‘Good work will be recognised someday’: Rakesh Bedi on going viral with ‘Dhurandhar’

The massive success of Aditya Dhar’s Durandhar movies has given Rakesh Bedi’s career a second wind. Bedi, who plays the wily politician Jameel Jamali, has a separate fanbase for his catchphrase “Baccha hai tu mera.”

The veteran of cinema, theatre and television was born in Delhi and studied acting at the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune. After a fine start with the movies Chashme Buddoor and Ek Duuje Ke Liye, Bedi settled for supporting roles. His work in television included the popular serials Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi, Yes Boss and Shriman Shrimati.

Bedi also kept working on the stage, where his one-man play Massage, based on the writings of Vijay Tendulkar, was a be a long-running hit. He is still a part of the Indian People’s Theatre Association and appears in their plays, such as Biwi O Biwi (which he wrote and directed) and Tajmahal Ka Tender.

Late-stage stardom is as unexpected as it is welcome for the 71-year-old actor, who made the time for a video interview while shooting for a Telugu film in Andhra Pradesh. Here are edited excerpts.

What has been the aftermath of Dhurandhar?

A lot of my work was always appreciated, but didn’t get the stamp of love and affection of the audience at large. Now everybody is loving everything I have done...

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