Still young at heart

Heroes have come and gone in Hollywood and Bollywood. But there is one constant person who straddles both the worlds with ease – Kabir Bedi. There's something ageless about his deep baritone voice and dark brown eyes.

Kabir Bedi retains his killer looks even to this day. And as constant as his charm is the bevy of beauties who swarm him wherever he goes. 

Considering the number of projects Kabir Bedi has done in Hollywood including the much acclaimed series, The Bold and the Beautiful, which introduced him to a large segment of the American population, it is indeed surprising that Bollywood seemed to have offered him very little space. But Kabir is still passionate about Indian cinema.

 "My first production, for which I will also be writing the script, is a historical theme woven in a modern context. I have brought in some Italian influences as well. It's a film every young Indian wouldn't want to miss," he told Metrolife.

He says his first production is a movie that's set in the 1950s. “It's an ancient theme. It's wrong to believe that the younger generation doesn't relate to historical characters. It must be packaged well," he says.

There are a few characters that Kabir holds very close to his heart. His role as Shah Jahan in Taj Mahal is special to him.

Then his role as Sandokan, a half-Indian half-Italian actor in the Italian TV series is memorable. Dark and negative characters interest Kabir, "I don't have that boy-next-door look so I have to play those larger than life characters. Dark characters remain with people for a long time," he explains.

Talking about the difference between a Hollywood and a Bollywood movie, Kabir explains that he has noticed that in addition to strong religious and cultural differences between the two countries, "the audiences here in India is dependent on music. There's less of song more of content in films in the West. My film will have just one song. There will be no changing costumes 25 times and shooting a song in 35 different locations," he observes and adds, “cinema has to appeal to local tastes. You have to like the film first before you take it to your audience.”

Kabir is also on the process of writing a book. It's not an autobiography but the book will contain themes and stories from Kabir's life, "it's about a few remarkable people who've made a difference in my life. Known relationships and those unknown," he says. To Kabir, good cinema is nothing but "a well-constructed human story. The aim of every film-maker must be to tell stories that have a larger resonance," he concludes.