Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai

Mumbai, Apr 20: Veteran actor Rakesh Bedi recently reflected on the hardships of his early film career during an interaction with filmmaker and choreographer Farah Khan, who visited his Mumbai residence for a segment on her YouTube channel.

The conversation turned nostalgic as Farah revisited the early days of the industry, recalling how several newcomers were not compensated fairly in their initial projects. She asked Bedi whether actors today receive proper payment, noting how different the industry once was.

Responding to her question, Bedi acknowledged that the situation was very different in those years, when many aspiring actors worked more for experience than for money.

He revealed that for the film Saath Saath, directed by Raman Kumar and produced by Dilip Dhawan, he did not receive any payment at all. The film starred Deepti Naval and Farooq Sheikh in lead roles. Bedi added that he was not even reimbursed for travel expenses and, at times, actors would carry food from home due to financial constraints.

Farah Khan also shared her own memories from the same era, recalling how she was just 15 years old when Bedi was studying at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII). She reminisced about frequent visits by FTII students to the home of Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani, where gatherings often included free meals and informal interactions among budding artists.

She described those days as a close-knit and informal phase of the industry, where young creatives regularly met, shared experiences, and bonded over food and conversations rather than formal professional setups.

The interaction highlighted how the film industry has evolved over the decades—from informal beginnings marked by financial struggles to a more structured and commercialized system today.