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POOJA BEDI Tells SURABHI RAWAT That Just Like On Their Hit Show ‘Eff N Bedi’ On Youtube, She Shares A Lovely Mother-Daughter Bond With Her Daughter Aalia, With Just A Hint Of Role Reversal!
l What made you take up the show ‘Eff N Bedi’?
Firstly, I think I have always travelled across various mediums be it theatre or TV, so going into the digital space was something that was natural and which I haven’t experience before. But it was unplanned by me. It was very exciting for me to be a part of something which is so new age and growing at such a tremendous pace. The accessibility that you have to the world, what you can put out there; you are not limited by geography in so many ways. Having said that, the company that is Qyuki, is basically run by Samir Bangara, Shekhar Kapur and AR Rahman.
So when at first I was approached for the show by them, it was something that would excite me. My cousin also works for the show which brings a level of comfort and familiarity because there is so much I have shared which is personal in nature. And Aalia too had to be comfortable with it because this is a very new space for her. She is just 17 whereas I have the experience of facing the camera for the last decade. To openly share your thoughts is quite challenging. So full marks to her that she has actually come on board and come up with such a wonderful spirit! I think it is very evident in the video that I really nurture my inner child and Aalia really, really nurtures her inner adult (Laughs).
l Being a single parent, the challenges for you must be different…
It’s very, very challenging and demanding I have to say, because there is so much that comes upon you. Financially there are so many challenges because you want to give them the best of everything which means you will then have to juggle between quality of time and quantity of time you spend with your kids. And at the end of the day you realise that quality of time is something which as a parent you can’t do without; it’s actually a very valuable piece of time. It matters a lot as a parent because you get to know your child better and what’s going out on their minds.
Working has been very challenging, but I have been lucky in the sense that I have been in a profession where I can involve my kids. If I am at the sets then I can take my kids with me. Also I don’t have a fixed 9-to-5 job so I can choose to work for three months and then take my kids out on a fantastic vacation and introduce them to different theatre, cuisine, culture!
l There’s a saying ‘a child gives birth to a mother’. Do you agree with it?
Well, I think in many cases there are people who don’t understand what it is to be a mother. My mother was a very, very full on, passionate hands-on mother; she was full of heart. She was full of giving and sharing, and so I grew up in a very nurturing environment. In my case, I always wanted to have kids. The moment I grew up I was in search of a life partner who would be a great father, a great companion, etc. I always wanted to have children and I was most delighted to have them. It gave me an opportunity to give all the nurturing that I had inside and be a benefactor, give it forward, release those amazing emotions that were already inside. There are so many people I see who don’t have the capacity to be a parent but actually are one. I would say being a mother is the most unconditional love. I had both my children naturally and I didn’t go for any form of pain relief, or medication. I wanted to experience it naturally. And after many hours of pain with no pain relief, Aalia was born in America. She pops out and this child is put on my chest… it’s an indescribable emotion! There is a little person, completely naked, against your chest and looks up at you, those little eyes – you don’t know whether they can focus – open… it is the most IN-CRE-DI-BLE feeling in the W-O-R-L-D and nothing can match up to that.
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