The actress is upset after being trolled for criticizing a quarantine facility in Goa, a place she now calls home
Debarati Sen (BOMBAY TIMES; May 21, 2020)

Pooja Bedi has been in a social media storm ever since she tweeted about the condition of quarantine facilities that her fiancé, Maneck Contractor, and she were subjected to after their recent journey from Mumbai to Goa. Around 7 pm on May 16, the couple reached Goa and was asked to wait at the border till 9.30 pm. After this, they were taken to the district hospital in Mapusa, where they stood for two hours in a queue in order to get tested for Coronavirus. They were then escorted to a quarantine facility in Calangute, where they were asked to stay while they awaited their results. On May 17, around 6.30 pm, their results came out negative, after which they were allowed to go home.

Pooja had tweeted a video, recounting her experience at the quarantine facility and highlighting its unhygienic conditions. She was trolled for the post, with people accusing her of being “fussy” and using celebrity status to enter Goa.

Talking about the quarantine facility, Pooja says “If you see the video, you will understand my outrage. We were travelling from a sanitised home, in a sanitised car, hoping to go to yet another sanitised home in Goa, and then, we are subjected to facilities like that. Forget sanitising, the facility was not even clean and lacked basic hygiene. In a quarantine facility, proper sanitisation is absolutely essential.”

About the backlash she received, Pooja says, “I didn’t want healthy people to go into the facility, get infected and bring the virus into Goa. My intention was to reveal the condition there and it should have been taken in the right spirit. However, I was trolled for being an ‘outsider’ and a ‘celebrity’. I’m used to being trolled, but this was disheartening. People were insinuating that we had used influence to get into Goa, which is not true.”

Pooja says that she and Maneck had applied online and uploaded all documents for inter-state travel. She adds, “My fiancé is a Goan. All our properties and businesses are registered in Goa, which is our home now. We also got permission from the Maharashtra Police to travel to Goa. We had the necessary screening certificates.”

“We chose not to ask for a single favour and conducted ourselves like law-abiding citizens with all documents in place. I love my fellow Goans, but a celebrity entering the state should not be viewed with prejudice. How can they call us outsiders? We have created these borders, but the virus doesn’t see borders. It’s absurd to have that kind of reaction from people where they say ‘go back to the state you belong to’. We are not outsiders in any state, we are Indians,” says Pooja.

He was joined by friends Pooja Bedi, Sherrin Varghese and other supporters and equal rights activists at this peaceful protest
Ismat Tahseen (BOMBAY TIMES; June 16, 2019)

A large number of people from various fields, including actors and several men’s rights activists, gathered at the Azad Maidan, Mumbai, yesterday for a peaceful dharna to voice their support for the #MenToo movement. The purpose of this dharna was to create awareness about the misuse of law, in cases where men are falsely accused of rape and other such charges by women. Recently, TV actor Karan Oberoi was accused of rape and extortion by a tantrik-and-healer. He was granted bail by the Bombay High Court on June 7, about a month after his arrest.

Talking to Bombay Times, Karan said, “After being wrongly accused, I realised that I’m not the only one. There are so many men out there who are falsely accused. After being in prison for all those days, I can say that no one should go through such an ordeal ever. When I was in jail, the ones who suffered the most were my mother and sister. So, when you are fighting for men’s rights, you are also addressing the whole family that has been affected. I’m here today to support #MenToo, because I believe that justice shouldn’t be determined on the basis of one’s gender. Every man is vulnerable if the law is misused. We are fighting for gender-neutral laws here. When I was in jail, there were so many people fighting for me outside. However, there are many voiceless people, who do not have a support system, the means or money to help them. How can you just let them suffer for no fault of theirs? So, this fight is not just mine, and it doesn’t end with me getting out of jail.”

Pooja Bedi, who has been at the forefront of this movement and is one of Karan’s best friends and strongest supporters, said, “Movements like this are initiated because there is a need for it. There is a serious problem that needs to be addressed. What this movement needs at this point is support, visibility, and among many agendas, the most important one is to put a stop to fake cases. This is possible by modifying laws and strictly punishing those who file fake cases.”

The event, organised by a foundation, saw several known names lend their voices to the #MenToo movement, like equal rights activist Barkha Trehan, activist Amit Deshpande, theatre personality Dolly Thakore, Karan’s sister Gurbani, his friend Sherrin Varghese (member of Karan’s music band, A Band Of Boys; pictured right) and Maneck Contractor, among others. Said Sherrin, “I support my bandmate Karan Oberoi; it’s not about men or women, male or female, it’s about equality for all genders.”

Added Barkha Trehan, “I’m here to show support to all my innocent brothers who have been falsely implicated in fake cases. Their lives are ruined.”

Activist Amit Deshpande explained that the aftermath of such false cases could lead men to take drastic steps in their life. “These false cases affect men so badly that it even leads them to suicide. We have a suicide helpline for men and the maximum calls are from those who are falsely accused,” he said.

Pooja Bedi got engaged to her boyfriend Maneck Contractor on this Valentine’s Day
Debarati Sen (BOMBAY TIMES; February 22, 2019)

Pooja Bedi is excited about entering a new phase in her life. The actress-columnist is all set to get married to her boyfriend, Maneck Contractor. Pooja says that Maneck took her on a hot-air balloon ride on Valentine’s Day, and went down on his knee to pop the question. The couple is planning a wedding later this year, after they align the dates of her daughter’s (Aalia Furniturewalla) shooting schedule and her son’s (Omar Ebrahim) college holidays. In a quick chat with BT, Pooja talks about how she met Maneck, and why she believes in fairy tales even more now. Excerpts…

Let’s go back to the beginning. When and how did you and Maneck first meet?
Actually, Maneck and I have known each other since our boarding-school days. He was three years my senior. Though we weren’t that familiar with each other back then, we’ve always had common friends. Last year, he posted about his new venture in Goa on a chat group, and I went there to review it. That was how we reconnected.

You got divorced (from Farhan Furniturewalla) in 2003. Since then, it has taken you over 15 years to find Mr Right...
Every time you are in a relationship, you hope that this is the one. However, when you meet the person you are destined to be with, you don’t hope, you just know that he is the one. The beauty of our relationship is that it has been effortless in every way. Our families have merged beautifully. He has a wonderful open-hearted, jovial, Parsi family, who welcomed me. My kids, too, adore him. He is extraordinarily kind and cooks up a storm in the kitchen, which is an incredibly sexy quality (laughs!).

You said that your children — Aalia and Omar Ebrahim — adore Maneck. Have they been waiting for you to settle down for a while?
I got divorced on February 14, 2003, and got engaged on February 14, 2019. I have had relationships in between and my kids have liked every person that I have been with. But it is very different with Maneck — they adore him and want him in our lives forever, which is a wonderful feeling as a single parent. They are happy that I am settling down finally. They have wanted this for me for the longest time. It’s a wonderful phase — my son is studying abroad, my daughter is entering films and the empty nest syndrome that a lot of mothers face has been filled beautifully by this relationship and my journey ahead with Maneck.

Tell us about your wedding plans...
Our wedding will take place later this year, when we align dates of Aalia’s shoot and my son’s college holidays.