On the occasion of Shah Rukh Khan`s 60th birthday, Rajat Bedi exclusively opened up about one of the most nerve-wracking yet unforgettable moments of his career, performing a live skit with Shah Rukh Khan at Aryan Khan’s Ba***ds of Bollywood premiere. He recalled that he had never performed on stage before a live audience, let alone with nearly 100 members of the press watching. “It was terrifying. I’ve never done stage performances, and suddenly I was told I had to act alongside Shah Rukh Khan — without any proper rehearsal,” he shared.
Rajat Bedi recalls he was extremely nervous
According to Rajat, the actors were handed their scripts on the same day. “I asked how much time we had to prepare, and they said, ‘Nothing. The act begins in an hour. Get ready.’ Bobby, sir, even said he wouldn’t perform a skit and would just say a few words about Aryan.” Rajat rushed to his makeup room, panicking over the lack of rehearsal and the pressure of performing with SRK. “There was no run-through, no cues planned. They just told me, ‘This is your entry. When Shah Rukh looks at you, go on stage, and start.’”
As the performance began, Rajat confessed he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. “My heart was pounding. I had memorised my lines, but the moment I stepped on stage, I forgot a few. I improvised, but one of the lines came out wrong.” Instead of saying, ‘Main Bollywood ko bhool jaaun, yeh main hone nahi dunga,’ he accidentally said, ‘Main Bollywood ko bhool jaaun, yeh ho hi nahi sakta… aur Bollywood mujhe bhool jaaye, yeh bhi ho hi nahi sakta.’
Despite the slip, he continued confidently. Shah Rukh played along, asking, “Hey bro, who are you?”, a line that wasn’t in the script. Rajat improvised further, and the audience loved it. “From there, it just flowed. The lights, the applause, the music, everything felt magical. I was still trembling, but the act turned out beautifully.”
The ending was also improvised. “I had a scripted exit, but I forgot it. So, I just turned around, struck a pose, and said, ‘No autographs, only photographs!’ The audience burst out laughing.” Aryan Khan later told him it was iconic. “Aryan came to me and said, ‘Sir, when did you come up with that line? It was brilliant.’”
Rajat Bedi shared how Aryan Khan was impressed
Rajat recalled that even his entry surprised everyone. “All the actors were entering from one side of the stage, but I suddenly appeared from the staircase, grinning. Nobody expected that.”
After the skit ended, Rajat rushed backstage, overwhelmed. “My heart was beating at 500. People told me to calm down, but I didn’t even know what I had done. Later, when I saw the recording, I realised it all came together perfectly.”
He concluded, “That night was magical. Scary, but magical. Performing with Shah Rukh Khan without rehearsals, improvising lines, and still getting applause, it’s a memory I’ll never forget.”
