Pooja Bedi is an Indian actress, columnist, and TV host. She became famous in the 90’s for her supporting role in Jo Jeeta Wahi Sikandar and her bold persona in the Indian film industry. She is also remembered for participating in reality TV shows like Fear Factor: Khatro ke Khiladi and Big Boss.
Wiki/Biography
Pooja Bedi was born on Monday, 11 May 1970 (age 52 years; as of 2022) 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.
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 and Kabir Bedi. Her mother Protima was an Indian model and a renowned Odissi dancer and her father Kabir is a famous Indian actor. She also had a younger brother named Siddharth Bedi who died on 19 July 1997.
Pooja Bedi with her father and brother
Husband & Children
Pooja Bedi met Farhan Ebrahim in 1990. They both dated each other 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 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 Alaya F
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.’
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 with whom her relationship was a secret. When Pooja was in a relationship with Aditya, he was 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 was 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.’
Pooja Bedi and Aditya Pancholi at a function in 2010
Second, she dated Farhan Furniturewala for three and half years and got married on 6 May 1994. Her third boyfriend was Hanif Hilal. They both met while shooting for Nach Baliye and Hanif was assigned as Pooja’s dance choreographer. They both danced together on Nach Baliye 3 and eventually fell in love.
Pooja Bedi with boyfriend Hanif Hilal
However, they dated for a few years and finally got separated in 2008. The fourth man she dated was Dwiti who was from Bhubaneswar, 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. 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 him as a co-participant in Big Boss 5. Their relationship continued even after the show and Saigal got inked with Pooja’s name on his bicep. However, their relationship still ended in 2013 and he is still a good friend of Pooja. In fact, he was a party guest at Pooja’s 47th birthday and flaunted her name tattoo in pictures.
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.
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.
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 in which she was in a supporting role and was also nominated as the best-supporting actress in Filmfare awards in 1993.
Pooja Bedi in a still from Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar
Her third release was Lootere with Sunny Deol and Juhi Chawla playing the lead and Pooja Bedi playing one of the supporting roles. 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 is also remembered for shooting a bold commercial for the KamaSutra condom in which she raised awareness about AIDS. In her later years, she began working as a columnist for various media houses and currently runs a column for The Times of India.
TV
She made her debut in the TV show with Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa in 2006 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
Favourites
- Food: Steamed ginger fish and mutton ghee roast grilled garlic prawns.
Facts/Trivia
- She studied at a boarding school in Himachal Pradesh.