“Veteran actor reflects on his late son’s battle with schizophrenia and the emotional toll it took on their family.”
December 19, 2024: Veteran actor Kabir Bedi has recently opened up about the devastating loss of his son Siddharth, who died by suicide in 1997 after battling schizophrenia. Speaking in an interview while promoting his autobiography, Stories I Must Tell: The Emotional Life of an Actor, Bedi shared the guilt and pain he continues to carry from the tragedy.
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The 74-year-old actor’s autobiography, written during the pandemic, dives into some of the most personal and controversial chapters of his life, including his relationship with the late actress Parveen Babi and the heartbreak of losing Siddharth.
A Father’s Grief
“Siddharth was a brilliant young man,” Bedi shared, reflecting on his late son. “He was exceptional in his abilities, and then, one day, he couldn’t think. We spent three years battling these unknown ghosts, trying to figure out what was wrong.”
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Siddharth’s schizophrenia diagnosis came after a violent incident on the streets of Montreal. “It took eight policemen to restrain him. That’s when doctors in Montreal finally diagnosed him with schizophrenia,” Bedi explained. Despite their tireless efforts to support him, Siddharth’s battle ended in tragedy. “We tried everything, but he lost, and Siddharth chose to go. The guilt is enormous,” Bedi admitted.
In his book, Bedi captures the heart-wrenching experience of families dealing with mental illness. “The person you see isn’t the person you knew,” he wrote, describing the emotional toll of watching his son’s transformation.
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Sister Pooja Bedi Remembers Siddharth
Kabir’s daughter, actress Pooja Bedi, has also expressed her pain over Siddharth’s passing. In a heartfelt blog post, she wrote: “I miss my brother Siddharth deeply. We were inseparable as kids—same school, same friends, same room. He was sensitive, caring, and incredibly bright, graduating with honors from Carnegie Mellon University. His diagnosis with schizophrenia and his suicide in 1997 changed my life forever.”
Pooja further shared how the loss of her brother, followed by their mother Protima Bedi’s death in 1998, created an irreplaceable void in her life.
A Message on Mental Health
By sharing his family’s struggles, Kabir Bedi hopes to shed light on the challenges of dealing with mental illness within a family and the lingering guilt that comes with loss. His story is a poignant reminder of the need for greater understanding, support, and compassion for those affected by mental health conditions.
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Kabir Bedi son suicide, Siddharth Bedi schizophrenia, mental health awareness, Stories I Must Tell book, Pooja Bedi brother tribute, family struggles with mental illness, Bollywood memoirs, grief and guilt,
