Straight Answers

kabir bedi actor on his forthcomingprojects: after a long sabbatical, you return as shah jahan in akbar khan''s tajmahal. how does it feel to play one of the greatest characters in history?having played othello and tughlaq earlier, i don''t think i am new to the genreof historicals. i have a dramatic intensity which allows me to portraycharacters from history rather well. do historical roles hold a special appealfor you? they do because a historical character is intense and deep-rooted. andeven though it is often larger-than-life, the trick lies in humanising it, inshowing its weaknesses.... that''s what makes the audience identify with thecharacter. why did you give yourself such a long break from films? when you workvery hard, after a certain point of time, boredom invariably sets in. however, idid do a few projects for tv — bold and beautiful. i also worked for nbcand hallmark. what also kept me away from films was the time i took in dealingwith the tragedy of my son''s death. what are your forthcoming projects? i amawaiting the release of my film with the bbc called anita and me in may. i havealso floated a production company — mango movies — and want to makegood films in bollywood. tell us about your penchant for language and learningnew words. i am always delighted to find words i haven''t heard of before. i liketo look up their meaning and make them part of my vocabulary. the love oflanguage is turning me into a wannabe writer. i am in the process of scribblinga memoir... though it''s not exactly an autobiography. how would you describeyour life in showbiz? i am contrary by nature, a rebel at heart. i have alwaysresisted being stereotyped. i did hema malini''s nupur for doordarshan at a timewhen it was considered a medium not to be reckoned with by established actors.whatever i may have done — theatre, good films, bad roles, brilliantcinema — my quest has always been to push new frontiers. so, i would sayi''ve had a fascinating life.