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Actor Monica Bedi could have been a part of filmmaker Rakesh Roshan’s superhit film Karan Arjun had she not torn away his visiting card and had known that Rakesh is not just an actor but also a filmmaker. Monica made her acting debut with the Telugu film Taj Mahal. She entered the Hindi film industry with the 1995 film Surakshaa.
Recently, Monica shared with Siddharth Kanan that she met Rakesh at filmmaker Subhash Ghai’s Holi party. Recalling the meeting, the actor said, “At Subhash Ghai’s Holi party, Rakesh Roshan walked up to me. I knew he is an actor, I had watched his films. But I didn’t know he is also a director-producer. So, he came to me and did some small talk. He gave me his card and told me, ‘Come and see me tomorrow.'”
Since Monica had no clue that Rakesh is also a filmmaker, she got suspicious when he asked her to meet him. “I was like why is he calling me over, he is an actor. I tore the card and threw it away. I was like there is something fishy,” shared the actor.
It was only a few months later that Monica Bedi got to know what she lost by not paying heed to Rakesh Roshan’s invitation. “After a few months, my manager asked, ‘Why didn’t you go to meet him? He was making this film called Karan Arjun and wanted you for the role which Mamta Kulkarni played opposite Salman Khan.'”
Not just this, Monica could have gotten a perfect entry into the Hindi film industry as she was discovered by the legendary star Manoj Kumar. But she lost that opportunity too, as the film for which Manoj had signed her, never took off.
“Manoj Kumar discovered me. He was making a film with his son and he saw me where I used to learn Kathak and he met me and my mom through my dance guru. He asked my mom, ‘I am making a film, will you like your daughter to be a part of it?’ I was super excited and so happy,” Monica narrated.
Manoj Kumar signed Monica Bedi for the film and also got her to sign a contract where she was not allowed to sign any movie until Manoj’s film was released. “The film never took off. It was not his fault. Sometimes things don’t happen the way you plan them. But I was sitting at home for 1.5 years,” Monica shared. But Manoj released her from the contract and she finally got to do other Bollywood films.
Monica also appeared on television. She first appeared on the celebrity reality show Bigg Boss season two, where she hogged the limelight for her closeness to Rahul Mahajan. She later participated in the dance show Jhalak Dikkhla Jaa season three. She was also seen on NDTV Imagine’s Dil Jeet Legi Dil Se, where eight female actors had to stay with families in a village, work with them, and prove that they had more to them than glamour.
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