Before Priyanka Chopra and even Irrfan Khan happened to Hollywood, Kabir Bedi had already conquered the same and moved on to become of the biggest Indian superstar in Europe. His Italian-German-French TV show Sandokan made him a star and even had a sequel on popular demand. His role in Octupussy was all things evil and yet nobody has looked that good as a bad man before. Light eyes, set jawline and those youthful features made Kabir Bedi the man of everyone's dreams. Kabir Bedi Birthday Special: The Bold And The Beautiful, Octopussy, Sandokan - 9 European Films And Shows The Actor Has Been Part Of.

But often people talk about Bedi in the context of his tumultuous with Parveen Babi. But the actor is more than just that. Hence, we decided tell you a few things about the man you may have missed or sadly, ignored.

Bedi the Knight!

Kabir Bedi was knighted by the President of the Italian Republic in June 2010. Sandokan, the saga of a freedom fighting Asian pirate during British colonial period who falls for an English girl, made him popular in the country and hence the reward.

Voting for Oscars sine 1982

In a column for Hindustan Times, Bedi reveals that he has been the voting member of Academy Of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1982. He was nominated by nominated by Peter Ustinov and Roddy McDowell, with whom had worked in The Thief of Baghdad (1978).

Bedi The Journalist

Not many are aware but Bedi started his career with AIR. Speaking to Outlook, he said, "I was freelancing with All India Radio (AIR). The thing is, I had very idealistic parents, who fought for the Independence of the country, who worked for refugees. But they did not have any money. So I had to literally work my way through college. I used to study during the day and would read English news on the external services of AIR at night."

Interview With Beatles

In the same interview, Bedi reveals how he managed to interview the famous English boy band when they were in town. He did use his AIR badge to the fullest for the same. "I pressured the Beatles’ manager by saying that the interview was demanded by the Indian government, which was technically correct. (Laughs). And he basically let me do it because he didn't want to have an embarrassing situation with the Indian government," Bedi shared.  Khoon Bhari Maang: Kabir Bedi Calls the Rekha Film His Biggest Hit .

Sandokan's poet

Kabir Bedi recited romantic poetry for an album titled "Im On My Way To Your Heart" in 1977. The album was aligned with his hit European show Sanodkan

Kabir Bedi has brought lot of laurels to India even before Hollywood or European entertainment industries took interest in our country.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 16, 2022 08:40 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).