Pooja Bedi (born 11 May 1970) is an Indian actress, television talk show host and newspaper columnist. She is the daughter of Indian actors Kabir Bedi and Protima Bedi. She appeared in the reality television shows '' Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa'', '' Nach Baliye'', '' Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi'' and ''

Bigg Boss ''Bigg Boss'' is an Indian reality show franchise based on the Dutch reality show '' Big Brother''. It is produced by Endemol Shine India through JioStar Network. Subsequently, the various versions of the show are made internationally availabl ...

''.

Early life

Pooja Bedi was born 11th May 1970 in

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

(present-day Mumbai) to the late Indian classical dancer Protima and actor Kabir Bedi. She is of Punjabi and British ancestry on her father's side and Bengali and Haryanvi ancestry on her mother's side. She was brought up in what she calls a "bohemian progressive artistic environment".

Career

Career beginnings (1991–2006)

From 1991 to 1995, Bedi worked in Bollywood films and appeared in many commercials and campaigns, notably the KamaSutra condom campaign which she endorsed and used as a vehicle to raise awareness of

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

. She made her film debut with

Jag Mundhra Jagmohan "Jag" Mundhra (29 October 1948 – 4 September 2011) was an Indian director, producer, and screenwriter, best known for his early career as an American exploitation film writer-director. Family and early life Mundhra was born at Nagpu ...

's film ''Vishkanya'' (1991). She went on to act in '' Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander'' (1992) with

Aamir Khan Mohammed Aamir Hussain Khan (; born 14 March 1965) is an Indian actor, filmmaker, and television personality who works in Bollywood, Hindi films. Referred to as "Mr. Perfectionist" in the media, he is known for his work in a variety of film g ...

.Her other films include '' Lootere'' (1993) and '' Aatank Hi Aatank'' (1995).

Debut in reality shows and beyond (2006–2020)

In 2000, she compiled and edited ''Timepass'', the memoirs of her mother Protima Bedi. She has been a columnist with the ''

Times of India ''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...

'', the ''

Hindustan Times ''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English language, English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media Limited, an entity controlled by the Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia, the daughter o ...

'', and ''

MiD DAY ''Mid-Day'' (stylised as mid-day) is a morning daily Indian Compact (newspaper), compact newspaper. Editions in various languages including Gujarati and English have been published out of Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Pune so far. In 2011, the ...

'' newspapers, and has written articles for numerous publications, including ''L'officiel'', ''Femina'' and ''The Week''. In 2006, Bedi appeared in '' Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa'' in its first season followed by '' Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi''. In 2007, Bedi along with Hanif Hilal appeared in '' Nach Baliye''. In 2011, Bedi was a celebrity contestant in the fifth season of the Indian version of the

reality TV Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 199 ...

show '' Big Brother'', ''

''. She was evicted after surviving for 8 weeks in the house, which was Day 56 (27 November).

Personal life

Bedi married Farhan Furniturewala a Gujarati, whom she met in 1990. They were married 6 May 1994 and Bedi converted to Islam upon marriage taking up the name Noorjahan. They have two children, including Alaya Furniturewala. Bedi and Farhan divorced in 2003. In February 2019, Bedi became engaged to Maneck Contractor.

Filmography

Television

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bedi, Pooja Indian film actresses 1970 births Indian women television presenters Indian television presenters Living people Female models from Mumbai Indian television actresses Actresses in Hindi cinema Lawrence School, Sanawar alumni Contestants on Indian game shows Participants in Indian reality television series Bengali actresses Converts to Islam from Sikhism 21st-century Indian Muslims Actresses from Punjab, India Indian people of English descent