There was a time when Rajat Bedi chose to walk away from Bollywood, at a moment when the industry no longer seemed to be working in his favour. Then, the tide turned, and Aryan Khan’s directorial debut Ba***ds of Bollywood brought the actor back into the spotlight. The web series marked his return to the Hindi content space two decades after the film Partner (2007). He says, “Aryan wanted only me for the role of Jaraj Saxena. He told me, ‘Sir, aap karoge toh hi main yeh character rakhunga.’ It felt like a big compliment, and I was on board.” ‘I moved away from Bollywood because I didn’t see my career growing’Looking back at the phase that led to his exit from the industry, Rajat says, “I moved away because I couldn’t see my career progressing. Whatever I was doing seemed to go in the opposite direction. You take on a project hoping for some reward, but no reward was received. Even the promised payments didn’t come through. I had to look after my family. Glamor alone isn’t enough, as you have to earn a living. That’s how I decided to move to Canada in 2008, where I got into real estate and that did well.“Even while living away, he stayed connected to the entertainment world in his own way. He shares, “I didn’t want to become irrelevant. Sometimes I did production, sometimes I did work in regional cinema. Before leaving, I had done close to 40 films and worked with leading actors. Being away in Canada wasn’t easy. I missed the film fraternity.”
Rajat Bedi with Shah Rukh Khan and Aryan Khan
‘I am in a happy space as an actor’Now, with renewed attention, Rajat is taking things one step at a time. “I’m going with the flow. I don’t have a game plan. I’m content. Thoda hai, theek hai. If you chase too much, then politics unfold. You have to work, but with dignity. If you go asking for work, sometimes you’re not even paid. Thesystem is what it is. One project has now given me what I didn’t get earlier. Thanks to Ba***ds of Bollywood, the nostalgia has worked so strongly for me that I finally feel I’ve received my due. Earlier, people would acknowledge me but not cast me. It was always, ‘Haan sir, see.’ Now, I’m glad there’s been a clear shift in how I’m viewed. Maybe it was my luck to write it so late.”
Rajat Bedi in Bads of Bollywood
‘I am grateful that the industry has accepted me again’Looking ahead, Rajat is also preparing his children, Vihaan and Vera, to enter the industry. He says, “When Aryan approached me for the series, I told him that I had worked as an assistant director on the sets of his father Shah Rukh Khan’s Zamaana Deewana and requested that Vihaan be allowed to assist him on the show. He graciously agreed, and it felt like a full-circle moment.”Deeply protective as a father, Rajat adds, “I’ve seen very difficult phases in my career. Aise teen chaar hai hai that I fell completely low and then came back. I don’t let my children fall. Having said that, no father can stand in front of the camera. So, I keep telling my son that he has to work hard. He has been training in acting, dance and diction for over a year. In many ways, I want to realize my dreams through my son and see him achieve what I couldn’t. I am grateful that the industry has accepted me again and is now looking at my children as well.”
