Mandira Bedi has been one of the most influential and inspiring ladies to look up to. However, her journey to where she is today is not an easy one. Conversing with The Pioneer, this powerful lady looks back at her journey while also spilling the beans about her latest project, among others.
Tejal Sinha
Well, one might have first seen her in Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge as Preeti Singh, or playing the titular character in Shanti, Chandni in Ghar Jamai, Dr. Mandira Kapadia in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Cookie Sharma in Sarabhai vs. Sarabhai, or hosting shows like Joh Jeeta Wohi Super Star and Indian Idol Junior, to name a few. Mandira Bedi has been one of the most influential and inspiring ladies we have grown up looking up to.
Today, so many years down the lane, she donnes multiple hats, including that of a fashion designer and also India’s most popular female sports presenter.
Just like we do, she too looks back at her journey as a long one. But also something that she’s been really grateful for—getting to do varied things that are different in their own way. Apart from films, OTT, short films, and anchoring, in this exclusive chat she recalls, “There have been speaking engagements as a motivational speaker that I have been to. Then, I have also driven a truck in the Himalayas on eight of the highest motorable passes in the world. It has been a long, very interesting, and varied journey indeed, and I look back on it with a huge amount of gratitude. The reason I have a positive outlook and a happy demeanour is because I love what I do; I love my job, and when you love your job, it doesn’t feel like work.”
True that! Her love for her job has always been very translucent. As much as she’s been loved for her films, so has it been equally for being an anchor. But, “The thing about being an actor is that you get to play many, many different roles. As an anchor, you get to be yourself, and that is the role you play, and people get to know you for the kind of person you are and the personality you have. That’s the primary difference. The thing with being an actor is that you get lots of retakes. The thing with being an anchor is that, in general, 50% of the stuff is live and 50% is recorded. When you get to do live stuff, there is a different kind of adrenaline flowing, and I enjoy the live stuff, and that’s the primary difference between being an actor and an anchor. The fact is, you have to think on your feet, you have to improvise on the job, you have to keep it going regardless of how you are feeling personally or what’s going through your head, and you have to put on your game face and show up. On an off day, you still have to show up and perform, but you always have the luxury of a retake when it comes to being an actor.”
Anchoring, she shares, has given her a lot more in terms of people getting to know her for the person she was when she did cricket 20 years ago.
“People knew me by name after anchoring, and before that, people just knew me as the characters I played. So, which do I enjoy more? That would be an unfair question because both have different angles to it and different aspects to it. You can live vicariously through the roles you play. I played so many gangsters and cops on the film, and it shows that it’s very nice that one gets to play different characters. So, both of them come with their own sets of great points, and I enjoy them both, and I want to try and be able to successfully balance and manage to do both,” shares the Saaho actress.
Having transitioned into multiple industries, today, even as a speaker, people invite her to be a motivational speaker talking about fitness and mental health. “I never thought that a stage in my life would arrive where I would be talking about my mental and physical health and people would care to listen. I think it’s also got to do with the fact that I wrote a book, so yes, I am an author as well. I think I enjoy what I do, and because I get to do so many different things, that’s the reason why I feel I have managed to last it out for so many years. It has been 29 years in the business, and I am so grateful that it’s not just one kind of thing that I do. I do many different things, and that’s what I think keeps me going; that’s what makes me tick.”
Talking of her recent onboarding project was hosting the Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films—Select Films, Select Conversations’. And during our chat, she reveals that this marks her second association with the platform. From being an actor herself to hosting some amazingly talented artists with the initiative, she feels privileged for the association. “The people who were on this panel and I got to interview them are all exemplary actors. I have to say that I enjoy hearing from them and learning about their process. I really take in a lot when they talk about their passion for their work and what makes them go. Be it Jim, who I have worked with, I think, twice, and Kalki, who I have worked with as well, it’s really a lovely experience talking to them and getting to know how they function, what their processes are, and what their thoughts are about their craft and the art of filmmaking.”
Cricket has been something she has really enjoyed over her 12-year stint. Even now, with things changing, “I have done it for a couple of apps as well. I go on now like a guest, which I find very unusual, because I am a presenter first, and that is my connection with the sport, but it feels nice to be connected with sport and connected with the game of cricket.”
As we head towards the end of this informative chat, our interviewee went on to also highlight the challenges she faced while being one of India’s most popular female sports presenters and hosts: “There were many, many challenges when I first became a cricket presenter, but that’s a story from a very, very long time ago, 20 years ago. People didn’t take me seriously, and I really had to do the hard yards; I really had to prove myself. I had to take a lot of pressure off myself because when you are doing something with the World Cup—and with cricket being the country’s national passion and the World Cup being one of the most important tournaments of all—there is bound to be pressure. I had a lot of pressure that I took with me when I went to South Africa, and it took me a long time to change people’s minds because some people did not believe I belonged there, and I had a long enough time to change their perception. I am grateful. I loved it. I loved the process of becoming a sports presenter. That went on for a few weeks—the first World Cup I was a part of—and then after that, it was many, many tournaments one after another, and it was a wonderful experience overall. And now, when I look at any channel, be it a news channel or a host broadcaster that is actually telecasting the matches, there is always a place for a woman there, and I feel very, very grateful that this shift has happened.”
Well, one might have first seen her in Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge as Preeti Singh, or playing the titular character in Shanti, Chandni in Ghar Jamai, Dr. Mandira Kapadia in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Cookie Sharma in Sarabhai vs. Sarabhai, or hosting shows like Joh Jeeta Wohi Super Star and Indian Idol Junior, to name a few. Mandira Bedi has been one of the most influential and inspiring ladies we have grown up looking up to.
Today, so many years down the lane, she donnes multiple hats, including that of a fashion designer and also India’s most popular female sports presenter.
Just like we do, she too looks back at her journey as a long one. But also something that she’s been really grateful for—getting to do varied things that are different in their own way. Apart from films, OTT, short films, and anchoring, in this exclusive chat she recalls, “There have been speaking engagements as a motivational speaker that I have been to. Then, I have also driven a truck in the Himalayas on eight of the highest motorable passes in the world. It has been a long, very interesting, and varied journey indeed, and I look back on it with a huge amount of gratitude. The reason I have a positive outlook and a happy demeanour is because I love what I do; I love my job, and when you love your job, it doesn’t feel like work.”
True that! Her love for her job has always been very translucent. As much as she’s been loved for her films, so has it been equally for being an anchor. But, “The thing about being an actor is that you get to play many, many different roles. As an anchor, you get to be yourself, and that is the role you play, and people get to know you for the kind of person you are and the personality you have. That’s the primary difference. The thing with being an actor is that you get lots of retakes. The thing with being an anchor is that, in general, 50% of the stuff is live and 50% is recorded. When you get to do live stuff, there is a different kind of adrenaline flowing, and I enjoy the live stuff, and that’s the primary difference between being an actor and an anchor. The fact is, you have to think on your feet, you have to improvise on the job, you have to keep it going regardless of how you are feeling personally or what’s going through your head, and you have to put on your game face and show up. On an off day, you still have to show up and perform, but you always have the luxury of a retake when it comes to being an actor.”
Anchoring, she shares, has given her a lot more in terms of people getting to know her for the person she was when she did cricket 20 years ago.
“People knew me by name after anchoring, and before that, people just knew me as the characters I played. So, which do I enjoy more? That would be an unfair question because both have different angles to it and different aspects to it. You can live vicariously through the roles you play. I played so many gangsters and cops on the film, and it shows that it’s very nice that one gets to play different characters. So, both of them come with their own sets of great points, and I enjoy them both, and I want to try and be able to successfully balance and manage to do both,” shares the Saaho actress.
Having transitioned into multiple industries, today, even as a speaker, people invite her to be a motivational speaker talking about fitness and mental health. “I never thought that a stage in my life would arrive where I would be talking about my mental and physical health and people would care to listen. I think it’s also got to do with the fact that I wrote a book, so yes, I am an author as well. I think I enjoy what I do, and because I get to do so many different things, that’s the reason why I feel I have managed to last it out for so many years. It has been 29 years in the business, and I am so grateful that it’s not just one kind of thing that I do. I do many different things, and that’s what I think keeps me going; that’s what makes me tick.”
Talking of her recent onboarding project was hosting the Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films—Select Films, Select Conversations’. And during our chat, she reveals that this marks her second association with the platform. From being an actor herself to hosting some amazingly talented artists with the initiative, she feels privileged for the association. “The people who were on this panel and I got to interview them are all exemplary actors. I have to say that I enjoy hearing from them and learning about their process. I really take in a lot when they talk about their passion for their work and what makes them go. Be it Jim, who I have worked with, I think, twice, and Kalki, who I have worked with as well, it’s really a lovely experience talking to them and getting to know how they function, what their processes are, and what their thoughts are about their craft and the art of filmmaking.”
Cricket has been something she has really enjoyed over her 12-year stint. Even now, with things changing, “I have done it for a couple of apps as well. I go on now like a guest, which I find very unusual, because I am a presenter first, and that is my connection with the sport, but it feels nice to be connected with sport and connected with the game of cricket.”
As we head towards the end of this informative chat, our interviewee went on to also highlight the challenges she faced while being one of India’s most popular female sports presenters and hosts: “There were many, many challenges when I first became a cricket presenter, but that’s a story from a very, very long time ago, 20 years ago. People didn’t take me seriously, and I really had to do the hard yards; I really had to prove myself. I had to take a lot of pressure off myself because when you are doing something with the World Cup—and with cricket being the country’s national passion and the World Cup being one of the most important tournaments of all—there is bound to be pressure. I had a lot of pressure that I took with me when I went to South Africa, and it took me a long time to change people’s minds because some people did not believe I belonged there, and I had a long enough time to change their perception. I am grateful. I loved it. I loved the process of becoming a sports presenter. That went on for a few weeks—the first World Cup I was a part of—and then after that, it was many, many tournaments one after another, and it was a wonderful experience overall. And now, when I look at any channel, be it a news channel or a host broadcaster that is actually telecasting the matches, there is always a place for a woman there, and I feel very, very grateful that this shift has happened.”
