Parveen Babi ate only eggs, believed her makeup was 'contaminated', reveals Pooja Bedi

Although she enjoyed unprecedented success as a leading lady in Bollywood, Parveen Babi’s personal life was tumultuous due to her battling several mental health issues. For a while, Parveen was in a relationship with actor Kabir Bedi. In a chat with Siddharth Kannan, Bedi’s daughter Pooja reminisced about her interaction with the ‘Deewaar’ star.

Pooja stated that she met Parveen several times as a child. “We used to go to her home. She was very lovely and warm,” she recalled.

She then went on to reveal how they met again, several years after Parveen had parted ways with Kabir. “I went to her home; she opened her door, and she looked so different. She had put on a lot of weight, and she had wild hair,” she revealed.

Pooja recalled she seemed normal until she revealed that she ate only eggs. When Pooja inquired why, the ‘Amar Akbar Anthony’ actress claimed that someone was trying to tamper with her food and trying to harm her. When Pooja asked who she suspected, the actress said, “The Secret Service, or the FBI.”

Parveen then went on to claim how her secret enemies were “contaminating” her makeup, so she stopped buying it from the supermarket.

“I immediately thought that there was something seriously wrong that was going on around there. I got really concerned and confused at that point in time. It was so sad.” Pooja admitted.

Kabir Bedi has often reflected on his relationship with Parveen Babi, sharing how deeply troubled she was by the thought of anyone discovering her mental health struggles. In his conversation with Filmfare, Bedi revealed that Parveen was firmly resistant to the idea of seeking professional help, no matter how much he urged her to do so. He constantly tried to persuade her to get treatment, but she remained adamant and unwilling to accept assistance.

Bedi recalled that he had encouraged Parveen to consult specialists in London, believing that being treated by the best doctors there—and being physically distant from the pressures of the film industry in India—would help her heal. Despite his concern and persistence, Parveen refused to listen. She grew increasingly uncomfortable with what she perceived as his insistence and pressure. Ironically, around the same time, her film Amar Akbar Anthony had become a massive success back home, intensifying both her fame and the emotional strain that came with it.

The actor also addressed how, following their breakup, many people portrayed him as the antagonist in their relationship. Bedi shared that he chose not to defend himself publicly, even when faced with harsh criticism. Explaining his silence, he said that offering any clarification would have required him to reveal painful details about Parveen’s fragile state and the personal turmoil she was enduring. Instead of exposing her vulnerabilities to the world, he decided to endure the judgment quietly.

On January 20, 2005, Parveen Babi passed away at the age of 50 in her Mumbai apartment. The post-mortem report revealed that her death was caused by complications arising from organ failure and diabetes.