to get married soon". Newsd www.newsd.in. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
