Monica Bedi

Bedi was born 18 January 1975^[2][3] to Prem Kumar Bedi and Shakuntala Bedi in the village Chabbewal, Hoshiarpur district, Punjab. Her parents moved to Drammen, Norway, in 1979. She studied English Literature and completed her education at the University of Oxford.^[2]

Bedi began her acting career with the 1995 Telugu film Taj Mahal, produced by D. Ramanaidu. She was later cast by Ramanaidu in another Telugu project, Sivayya.^[4] That same year, Bedi made her Bollywood debut, starring opposite Saif Ali Khan in Surakshaa.

Throughout her career, Bedi appeared in numerous Hindi films, working alongside notable actors such as Suniel Shetty, Arjun Rampal, Chiranjeevi, Salman Khan, Sanjay Dutt, Govinda, and Dharmendra. One of her notable films was the comedy Jodi No. 1, directed by David Dhawan. She also ventured into reality television, participating in Bigg Boss season 2, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 3, and Desi Girl. Additionally, she contributed to a spiritual music album released by Universal Music, where she sang the chant "Ek Onkar."^[5][6]

In 2012, Bedi appeared in the Punjabi film Sirphire. From 2013 to 2014, she played the role of Ghuman in the Star Plus series Saraswatichandra, produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali.^[7] In 2014, she portrayed a Punjab deputy superintendent of police in the Punjabi film Romeo Ranjha.^{[citation needed]}

In September 2002, Bedi and Abu Salem, an Indian gangster were arrested and later served prison sentences in Portugal^[8] for entering the country on forged documents.^[9][10] In 2006, an Indian Court convicted Bedi for procuring a passport on a fictitious name.^[11][12] In November 2010, the Supreme Court of India upheld her conviction but reduced the prison sentence to the period that she had already served.^[13][14]