Protima Bedi (1948-1998) was an Indian model and famous Odissi dancer. She is famous for being the ex-wife of Indian actor Kabir Bedi. Protima is the founder of Nrityagram Dance School in Hesaraghatta, Bangalore. She died in a landslide at Malpa near Pithoragarh on August 18, 1998 while on her way to Mount Kailash.
Wiki/Biography
Protima Bedi aka Protima Gauri Bedi was born on Tuesday, October 12, 1948 in Delhi, India (age 49; time of death). Her zodiac sign is Libra. In 1953, her family moved to Goa and then to Bombay in 1957. Protima studied in a local school in her hometown Karnal in Haryana and Kimmins High School in Panchgani, Maharashtra. She graduated from St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′6″
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
family
Protima Bedi was born in the Bania family of Bengal.
Parents and siblings
Protima’s father Laxmichand Gupta is a businessman in Karnal district of Haryana. Her mother’s name is Reba and she comes from a Bengali family. Protima has three siblings, two sisters and a brother.
husband and children
In 1969, Protima Bedi married Indian actor Kabir Bedi.
Protima Bedi and Kabir Bedi
During her modeling career in the late 1960s, Protima met Kabir. This is Kabir’s third marriage and the couple has decided to have an open marriage. Kabir and Protima divorced in 1977 after eight years of marriage. The reason for the divorce was Kabir’s extramarital affair with Parveen Babi. Kabir spoke about his failed marriage in an interview and said:
Our open marriage seemed like a good idea at first. Ultimately, this just made me more anxious. This resulted in a lack of intimacy between us. I didn’t feel the love I wanted, the care and sharing I needed. I can’t give either. The old magic is gone. I felt lonely, empty and depressed.
She is survived by a daughter, Pooja Bedi, a former Indian actress, television host and newspaper columnist.
Protima Bedi and her daughter Pooja Bedi
Protima has a son, Siddharth Bedi, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia while studying at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1997, at the age of 26, he committed suicide. Pooja Bedi spoke about her brother’s suicide in an interview and said:
In 1997 he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and committed suicide, which completely changed my life. He is a sensitive, careful, gentle and witty person. He was also very smart and graduated with honors from Carnegie Mellon University. The void left by his death, followed by my mother’s death in 1998, is one I will never be able to fill. ”
other relatives
Aalia Furniturewalla is the daughter of Pooja Bedi and Farhan Furniturewala and the grandson of Protima Bedi.
Relationships/Affairs
After her divorce from Kabir Bedi, Protima started learning Odissi dance. During that time, she met Indian classical singer Pandit Jasraj. They dated for about five years. The reason for their breakup was rumored to be Indian politician and barrister Rajni Patel. Protima meets Rajni in his office to resolve some legal issues. Protima was attracted by his charm and soon she broke off her relationship with Pandit Jasraj. Protima’s name has reportedly been linked to some like Fred Kienzel, Vijaypath Singhania, Vasant Sathe, Jacques Lebel, Mario Kropf and Rom Whitaker.
Religion/Religious Views
Initially, Protima was an atheist. However, after she met her guru Shri Kelucharan Mahapatra, she became spiritual and started believing in God.
Profession
Model
In 1970, Protima Bedi started her modeling career. Within a few months, Protima established herself as a famous model and became the face of bold photo shoots.
Protima Bedi in modeling career
Movie
In 1978, Protima Bedi made her acting debut with the Bollywood film “Gaman”.
Protima Bedi in a still from the movie “Gaman”
In 1992, she appeared in the Hollywood film Miss Beatty’s Children, playing the role of Kamla Devi. The film is adapted from the novel “Miss Beatty’s Children” by Pamela Roux.
Movie “Miss Beatty’s Baby” poster
dancer
Protima Bedi is a professional Odissi dancer. In August 1975, Protima was on her way to a fashion show when she accidentally entered the Bhulabhai Memorial College, where she saw Kelucharan Mahapatra teaching Odissi dance to his students. Later, she became a student of Shri Kelucharan Mahapatra and started training in the dance form in Cuttack, Odisha. Protima performs Odissi dances across the country and runs her own dance school at Prithvi Theater in Juhu, Mumbai. On May 11, 1990, Protima established India’s first free dance school, Nrityagram Academy, in Hesaraghatta, Bangalore, which was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister of India, Vishwanath Pratap Singh.
Protima Bedi performs Odissi dance
dispute
Shoot nude for magazine cover
In 1974, Protima Bedi appeared on the cover of Cineblitz magazine while running naked.
Protima Bedi’s controversial photo shoot for Cineblitz magazine
The location initially chosen for the shoot was near Flora Fountain in Mumbai. Taiyeb Badshah has been appointed as the professional photographer for the magazine. Later, the location was changed to Juhu Beach because Protima was not satisfied with the photo. Protima was heavily criticized for her bold photos. Protima wrote in her autobiography,
The alleged streaking incident took place in Goa. In those days, I spent a lot of time at Anjuna Beach with the hippies. Everyone was walking around naked there. If you wear a bathing suit, you look and feel weird. So I’m as much a nudist as everyone else on the beach. Someone must have taken a picture of me there, and what the magazine did was superimpose it on a photo of the streets of Mumbai. People are so gullible that no one even questions it. If I actually did this in Mumbai, wouldn’t there be a crowd in the photo? ”
Kabir Bedi said in an interview about his wife’s daring photo shoot:
When Protima came to see me in Malaysia, she said “I ran naked”. Streaking is when someone runs naked on a stage or street, usually to protest something. And I had no idea what she was talking about. She said I ran naked and someone took a picture and put it in a magazine. She didn’t tell me the truth about how or why she streaked. It later emerged that she was doing this to promote the magazine. ”
die
On August 12, 1998, Protima set off for a 33-day trek to Manpanjömtso. On August 18, 1998, she died in a landslide while on a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash. Her body and belongings were later recovered from Malpa village along the Indo-Tibetan border in Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand. Pooja Bedi wrote in her mother’s autobiography:
She had always wanted to be one with nature, and she recoiled from the thought of dying in a common, painful way and then being burned in some soulless crematorium. Well, I guess she can still have her way even in death. ”
Facts/Trivia
- She is also known as Protima Gupta and Gaurima.
- Protima’s father was against her modeling career. One day, Protima’s father saw her modeling for Bombay Dyeing in a nightgown on the front page of the Times of India. Protima fled her home and moved to Mumbai after her father slapped her.
- In an interview, Protima recalled an incident in which she was pronounced dead, only to be found alive minutes later. Furthermore, she said,
As a kid, I once ate an entire box of laxative chocolates and then started shitting my insides out. I lost all body fluids and fell into a deep coma. Doctors declared me dead and arranged for my cremation. It was then that my mother noticed my eyelids flickering and began to revive me. Therefore, I am one of the few people who has my own death certificate. ”
- During her dance training with Shri Kelucharan Mahapatra, Protima changed her name to Protima Gauri. In an interview, she said about the reason for changing her name:
I decided to draw some kind of Sanya from city life, my career and my children. I just want a name that doesn’t belong to my father or husband.”
- Protima is the founder of Hideout, Mumbai’s first disco club.
- Protima’s dance school Nrityagram follows the principles of the ancient gurukul learning system where students and teachers live under the same roof like a family.
Nrityagram dance class at a glance
- In 1994, Protima launched Vasanthabba, an annual dance music festival where dancers and artists from across the country perform. In 1999, several artists and dancers performed for free at the Vasanthabba event as a tribute to Protima Bedi.
- After her son’s death by suicide, Protima shaved her head and disposed of all her material possessions.
- Protima’s autobiography, Timepass: Memoirs of Protima Bedi, is based on her diaries and letters and was cataloged and published by her daughter Pooja Bedi.
Pooja Bedi holds her mother’s autobiography “Time Passport” – a memoir of Protima Bedi
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education