Chinar Book Festival: Rakesh Bedi urges youth to stay away from drugs
Srinagar: Veteran actor Rakesh Bedi urged the youth to stay away from narcotics during a session at the Chinar Book Festival here on Wednesday where he also expressed a desire to return to the Valley to conduct theatre workshops with local artists.
Sharing a childhood memory during the special session, titled ‘Drama, Dhamaal and Dialogue’, the “Dhurandhar” star recounted what drew him to theatre and subsequently to movies.
Bedi said he became interested in acting when as a kid he saw ordinary people transforming into revered characters on stage during a Ramlila performance.
“It felt absolutely magical to me. And it was this magic that inspired me to enter the world of acting,” Bedi said.
Responding to a question from a Kashmiri theatre artist, he expressed his wish to return to the Valley and conduct theatre workshops with local artists.
He remarked that while textbooks build careers, literature shapes one’s personality.
Urging the youth to shun drugs, he called upon them to collectively reiterate the Chinar Book Festival’s campaign slogan: “No to drugs, yes to books.”
Bedi said young people should identify their interests early on and not limit themselves to traditional career options.
He noted that many new fields today offer immense possibilities for the youth as compared to the past.
Bedi also entertained the audience by reciting the popular dialogue “Bachcha hai tu mera” from Aditya Dhar’s two-part spy saga “Dhurandhar”, in which he essayed the role of cunning politician Jameel Jamali.
