Mandira Bedi would ‘cry every day’ because of how she was treated by ‘disrespectful’ cricket legends during 2003 World Cup

Mandira Bedi, who started out as an actor in the 1990s, pivoted to television in the 2000s. She was appointed as a presenter during the cricket World Cup in 2003. However, the experience was anything but pleasant for her, at least for the first few days. Mandira opened up about the challenges she faced in an interaction with Kareena Kapoor Khan on an episode of her show, What Women Want.

Revealing how she faced sexist treatment by cricket legends, she shared, ‘Now, there is space for a woman in cricket or sports telecasts everywhere. But when you are the first one to do it, people look at you with a magnifying glass. They scrutinise you, they have comments about you, and they tell you that you don’t belong there. ‘What the hell is she doing? Why is she discussing cricket?'”

She continued, “But, the channel got me on board to ask the questions (on the common person’s mind). They wanted to get new viewers, and that’s what they got me on board for. It was a hard one to begin with, because there was very little acceptance. When you are sitting on a panel and talking to legends, it’s another different language. It’s one thing when you are sitting on the couch and watching a cricket match while discussing it, but with the cameras on you here, you have to speak their language.”

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Mandira revealed that she used to cry everyday after the live telecast. “In the first one week, I had so much excess baggage in my head. I was so worried and nervous. When the red light of the camera comes on, I’d be tongue tied. I also didn’t believe that I belonged there. I just wanted to be accepted and be a part of the furniture. I just wanted them to be okay with me being around. People should just accept me, love me, and want me around,” she said.

“One week went by with absolute hesitation, fumbles and mistakes. At the end of every show, I would put my head down and cry. The legends on either sides of me, I would ask them questions and they just stared at me. They turned to the camera and answered whatever the hell they wanted to answer, nothing connected to my question, because my question was probably not relevant or important enough for them. It was very unnerving. I felt disrespected,” Mandira further added.

However, things changed when she gained her confidence back after the channel’s intervention. “At the end of the first week, there was an intervention and the channel called me and said, ‘We have chosen you amongst a thousand women, we believe you belong there. You are not an analyst, expert or a commentator, you are a presenter. Go out there and have fun, show them your personality’. That intervention was really helpful, it was a turning point for me. I flipped a switch that day,” she expressed.

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The actor continued, “I went back with the confidence that whatever I ask is not off the table, I am going to continue to ask him. I asked the legend number one, ‘What do you think of the XYZ cricketer?’ He stared at me and answered something else on camera as usual. I said again, ‘But sir, you didn’t answer my question’. It was live TV, what can one do? Eventually, I was getting my answers and people were accepting and respecting me.”

It was actually Kareena Kapoor Khan’s father-in-law and Saif Ali Khan’s dad Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi who treated her with utmost respect. She told Kareena, “When people ask me what was the best compliment you got when you did that World Cup back in 2003. It was your father-in-law. He came down for the semi finals and finals. He was so respectful, kind and sweet. When he met me for the first time, he shook my hand and said, ‘So you are the Mandira Bedi everyone is talking about’. That made me feel so good and special.”

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