Bollywood actor Rajat Bedi has opened up about a painful chapter from his life, the downfall of his father, filmmaker Narendra Bedi, during the peak of the rivalry between legends Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan.

The 55- year-old actor, who recently appeared in Aryan Khan’s directorial debut, The Ba * ds of Bollywood, shared in an interview that the tense competition between the two legendary actors deeply affected his father’s career and personal life.

According to Rajat, his father’s growing stress and disappointment eventually led him toward alcohol dependency.

“He died in front of my eyes,” Rajat recalled emotionally. “He'd come an alcoholic and went into depression. He was doing well, but family film liabilities and career setback took a risk on him.”

The Ahimsa actor explained that his father’s professional relationship with Rajesh Khanna changed when he also began working with Amitabh Bachchan. Rajesh reportedly felt unhappy about this, which caused delays and cancellations in a few projects.

“My father took the unit to Pune for firing, but Rajesh Khanna didn’t show up for nearly two weeks. After staying for days, my father had to shut down the films. Perhaps the heroes then had ego clashes or scheduling issues,” Rajat shared.

Rajat also revealed how late-night drinking sessions between his father and Rajesh Khanna worsened the situation. He described how alcohol became a constant presence at home, affecting Narendra Bedi’s health and work.

Rajat said, “He would sometimes reach the set after drinking, during the shoot of Sanam Teri Kasam, actor Kamal Haasan indeed got upset because of it. My father was going through a very difficult phase.”