Parveen Babi's 'mental problems' could have begun in childhood, says Kabir Bedi: 'She used to see spirits'

Actor Kabir Bedi has spoken about his 'very intense relationship' with late actor Parveen Babi, whose life was marred by mental illness. Kabir is about to release his autobiography, Stories I Must Tell: The Emotional Journey of an Actor.

In a new interview, he said that Parveen was 'capable of great love', but had 'her problems which caused great traumas. "The love that I felt for her was extraordinary and intense," he said, adding that seeing her suffer, 'because of her mental problems', was 'emotionally exhausting'.

He told Bollywood Hungama, "Her problems could have begun in childhood, because she used to see spirits in the monuments around her house, that were related to her family's history -- the Babi-Pashtun clan had served emperor Humayun at one point. There was an incident where Parveen had one of her disturbing episodes, her mother said to Mahesh Bhatt, 'Her father used to be like that', so my question was 'Could it be genetics that created that situation'?"

Parveen left India in the early 1980s, and returned a few years later. Kabir said that what 'hurt' him the most was that when she returned, 'terrible things were written about (him)', that he had 'shattered her emotionally', because of which she went 'crazy'.

Ultimately, he said, "Parveen needed help and compassion." There were times, especially when his career was taking off, that he wished he didn't have to deal with these problems, but, he said, "I chose to be there, and I wanted to be there."

Also read: Kabir Bedi reveals how he ended open marriage with Protima Gupta to be with Parveen Babi: 'She burst out crying'

The book was launched recently, in the 'virtual' presence of actor Salman Khan, who said at the event, "Your personality as a star and human being is pure, so whatever comes out from this book would be straight from your heart and soul. It is going to be a beautiful read and I wish that a lot of people will learn from your experiences shared."