Rajiv Gandhi wore a bulletproof jacket under his clothes, recalls Kabir Bedi: ‘He joked, kahan phas gaya hun yaar'
Bollywood actor Kabir Bedi grew up with former Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi and his brother Sanjay Gandhi and in a recent interaction, he recalled how he would play with them in school and how their bond lasted till Rajiv became Prime Minister of India. He also recalled meeting Rajiv after he became the PM and how the politician refused to talk about any serious business with his childhood friend.
Speaking to Filmfare about his association with the Gandhis, Kabir said, 'At that time, my mother knew Indira Gandhi. Rajiv Gandhi, Sanjay Gandhi and I went to a school run by a German lady in Delhi. Rajiv was two years older than me and Sanjay was a year younger than me. We would play in a room that had a huge train set and we would play there. We were just kids fooling around. We would take horse-riding lessons together, attend all the birthday parties. It was a wonderful relationship and a close relationship.'
Recalling his meeting with Rajiv after he became the PM, he shared, 'When Rajiv became Prime Minister, I went to see him and all the big politicians of the time were sitting there. Rajiv popped his head out, saw me and asked me to come in. He brought me in, pointed at the expanse of the Prime Minister's house and said, 'kahan phas gaya hun yaar (Where did I land up?)' '
He added, 'I told him to be serious because he is the Prime Minister, he responded, 'You don't tell me to be serious. Everybody is asking me to be serious. You are my friend, you and I won't talk about serious things.' When I was leaving, I hugged him and he looked tensed, and I realised he was wearing a bulletproof jacket under his clothes and I understood why he was tensed. I asked him to take care and next thing I knew he was assassinated. It was a personal loss for me. I had great respect for him and Sanjay.'
Rajiv took office after the assassination of his mother, then–Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, becoming the youngest Prime Minister at the age of 40. He was assassinated in 1991.
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