When Kabir Bedi's ex-wife Protima performed Odissi dance for James Bond crew in Udaipur
Actor Kabir Bedi, who is set to release an autobiography in which he has written about his ex-wife Protima, once spoke about how she performed an Odissi dance for the crew of the James Bond film Octopussy, in which he played the villain.
Actor Kabir Bedi, who has been in the news this week for sharing personal stories in the run-up to the release of his autobiography, enjoys popularity outside India as well. He played the villainous Gobina in the 1983 James Bond film Octopussy.
Parts of the film were shot in Udaipur, and in a 2017 interview, the actor had spoken about his fondest memory from the experience.
He had told Cinestaan, "Shooting the film in Udaipur around the Lake Palace was special because it got a lot of India’s beautiful architectural history. I remember my ex-wife Protima Gupta came and did the Odissi dance for the troupe. It was just a wonderful time to be in a Bond film to be shot in India."
He admitted in another interview that he was a fan of actor Sean Connery's interpretation of the iconic British spy, but he admired Roger Moore for bringing a levity to the film series.
He had told Mint after Moore's death in 2017, "Now, I am a fan of Sean Connery. I have grown up watching those movies and he remains the definitive Bond for me. But what Roger brought was a wry sense of humour and a lightness to the role, a tradition which was carried forward by Pierce Brosnan. We didn’t see the more muscular Bond making a comeback until Daniel Craig. Roger would introduce unexpected humour into scenes, because he would joke about practically everything."
Kabir and Protima got divorced in 1977. They had a daughter together, actor Pooja Bedi. In recent interviews, he has spoken about his 'open marriage' with her, and how it was a source of great stress for him.
