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Indian Express
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Parveen Babi banished Kabir Bedi a year before her death; Mahesh Bhatt saw her worst mood swings: ‘You also think I'm mad'
Late actor Parveen Babi's life story remains one of the most tragic tales to come out of the Hindi film industry. In a recent interaction, actor Kabir Bedi, who was in a brief relationship with Parveen, spoke about witnessing the early stages of her mental health struggles. He also recalled seeing Parveen just a year before her death in 2005. During an interaction with Filmfare, Kabir admitted that Parveen's biggest fear was people finding out about her mental health issues when she was the biggest star in the country, as she feared it would end her career. He said, 'This was her biggest fear that if people found out that she has any mental instability, the industry would stop taking her. Can you imagine from her point of view having so much beauty and talent and films being offered to you but trying to conceal your mental problem from everybody, because if you let them know, they will drop you like a hot potato.' Kabir Bedi revealed that he persuaded Parveen Babi to seek help while they were in London, but the actress refused to heed his advice. He recalled, 'I advised Parveen to see someone in London because there were best people to treat her there and also she was away from all this, but she wouldn't hear of it. She didn't like the pressure that I was putting on her and, at the same time, her film Amar Akbar Anthony in India became a huge hit. She decided to return to India and went on to do many more films, but battling through the most terrible problems all the while. About that period… Mahesh Bhatt would know more about it because he was with her.' For the unversed, Parveen Babi started dating filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt after she parted ways with Kabir Bedi. Talking about working with Parveen while being in a relationship with her, Kabir said, 'She was very professional our relationship never entered the set. She had mood swings but they weren't as bad as what Mahesh saw later on. Mahesh saw the worst of it.' After Parveen Babi and Kabir Bedi parted ways, the latter was villainised and blamed for their breakup, with many claiming it triggered Parveen's mental instability. Speaking about the same and why he didn't defend himself at that time, Kabir shared, 'I was demonised but I thought that I could either clear up the misunderstanding and make her look bad or just keep quiet and let her get the sympathy and get the roles so that she can reestablish herself and her career. I spoke about it five years later at the Filmfare.' The Kismat actor also recalled meeting Parveen just a year before her death. He shared, 'I met her a year before she passed away. She was laying beside the pool, sunning herself and she said, 'Oh, Kabir.' She was embarassed to see me, she had changed a lot. She told me, 'I'm fine but people think I'm mad.' I told her, 'You have made accusations against people and naturally they will have an opinion.' She looked at me and said, 'You also think I'm mad. You are one of them. I don't want to see you again. Please leave.' I wished her well and left. I was sorry to see her in that state. But she had a flat and she was looked after, she was working as an interior designer.'
India.com
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- India.com
India's most expensive comedian, with fees higher than Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan, used to charge Rs...
Today, India is home to some of the highest-paid superstars. Stars like Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Rajinikanth, and Allu Arjun demand hefty fees for films, often ranging from R 100 to Rs 200 crore. But today, let us tell you about a comedian who, in his time, used to charge more than major stars like Vinod Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan, and Rajesh Khanna, even for cameo roles. Do you know his name? If not, let us tell you: the person we're talking about is Mehmood. Mehmood began his career as a child artist in the 1940s film Kismat. In the 1950s, he made a mark with comic roles in films like CID and Pyaasa. However, from the beginning, he aspired to play lead roles. By the 1960s, Mehmood had not only established himself as India's leading comedian but also as a successful star. His films like Padosan, Bhoot Bangla, Johar Mehmood in Hong Kong, and Bombay to Goa were all hits. By the end of the 1960s, the actor had become the highest-paid actor in the country. According to a report published in The Print, Mehmood used to charge Rs 7.5 lakh for just a two-week cameo in films at that time. In comparison, top actors of the era, like Sunil Dutt, Dharmendra, Shammi Kapoor, and Rajendra Kumar, charged less than Rs 5 lakh for a full-length film. Even superstars like Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan didn't cross the Rs 7.5 lakh mark until the mid-1970s. It is said that until the 1980s, Mehmood charged more for his cameo appearances than what Salman Khan and Aamir Khan earned for their initial films. Let us tell you that after the 1980s, Mehmood appeared in very few films. He played small roles in movies like Andaz Apna Apna and Guddu. In 1996, he directed Dushman Duniya Ka, which was his last film as a director. Two years later, he appeared in Ghar Bazaar, which turned out to be his final film. Unfortunately, the movie flopped at the box office. Mehmood passed away in Mumbai in 2004 at the age of 71.
