Former Indian Air Force pilot-turned-actor with 80 upcoming films now only featured in 2 Hindi films over the past decade
In Bollywood, not just the lead stars, but several actors have received immense love for their villainous roles. Let’s dive into the journey of an actor who left the Indian Air Force and saw the highest of the highs in his illustrious career.
We’re talking about none other than Gopal Singh Bedi aka Ranjeet Bedi. His iconic performances in several movies since the 70s and 80s have left an indelible mark in the audiences’ hearts. Before entering the industry, he studied in the science stream and graduated from Hindu College in Delhi.
He was quite a sports enthusiast and represented his college team as the football team’s goalkeeper, which also earned himself the title of Goli (misspelled version of Goalie). In an earlier conversation with Film Companion, the veteran actor shared that his mentor thought he was “maaroing line” on his daughter.
This caused an altercation between him and his mentor. Thus, he left IAF and came back to his carefree life. Later, Ranjeet was introduced to Bollywood by a friend’s father, Ranvir Singh, who was connected to the royal family of Kota and had worked with people from the British film industry. When Singh offered him his debut film, Zindagi Ki Raahein (which was shelved), he lied to his family and came to Mumbai as working in films was considered taboo back then.
After interesting twists and turns in his journey, the actor landed his first role in Saawan Bhado which was released in 1970. This was followed by his roles in movies like Sharmeelee, Reshma Aur Shera, Border, Bulandi, and many more. Over the years, the actor is known to have worked in more than 200 films.
While speaking with the publication, the legendary actor went on to reveal that he was one of the busiest actors during the seventies. “I had 80 films on the floor at one point,” he shared with the publication. It was the time he and Rajesh Khanna, Randhir Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, and more would casually spend time together.
Nevertheless, his love for acting is unstoppable, and he continues to work in films on his terms. Prior to his next release in 2025 with Akshay Kumar’s Housefull 5; he did only two Hindi movies in the last ten years-Welcome Back (2015) and Housefull 4 (2019).
In addition to this, the actor remains quite active on his social media handle as well.
Which of Ranjeet’s works is your favorite, do let us know in the comments section. Stay tuned to Pinkvilla for more updates.
ALSO READ:
Meet actor who started his career as a copywriter, worked with Priyanka Chopra, Kareena Kapoor and is also the President of Indian Rugby Football Union