Talktime | Kabir Bedi
He shot to fame after playing Asian prince Sandokan in a six-part Italian TV series. The 69-year-old actor talks to SANGEETA YADAV on the restored and dubbed Hindi version of the show available on DVDs and plans to air it on TV as well
How did life change after SandokanIJ
It made me a star in Europe and opened the doors to the West. My career took a leap from Europe to America, England, Canada and India. When showmakers wanted to cast me in their films, I would be very excited. Director of Sandokan, Sergio Sollima, pushed me to do all the stunts by myself like jumping from the building, sword fighting, horse riding, swimming, etc. I took lessons in all these. Now that I look back, I wonder how I did it.
What kind of bond did you share with SergioIJ
Sergio was like a father to me. He also taught me a lot of things about acting — how to tone down my expressions, since he found my face very expressive. He used to tell me that the camera is like an X-Ray machine to your mind. One has to think about something and it will reflect on the face. When he passed away last year, I went for the funeral in Rome; it was a very emotional moment for me. But I’m glad that his son Stefano Sollima has become one of the biggest TV directors there.
What prompted you to launch Hindi version of SandokanIJ
I was keen to make it available for the new generation. I wanted to show the people how we recreated the sound quality and visuals shot on a film reel and not a video tape. My love and life partner Parveen Dusanj has been the driving force behind the project. It took over three years to bring it alive. From getting the rights of the series to restoring and cleaning the negatives, giving it high quality visuals and sound, all has been taken care of. It is now available on DVD. Soon people can watch it online through live stream at Hungama.com.
Was it difficult to dub the series in HindiIJ
It was a painstaking process. Firstly, it was very long and we had to make it concise. Second, how to fit the concised version with lip-syncingIJ It takes a lot of time to find the right balance of words, lip-sync and sound meaningful at the same time.
Will we get to see the series on TV as wellIJ
Normally people go to TV first to showcase the series and then make the DVDs. I’ve done the reverse because I wanted to keep all the creative elements in my control and make sure that it’s done in the highest quality possible. Now I’ll approach various TV channels to broadcast it as well.
The series was earlier aired on Doordarshan (DD) in the 1980s but couldn’t grab eyeballs. Why did the series, which was so popular in Europe, not do well in IndiaIJ
When I went to DD to air the series, unfortunately, they didn’t have money to buy the show. So I acquired the rights for India and gave it to them for free. Something that comes for free loses importance. The show was put up on 10 pm time slot but despite this odd time, a lot of people who watched the show loved it and remember it.
What was the biggest challengeIJ
Since the series is co-produced among Italy, France and Germany, there were people of many nationalities and we would not understand each other’s language. To act in such a situation posed a big challenge.
What do you have to say about the present day actorsIJ
Today’s generation is extremely bright, talented and highly skilled. Today, an actor has to be an all rounder — he should know singing, dancing, acting, perform stunts and much more.