Pooja Bedi recalls her late mother Protima Bedi’s death before 50: ‘Her body was never found’

Pooja Bedi, daughter of veteran Bollywood actor Kabir Bedi, recently opened up about her late mother, Protima Bedi, recalling the tragic circumstances of her death. In an interview with Screen, Pooja revealed that Protima’s body was never found after she was swept away in a landslide in Uttarakhand, which took place in 1998, before she turned 50. 

For the unversed, Pooja Bedi’s mother, Protima Bedi, was an actress and Odissi dancer. She appeared in several movies like ‘Gaman’, ‘Adha Sach Adha Jhoot’ and ‘Miss Beatty’s Children’. She was born on October 12, 1948, and died in 1998, at the age of 49. 

Pooja Bedi’s memories of her childhood with Protima

When asked about the earliest memories of her mother, Pooja shared, “Teaching me ABCs on the sands of Juhu beach, being somebody who hugged and kissed us constantly, a free spirit, somebody who laughed a lot. I’ve got thousands of memories in my head about mama.”

Pooja Bedi is best known for her work in films like ‘Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar’, ‘Lootere’, ‘Aatank Hi Aatank’, ‘Vishkanya’, and others. In the interview, she remembered her mother, Protima Bedi’s life and expressed the regret that she passed away at a young age. 

Pooja Bedi recalls her mother Protima Bedi’s life

She added, “There are so many regrets about her leaving the planet before she even turned 50. There is so much that I wish I had done with her. But she was a woman who lived life on her terms. She lived the way she wanted, and she literally died the way she wanted. She always said she wanted to die out in nature and, you know, be one with nature.”

Pooja also revealed that her mother didn’t want to be pushed into a crematorium with a mock ceremony of her ashes. She said, “At the end of this beautiful, glorious life, she didn’t want to be pushed into some crematorium with a mock ceremony of her ashes being put in the Ganga. She wanted to die out in nature; that was going to be a grand finale. And that’s exactly the way it panned out. Her body was never found. You know, it was one with the universe, one with the earth. She was just this incredible energy.”