Mandira Bedi: My children are my happy place
Mandira Bedi’s Children
Mandira Bedi‘s children are her life. She has been in many different roles over the course of her career, including actor, cricket show host, reality show participant, fashion designer, fitness enthusiast, and motivational speaker. Her husband of 25 years, the director Raj Kaushal, died of a heart attack in 2021. But she carried on with dignity and courage, and she is now a rock of support for her kids. She discusses raising her children Vir and Tara, as well as her motivations and acting goals, in an exclusive interview with the Bombay Times. Excerpts:
“Give me a tough assignment, and I’ll rise to the occasion.”
Over the past few years, Mandira has juggled a number of demanding roles, including those of actress, social media influencer, fitness enthusiast, and doting mother to her two children, Vir, 11, and Tara, 6. If I’m not at the office, I’m with the kids. I am with them constantly, taking them to and from school and taking them on vacations. The kids, however, share my introversion and prefer staying at home. My job is something I really enjoy doing. I also produce workout videos, speak at fitness-related events, and shoot social media content for brands. It’s wonderful to be an inspiration to others, but my pride and joy, and the thing that keeps me going, are my children. And despite everything, I still manage to squeeze in my workouts. It’s a difficult task, but I enjoy a good challenge.
To provide my children with a safe, stable, and happy home, I had to do what I had to do.
Mandira is a private person who rarely discusses how she moved on after the death of her partner of 25 years. ‘I have my children, and after Raj I had to do what I had to do to give them a loving, normal, and happy environment,’ she says. It was time for me to move on with my life. My grieving process over the past few years is something I’d rather keep to myself. I have not confided in or discussed this with anyone. I think I’ve done everything the right way, following all the proper protocols and not cutting any corners. When someone asks me a direct question, like the one you asked me today, I respond in much the same way as I did when I gave my motivational speech.
Actors have been revitalised thanks to over-the-top services.
Mandira, who has been employed in the OTT sector since 2018, comments, “The rise of OTT has been phenomenal. It’s incredible that there’s work for everyone. The OTT industry is providing a second chance for many actors who were previously only working in theatre.
It was 24 that Raj and I watched back-to-back.
Mandira bedi’s children are so cute. Mandira portrayed Nikita Rai, modelled after Nina Myers from the American series 24, in the Indian version of the action thriller. The performer describes a near-miss experience in which she became her character. “Raj and I started our binge-watching careers with this series. If I could play Nina Myers, I told Raj, it would be like a dream come true. Years later, when 24 finally made it to India, director Abhinay Deo called me up. I said, “Are you serious! we want you for another role.” And you’re not going to call me to play Nina Myers, are you? They claimed to have already found a suitable replacement. My dream came true when I got cast as Nina Myers.
There were numerous police officer roles being offered to me.
Mandira’s appearance and performance in 24’s suspenseful plot were widely praised. On the other hand, it did confine her to a certain stereotype. For the rest of my career, I was typecast as a balding police officer because of that part. Because of this, I have turned down watching any and all types of movies. A role as a police officer in a Telugu and Tamil film was offered to me. I was then approached about a role in a show in which I would be a prison guard. The producers think I look, dress, and act the part of a police officer very well. Still, I have no interest in continuing in that direction. I’m looking to branch out into new and exciting acting roles. I’ve been very selective about the roles I accept recently.
