Not just the lead stars, many actors in Bollywood have also received a lot of love for their villainous roles. Let’s take a look at the journey of an actor who left the Indian Air Force and saw many heights in his illustrious career.
We are talking about Gopal Singh Bedi aka Ranjit Bedi. His brilliant acting in many films from the 70s and 80s till now has left an indelible mark in the hearts of the audience. Before joining the industry, he studied in the science stream and graduated from Hindu College, Delhi.
He was very fond of sports and represented his college team as the football team’s goalkeeper, which also earned him the title of Goli (wrong version of goalkeeper). In an earlier conversation with Film Companion, the veteran actor shared that his mentor felt he was “hitting a line” on his daughter.
This led to a dispute between him and his mentor. Thus, he left the IAF and returned to his carefree life. Later, Ranjeet was introduced to Bollywood by a friend’s father, Ranvir Singh, who belonged to the royal family of Kota and had worked with people from the British film industry. When Singh offered him his first film, Zindagi Ki Raahein (which got shelved), he lied to his family and came to Mumbai as working in films was considered taboo at that time.
After taking several interesting turns in his journey, the actor got his first role in Sawan Bhado, released in 1970. He then went on to play roles in films like Sharmilee, Reshma Aur Shera, Border, Bulandi and many more. Over the years, the actor has worked in over 200 films.
Speaking to the publication, the veteran actor revealed that he was one of the busiest actors of the seventies. “At one point I had 80 films on the floor,” he told the publication. This was the time when he and Rajesh Khanna, Randhir Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan and many others would spend time together.
Still, his love for acting is unstoppable, and he continues to work in films on his own terms. Before his next release with Akshay Kumar’s Housefull 5 in 2025; he has only done Hindi films in the last ten years – Welcome Back (2015) and Housefull 4 (2019).
Apart from this, the actor is also quite active on his social media handles.
Which of Ranjit’s creations do you like the most, do let us know in the comment section. Stay tuned to Pinkvilla for more updates.
Also read: Meet the actor who started his career as a copywriter, worked with Priyanka Chopra, Kareena Kapoor and is also the President of the Indian Rugby Football Union
