Kabir Bedi on his re-emergence on TV
Photo: Kabir Bedi | The Free Press Journal
September 8—
The veteran actor will be seen on Indian television in ‘Buddha’ after a really long time
Buddha will feature veteran actor Kabir Bedi, who will be seen on Indian television after a really long time. He plays Asit Muni who will introduce the show. Based on historical facts and telling the story of prince Siddharth and his transition from a royal to Buddha, the show plans to portray the teachings of the great man.
“Definitely, I would like to see the serial ‘Buddha’ rank the highest at par with other fictional shows. My show ‘Vandemataram’ has also garnered the highest TRP. However, I have been successful on television more than films,” says the actor about his high expectations from his latest project.
Further adding about his character of Asit Muni, he says, “Mine is a pivotal role. While the king and Buddha’s father wants his son to be a successful warrior, but I predict him to be the most successful man world-wide, giving away his beneficial teachings for the betterment of the human race. Finally, even the folks in Kapilvastu find Buddha to be a man worthy of bringing in revolutionary changes.”
On conflicts in the life of Lord Buddha, Kabir states, “Undoubtedly, the life of Buddha right from his birth brings in the conflict in the mind of his father and Asit Muni. His life comprises of conflicts. In order to make this serial a hit, I presume we need to showcase his journey meticulously.”
On the issue of caste-based differentiation, Kabir feels, “Everything changes with the change of the society. Time does not recognise the earlier changes. With action and reaction over the cause and effect, new rules and regulations come to the fore. Just to refresh your memories, Dr. B R Amedkar had brought in Buddhism. Almost more than 25 million people were asked to turn bhikshus and follow the teachings of Lord Budhha. Now how many literally adopted and agreed upon Buddha’s belief is a matter to note through proper information,” he says and adds, “We are in the information age. Buddhism did not flourish much in India but worldwide, it has become very popular. Now with the serial ‘Buddha’, I feel many of our folks can at least learn his teachings. Taking on a religion depends on the individual’s choice finally.”
The influence of Buddhism on Kabir is many folds and he shares, “Yes, my mom has been a Buddhist nun. I have followed Buddhism to the extent that I shaved my head and beard and also mediated for almost 6 hours. I would sit with my bowl next to the Buddhist monastery to earn my bread and butter.” Sharing his Buddhist beliefs, he states, “Nirvana according to Buddha is the end of the cycle of sufferings of life, which we get due to cause and effect. Action and reactions of our ‘karmas’. Followers of Buddhism felt that following the eight-fold path of Lord Buddha, it would lead to an end of all the miseries. Everything depends on one’s belief.”
When asked about renouncing the world like Buddha did? He smiles and answers, “I will choose the middle path, which Lord Buddha had preached.”
The serial, produced by Dr B K Modi, shows the memorable experiences and teachings from the life of Buddha.
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