‘For 20 years, I was in pain’: Rajat Bedi, the comeback king of Ba***ds of Bollywood, recalls past struggles

Actor Rajat Bedi, who recently came back into the limelight after appearing in Aryan Khan's The Ba***ds of Bollywood, spoke about the years he spent away from the film business.

Rajat Bedi spent two decades away from the film industry. (Express Archive)

Actor Rajat Bedi, who recently reemerged into the spotlight after playing a pivotal role in Aryan Khan’s The Ba***ds of Bollywood, spoke about the struggles he faced in the last two decades, when he had stepped away from acting. Rajat is known for playing villains in several popular Bollywood films, but after his career failed to reach the next level in the mid-2000s, he decided to move to Canada and set up a real estate business. He experienced several setbacks in his business as well, and said in an interview with Digital Commentary that he was cheated by partners. But thanks to his role in The Ba***ds of Bollywood, he’s gaining attention again.

In the satirical Netflix show, which is set in an exaggerated version of the Hindi film industry, Rajat plays a failed actor named Jaraj Saxena, who tries every trick in the book to get a job in Bollywood after being chained to a contract for 15 years. The story mirrors his own, and Rajat said that he was aware of this when he signed on to the show. Praising Aryan’s vision for the character, Rajat said that Aryan told him not to sign any other projects before The Ba***ds of Bollywood comes out. They first had a conversation about the show in 2022, when Aryan reached out to him and said that he wouldn’t include Jaraj at all if Rajat doesn’t agree to play him.

Also read – The Ba***ds of Bollywood review: Aryan Khan’s show is not self-aware, and not fun enough

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“People only see the comeback, but for the last 20 years, I have been in pain,” he said, adding, “They think I’m lucky. But I’ve made my own luck. I never gave up. Yes, I’ve been fortunate as well. My wife has been a constant support for me. She’s experienced a lot of sadness because of me. But because of this show, she is sharing the joy as well. She can’t believe what our family is witnessing. My children have become popular on social media as well. Yes, she had to bear with a lot of setbacks because of me, but she is now seeing the fruits of my labour.”

Rajat said that he instantly agreed to the show after his first meeting with Aryan, which was conducted at Shah Rukh Khan’s office. His only request to Aryan was that he give his son the opportunity to assist him on the show. Aryan readily agreed. Rajat began his own career as an assistant on a film starring Shah Rukh, and felt that this was a poetic moment in his life.

In the past, Rajat Bedi has spoken about his decision to move away from the film business, after his career stalled despite an appearance in Koi Mil Gaya. “There couldn’t be a bigger hit than Koi Mil Gaya but I didn’t gain anything from it. I had lots to do in that film but my track with Preity Zinta was chopped off. My biggest disappointment was, when Koi Mil Gaya released, I was completely left out of the promotions so I was very disappointed. Because you have certain expectations as an actor, and you feel bad,” he said in an interview with Mukesh Khanna a few years ago.

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