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Protima Bedi Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated October 1, 2026 • 4 min read

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Quick Info

Date of birth12 October 1948

Age49 Years (at time of death)

BirthplaceNew Delhi, India

Professionactor, dancer, and model

NationalityIndian

Marital statusDivorced

SpouseKabir Bedi (m.1969; div.1977)

FamilyChildren: Siddharth Bedi (son, died 1997), Pooja Bedi (daughter)

Protima Bedi Biography

Protima Bedi was an Indian model-turned-dancer who founded the gurukul-style dance village Nrityagram and became a noted exponent and promoter of Odissi. A

Early life and background

Protima Bedi was born Protima Gupta on 12 October 1948 in New Delhi, India. Raised in a family headed by her father Laxmichand Gupta and her mother Reba, she spent part of her childhood in Karnal, Haryana, and attended Kimmins High School in Panchgani before going on to St. Xavier’s College in Mumbai. She stood about 1.68 m tall with black hair and black eyes.

As a young woman she began her public life as a model. Her early modelling success brought both attention and conflict at home; an episode involving an advertisement in a national newspaper reportedly led to a sharp break with her father and prompted her relocation to Mumbai.

Career

Protima first made her mark in modelling and then moved into acting and dance. Her on-screen debut came in the Hindi film Gaman (1978) in a small role. She later appeared in the 1992 international film Miss Beatty’s Children, portraying the character Kamla Devi; this was her last film role.

A turning point in her life came after an encounter with the leading Odissi guru Kelucharan Mahapatra. Deeply affected by his teaching, Protima turned away from her earlier life in the city and embraced a new identity as a dancer, adopting the name Protima Gauri. She trained seriously in Odissi and became committed to teaching and preserving Indian classical dance.

Protima founded several initiatives to foster dance. She began a dance school at Prithvi Theatre in Juhu, Mumbai, and in 1990 established Nrityagram near Bengaluru as a residential dance village based on the traditional gurukul system, where students and teachers lived and learned together. Nrityagram was inaugurated by then-Prime Minister V. P. Singh. She also started an annual dance-music festival called Vasanthabba in 1994 that brought performers together from across the country.

Beyond dance education, Protima is credited with founding Hideout, known as Mumbai’s first disco, reflecting the breadth of her public activities and willingness to move between worlds of performance, nightlife and classical arts.

Personal life and relationships

Protima married actor Kabir Bedi in 1969; the marriage ended in divorce in 1977. The couple had two children: a son, Siddharth Bedi, and a daughter, Pooja Bedi, who became an actress, television host and newspaper columnist. Siddharth later studied at Carnegie Mellon University, where he graduated with honours, and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. He died by suicide in 1997. Following her son’s death, Protima made significant personal changes, including shaving her head and giving up many material possessions.

Throughout her life she had a number of public relationships and acquaintances with notable figures from the arts and public life. At one stage she described herself as having been an atheist, but after studying Odissi under Kelucharan Mahapatra she embraced a more spiritual outlook.

Public profile

Protima was known for her boldness and willingness to defy social convention. In the 1970s she attracted controversy over a widely publicized nude streaking photograph that appeared on a magazine cover; she addressed the episode in her writings and interviews, explaining the broader context of the image.

Her work as a teacher and institution builder—most visibly through Nrityagram—established her reputation as a serious advocate for classical dance. The gurukul-style school she set up became a model for immersive dance education in India and her Vasanthabba festival created a platform for artists to present their work.

Later years and death

In August 1998 Protima embarked on a pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar. On 18 August 1998, while traveling near the Indo-Tibet border in the Malpa area of the Pithoragarh district in Uttarakhand, she died in a landslide. She was 49. Her remains and belongings were recovered from the Malpa village area. After her death, artists and dancers gathered in tribute and continued some of the initiatives she had begun.

Latest updates

Protima’s life and work continued to be remembered through retrospectives, tributes and writings by family members. Her daughter Pooja published an account that reflects on Protima’s choices, beliefs and the way she faced both loss and her own mortality.

Protima left a legacy as a performer, teacher and founder of a distinctive, residential approach to teaching classical dance in India. Her transition from modelling and theatre to a life devoted to Odissi and to building Nrityagram remains a central part of how she is remembered.

Editorial Review and Sources

This F4U profile is written from publicly available career and profile information, then reviewed for clarity before publication. If you spot an outdated detail about Protima Bedi, send the page URL and a reliable correction source to f4udotin@gmail.com.

Reference context: StarsUnfolded

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Recent Work

Miss Beatty’s Children

Played the role of Kamla Devi in the 1992 film; this was her final film appearance.

1992
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Career Highlights

  1. Founder of Nrityagram, a residential dance village in Hesaraghatta near Bengaluru
  2. Established a gurukul-style dance school at Prithvi Theatre, Juhu
  3. Inaugurated Nrityagram in 1990 (inaugurated by Prime Minister V. P. Singh)
  4. Started the Vasanthabba annual dance-music festival in 1994
  5. Appeared in the films Gaman (1978) and Miss Beatty’s Children (1992)
Reviewed by F4U Editorial Desk

F4U profile pages are prepared from public career information, checked for readability, and updated when reliable correction sources are shared with the editorial team.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Protima Bedi born?

Protima Bedi was born on 12 October 1948.

What is Protima Bedi known for?

Protima Bedi is known for actor, dancer, and model.

What is Protima Bedi’s marital status?

Protima Bedi's marital status is listed as Divorced.

Who is Protima Bedi married to?

Protima Bedi is publicly listed as married to Kabir Bedi (m.1969; div.1977).