From acting in 40-50 films, delivering some iconic performances, to witnessing the lowest of the low phase in life. Rajat Bedi made his comeback with Ba***ds of Bollywood as Jaraj Saxena. The actor exclusively detailed his rough phase and shared everything he went through when he decided to leave the country and the industry in 2007. Rajat`s phase gives an insight into an actor`s life whose fate is decided on every Friday with the movie release. If the film turns out to be a hit, the journey would have a smooth ride, but if it flops, the hurdles would keep getting bigger.
Rajat Bedi had decided to leave the Industry after hitting rock bottom; however, it wasn`t that easy to start afresh for him, “I was going through a very challenging time. I mean, every actor has his own journey and acting is a very, I think, one of the most difficult professions because you see the high, then suddenly you see a very solid dip. It`s not that your track only goes up like that. And all big stars have also gone through it. Every big star, even if they are running in the number one position, they are worried about what will happen to their next film. So, my journey has been different. I was very immature, I would say. I didn`t know what was right, what was wrong. And some people would manipulate me into doing certain jobs and things for their selfish interest, which I could not make out or whatever it was. But you would work with your heart for every product, everything you are working for, but I would not get my due.”
Rajat Bedi details on financial tension and mental health issues
Rajat recalls how for every actor, their fate depends on the film`s release and how that would back them financially, “I have been a part of a lot of hit films. But never did I get my due; others would take the dues, celebrate the success and all. And I would just be, okay, carry on to the next project. And somewhere that was very disheartening. And then obviously, financially, I was not seeing a future because I would not get paid as much as I wanted. There would be a contractual obligation by a producer. They would not pay on time, and by the end, the producer would be losing money. So, he would say, Please leave your money. I was here, I was getting name and recognition. But financially, it was going nowhere because I wasn`t making any big money. “
The rough patch even affected his physical and mental health. Rajat recalls having nervous breakdowns due to pressure and how he would take pills to sleep, “At one point, I was completely done; I was having nervous breakdowns. I was on tablets. I was taking rest pills to sleep at night. I was not getting sleep because I was constantly thinking of how the house would run. What will this be? What will that be? How will it be? I couldn`t see the future ahead. Everything was dependent upon the film`s release, and after a point, even my wife couldn`t handle it, and she suggested that we must get out of here. “
When Rajat Bedi decided to leave India and Bollywood
With no hopes left in the Industry, Rajat decided to move to Canada. That wasn`t an easy decision for him, he recalls breaking down before boarding the flight, “A friend of mine had shifted to Canada, and he kept pushing me to shift there. He kept telling me that I should shift with him and we would start something together. So when I hit the rough phase, I decided to move. As soon as my daughter was born, in mid-2007, she was six months old, and we left. The day I had to leave for Canada. The day we had to catch our flight. I broke down. It was crazy. I broke down, and how? I didn`t know where I was going. I had no family, friends overseas. It was all left in God`s hands. If I hadn`t left, I would have died under the constant pressure. So we left it all to god and took that risk. “
Rajat recalls it wasn`t that bad for him to settle in Canada, though he had a share of good and bad days there too, “Somewhere, those 16 years came as a blessing to me. People would recognise me, especially the Indian Community. I did 40-50 films with iconic stalwarts of the Industry and some superhit films. That way, I had a lot of comfort; people were ready to help me get established there. But a lot of people had their selfish motives also over there to use me for their benefit. I would say a lot of people have used me and abused me over there in Vancouver, Canada.”
