Being born into a film family does not always guarantee success. Actor Rajat Bedi, despite being the grandson of writer Rajendra Singh Bedi and son of director Narendra Bedi, struggled to find his place in Bollywood.
After years of disappointment, he walked away from films and built a new life in Canada as a real estate developer. Now, he is back in the industry with Aryan Khan’s Netflix series The Ba**ds of Bollywood*.
Rajat’s journey began in 1994 when he won the Gladrags Manhunt and went on to represent India at an international pageant, where he finished as the second runner-up. That same year, Aishwarya Rai and Sushmita Sen put India on the global map with their pageant wins, and Rajat too was aiming for stardom. Having assisted Ramesh Sippy on Zamana Deewana and worked closely with Shah Rukh Khan, he seemed set for an acting career.
But the path wasn’t smooth. In a conversation with Mukesh Khanna on YouTube, Rajat recalled that his entry into films was delayed: ‘After my international beauty pageant, I waited for three years for my debut film to take off, but that never happened. Despite being from a renowned film family, I had no one backing me as my father had passed away by the time I was entering films, so no one ever gave me sound advice.’
His big break came with Koi Mil Gaya, where he played a crucial role alongside Hrithik Roshan and Preity Zinta. Yet, it turned out to be a letdown for him. ‘There couldn’t be a bigger hit than Koi Mil Gaya but I didn’t gain anything from it. I had lots to do in that film but my track with Preity Zinta was chopped off. My biggest disappointment was, when Koi Mil Gaya released, I was completely left out of the promotions so I was very disappointed. Because you have certain expectations as an actor, and you feel bad,’ he admitted.
His next film Rocky with Zayed Khan also left him disheartened. ‘Zayed’s father was editing the film so when the father is doing it…’ he told Khanna, suggesting that without strong family backing, his chances in Bollywood were slim.
By then, Rajat also realised that producers were underpaying him. ‘The reason behind leaving for Canada was that I was so disappointed with my career. I was thinking, ‘What am I doing?’ I was so frustrated,’ he said. In Canada, he became a real estate developer, making a lot of money but losing it later due to poor partnerships.
Even while away, films found their way back into his life. Rajat produced Punjabi projects, including Golgappe, inspired by Hera Pheri. Slowly, the pull of cinema brought him back to India. In recent years, he has also worked in Telugu films, and now he is ready for a fresh start in Bollywood with Aryan Khan’s debut web series.