“Parveen Babi ate only eggs fearing FBI in her final days”, When Pooja Bedi realised something was wrong after meeting the veteran actress

“Parveen Babi ate only eggs fearing FBI in her final days”, When Pooja Bedi realised something was wrong after meeting the veteran actress

• Pooja Bedi recalls Parveen Babi's mental health struggles in her final years
• Parveen Babi thought secret agencies tampered with her food and makeup.
• Parveen Babi died alone in Mumbai in 2005 after years of battling schizophrenia

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On the death anniversary of Parveen Babi, a deeply unsettling memory from her final years has resurfaced, offering a stark glimpse into the inner turmoil that marked the later phase of her life. Once among the highest-paid and most glamorous stars of Hindi cinema in the 1970s and 80s, Parveen’s life eventually became overshadowed by mental health struggles that isolated her from the world she once ruled.

This haunting recollection comes from Pooja Bedi, daughter of actor Kabir Bedi, whom Parveen had briefly dated. Speaking to Siddharth Kannan, Pooja opened up about a visit that left her shaken and worried about the actress she had once known as confident and vibrant.

Parveen Babi in her final years

Pooja recalled meeting Parveen after she had returned to India following years abroad. “I remember that many years later, she had come back to India. Everyone was saying that something was wrong with her. I went to her home; she opened the door and looked so different. She had put on a lot of weight and had wild hair. She was so excited to see me and said, ‘Pooja! Hi! Come in.’ Then she gave me a big hug, and we were sitting and chatting, and everything was completely normal,” she said.

The mood shifted when food came up. “Suddenly, she said, ‘I’m sorry that I can’t offer you food because I only eat eggs.’ I asked her why, and she replied, ‘This is the one thing they can’t tamper with.’ I asked, ‘Who?’ She said, ‘The Secret Service or the FBI,’” Pooja shared. Parveen went on to explain that she avoided buying makeup from stores as well, believing it was being contaminated. “She said, ‘They know everything.’ I immediately realized that something was seriously wrong. I got really concerned and confused at that point,” Pooja added.

Also Read: Parveen Babi sent gifts to her doctor in Junagadh weeks before her mysterious death, reveals college friend

Parveen Babi’s journey had once been the very definition of stardom. She began modelling in 1972 and made her film debut opposite cricketer Salim Durrani in Charitra. Though the film failed, her presence was impossible to ignore. Massive success followed with Deewar, where she starred opposite Amitabh Bachchan, redefining the image of the Hindi film heroine with her modern, fearless screen persona.

Her iconic song “Jawaani Janeman” from Namak Halal cemented her status as a cultural phenomenon. Yet at the height of fame, Parveen abruptly stepped away from films. Diagnosed later with paranoid schizophrenia, she chose a reclusive life, cut off from most of her peers.

Parveen Babi passed away alone in her Mumbai apartment on January 20, 2005. Her death was discovered a day later. Years on, stories like Pooja Bedi’s continue to echo as quiet reminders that behind the dazzle of stardom lived a woman battling fears no spotlight could dispel.