Mandira Bedi
Mandira Bedi is an actor, born 1972.
Two careers, and the second one is the more interesting. Mandira Bedi became famous in 1994 in the title role of Shanti, the serial on India's national channel Doordarshan. Then she moved into cricket presenting, hosting coverage of the ICC World Cups in 2003 and 2007, the Champions Trophies in 2004 and 2006, and the Indian Premier League for Sony Max, inside a broadcast culture that had treated the sport as the exclusive property of former players and male anchors.
The acting has stayed steady around that. She was Preeti, Kuljeet's sister, in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge in 1995, a small part in the most durable Hindi romance of its era. She worked in serials including Aurat, Dushman and Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, played Cookie Sharma in the sitcom Sarabhai vs Sarabhai, and took the role of Nikita Rai in the Indian adaptation of 24.
The later film work has leaned villainous. She played Kalki in Saaho in 2019, a negative role in a very expensive action picture, and she has since appeared in Ittefaq and the 2025 thriller Identity. Outside acting she designs clothes, having debuted at Lakme Fashion Week, and she has campaigned for PETA on faux leather.
Movies (5)
TV (4)
Where to start with Mandira Bedi
Most people will want Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge first, though be clear about the size of the role: Preeti is a supporting part in a film that belongs entirely to its two leads. Watch it for the film, and notice her.
The performance worth actively seeking out is Sarabhai vs Sarabhai, where Cookie Sharma sits inside one of the sharpest Hindi sitcoms ever written, a comedy of class manners with a cast that never overplays it. 24: India is the surprise: the Indian remake is far better than it had any right to be, and Nikita Rai gives Bedi the most sustained dramatic work on this list.
For films, Saaho is the big one and the closest she has come to a proper antagonist, Ittefaq is a tight, small-cast whodunit, and Identity is the recent thriller. Indian Idol is the hosting credit, and hosting is arguably her real medium.