Kabir Bedi on Parveen Babi: ‘Cared for her but couldn’t prevent her breakdown’
Much has been said and written about the turbulent relationship between Kabir Bedi and Parveen Babi.
The two actors dated in the 1970s even as Kabir was in an open marriage with Protima Bedi initially. In a recent interview, Kabir opened up about the relationship and what he was grateful to Parveen for.
Calling Parveen ‘an extremely sensitive and intelligent woman,’ the veteran actor shared why their relationship fell apart even as both of them wanted to stay together.
Parveen Babi battled mental health issues throughout her life. In a recent interview with Pinkvilla, Kabir spoke about how her mental illness and his work commitments came at odds with each other.
“Parveen was an extremely sensitive and intelligent woman. She had a great capacity to love. What happened with her was extremely tragic. She gave me enormous love, a sense of togetherness and yet the cloud of her deteriorating mental condition hung over us.
The tragedy of her mental illness was unfolding when I was going through my greatest success in Europe, Sandokan. It was a difficult period for me. But at the same time, I thank her for the many things she gave me, including love,” he said.
Kabir played the lead role in Italian TV series Sandokan in 1976 and was away in Europe for the shoot. This was around the same time that Parveen’s mental health worsened.
In the interview, the actor also addressed how the three men Parveen Babi was romantically involved with–him, Danny Denzongpa, and Mahesh Bhatt–all attended her funeral in 2005. “Parveen deserved that respect,” he said, adding, “Well, we shared her life and she shared ours. At the heart of it, we deeply cared for her though we couldn’t prevent her breakdown.”
Kabir Bedi wrote about his life–including his relationship with Parveen Babi–in his recently released memoirs Stories I Must Tell. He was last seen in the web series Thinkistaan and will be seen next in the upcoming Telugu film Shaakuntalam. Currently, he is participating in Grande Fratello VIP, the Italian version of reality show Big Brother.