Pooja Bedi is an Indian actress, columnist, and TV show host. She became famous in the 90s for playing a supporting role in Jo Jeeta Wahi Sikandar (1992). She is known for her bold persona in the Indian film industry. She also gained traction for participating in reality TV shows like Fear Factor: Khatro Ke Khiladi and Big Boss in 2008.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Pooja Bedi was born on Monday, 11 May 1970 (age 53 years; as of 2023) in Bombay (now Mumbai). She went to Besant Montessori School for her elementary education. After this, she was sent to The Lawrence School, Sanawar, Himachal Pradesh. [1] The Lawrence School, Sanawar
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 6″
Weight (approx.): 60 kg
Hair Colour: Dark Brown
Eye Colour: Brown
Family
Parents & Siblings
Pooja is the daughter of Protima Gauri Bedi (1948-1998) and Kabir Bedi. Her mother was an Indian model and a renowned Odissi dancer. Her father is a famous Indian actor and model. [2]IMDb She also had a younger brother named Siddharth Bedi. He was 25 years old when he committed suicide on 19 July 1997. [3]Hindustan Times
Pooja Bedi in childhood with her parents and brother Siddharth Bedi
Husband & Children
Pooja Bedi met Farhan Furniturewala in 1990. They dated for three years and got married on 6 May 1994. For marrying him, she converted to Islam. However, their marriage couldn’t survive the test of time, and they got divorced on 14 February 2003, on Valentine’s day. Their first child is their daughter Alaya Ebrahim Furniturewala who was born on 28 November 1997.
Pooja Bedi with Ex-husband Farhan Furniturewala and daughter
Their second child is their son Omar Furniturewala who was born in 2000. However, they still share a warm relationship and have revealed that they do not have any hard feelings for each other. In 2007, she spoke about it in an interview and said,
My kids Aalia and Umer are the centre of my existence and they know it. I share a wonderful relationship with their father (Farhan Furniturewala). There’s no animosity. This makes my children emotionally stable. The four of us go out for lunches and even holidays together.’ [4]Bollywood Shaadis
Pooja Bedi with her daughter Alaya and son Omar
Relationships/Affairs
Pooja Bedi has been in a relationship with five men. The first one was Aditya Pancholi, who was already a married man. They used to spend most of their time at Pooja’s house, and their fling came to an end when Pooja’s maid revealed that Aditya made a sexual relationship with her. The actor promised Pooja’s 15-year-old maid that he will get her a role in movies, and after this revelation, Pooja ended the relationship with him. Pancholi met Pooja in 2013 at a party, and they were seen talking to each other. After this meeting, Pancholi spoke about Pooja and said,
So much time has passed since she made the accusation. I never said anything, never held any grudge against her. Last week, we came face-to-face at a party. She hugged me, and that was that. All the bitterness was forgotten…. We’ve both grown older and hopefully wiser. She has children, so do I. There is a lot in common. At this stage of our lives we can’t afford to lose old friends.’ [5]The Times of India
Pooja Bedi and Aditya Pancholi at a function in 2013
Second, she dated Farhan Furniturewala for three and half years and got married on 6 May 1994. Her third boyfriend was Hanif Hilal, whom she met while shooting for Jhalak Dikhlaja in 2006. Hanif was assigned as Pooja’s dance choreographer for the show. They both danced together on the show and eventually fell in love.
Pooja Bedi with boyfriend Hanif Hilal
However, they dated for more than a year and finally got separated in 2008. The fourth man she dated was Dwiti, who was from Orissa and worked for the United Nations Development Programme. Pooja made him a part of her family life, and he went on to celebrate Pooja’s 40th birthday with her kids in Goa in 2010. The duo was supposed to get engaged, but Dwiti’s family didn’t approve of it. He was from a conservative family, and his parents didn’t approve of Pooja becoming their daughter-in-law. After this, their 18-month-old relationship came to an end.
Pooja Bedi with Dwiti Vikramaditya
Her next fling was with Akashdeep Saigal, whom she met as a co-participant in Big Boss 5. Their relationship continued even after the show, and Saigal inked Pooja’s name on his bicep. However, their relationship ended in 2013, and he is still a good friend of Pooja. He was also a party guest at Pooja’s 47th birthday and flaunted her name tattoo in the party.
Pooja Bedi and Akashdeep Saigal in a still from Big Boss house, season 5
Later, she fell into a relationship with Maneck Contractor, and in February 2019, she got engaged to him. [6]India Today
Pooja Bedi with Manech Contractor on their engagement
Religion/Religious Views
In 1994, Pooja converted to Islam when she married Farhan Furniturewala and took up the name Noorjahan. However, she never changed her stage or screen name and says that she is a mixture of all religions. [7]The Hindustan Times
Career
Pooja Bedi began her career in Bollywood in 1991 with her first film Vishkanya in which she played the lead role. Her second movie was Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander (1992), in which she was in a supporting role and was also nominated as the best-supporting actress in Filmfare awards in 1993.
Her third release was Lootere, in which she starred in a supporting role with Sunny Deol and Juhi Chawla. Her next film was Aatank Hi Aatank, in which she starred with Amir Khan, Juhi Chalwa, and superstar Rajinikanth; this film was released in 1995. From 1991 to 1995, she also worked in various commercials and media campaigns. She was also highlighted in the media for shooting a bold commercial for KamaSutra condom in which she raised awareness about AIDS. [8]ThePrint In her later years, she began working as a columnist for various media houses and ran a column for The Times of India since 2009. [9]The Times of India
TV
In 2006, she made her debut on TV by participating in a dance reality show, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa as a show contestant. In 2007, she appeared in Nach Baliye 3 as a contestant with her boyfriend Hanif Hilal. Next, she appeared in Big Boss 2 as a show host in 2008. In the same year, she also appeared in Fear Factor: Khatro Ke Khiladi as a contestant. In 2011, she participated as a contestant in the Indian Tv reality show Maa Exchange with her daughter. The same year, she also appeared in Big Boss as a contestant and was evicted after surviving in the house for 8 weeks. In 2020, she also played the role of Geeta Chopra in Masaba Masaba.
Controversies
- In 1991, she appeared in a bold Condon ad that was criticized for nudity and was banned from Doordarshan. However, later this ad made its way to cable TV.
- In 2016, her father married his long-time girlfriend Parveen Dusanj in a private ceremony. Pooja didn’t attend the event and tweeted calling her stepmother a wicked witch, which raised eyebrows. She wrote,
Every fairy tale has a wicked witch or an evil step-mother! Mine just arrived! @iKabirBedi just married @parveendusanj.’
However, she deleted that tweet later. [10]The Free Press Journal
Pooja Bedi with her father and stepmother Parveen Dusanj in 2012
- In 2012, there were rumours that Pooja was about to send a legal notice to Colors for removing her from the finals of Big Boss Season 5. In the same year, she was back in news for tweeting about Salman Khan that he ill-treated her boyfriend Akashdeep on the show. [11]Hindustan Times
Favourites
- Food: Steamed ginger fish and mutton ghee roast grilled garlic prawns.
Facts/Trivia
- She studied at a boarding school in Himachal Pradesh.
- Pooja’s mother didn’t want her to work in films instead, she wanted her to indulge in more intellectually-challenging things.
