Born on September 12, 1946, veteran actor Ranjeet's birth name is Gopal Bedi, named by his Sikh family. His birthplace is Punjab's Jandiala Guru town near Amritsar. (All photos/Ranjeet's official Instagram account)

In picture: Ranjeet shared this picture with his frequent co-star Jeevan. He captioned this picture: Remembering Jeevan Saab on his birth anniversary. I played his son in many films. Many mimicry artists earn their livelihood by copying him on the stage. A great actor.

Coming from a rather orthodox family, Ranjeet had never worked to get into films. He was the eldest of four Bedi siblings, with two younger brothers and a sister. Ranjeet was a keen sportsman.

In picture: Ranjeet with the legendary dancer-actress Helen. The veteran actor shared this picture on his Instagram handle and wrote alongside, "I wish I had done some more films with Helen ji. She was a great dancer. Vibrant, graceful, adorable and most importantly, a lovely human."

"When I was young, I used to play football for at least six hours daily. I used to be the goalkeeper and everyone used to call me 'Goalie'. That name has remained with me since then," said Ranjeet, who has played mostly and probably 'only' villainous roles in the 70s, 80s and 90s era.

In picture: Ranjeet with his wife Aloka Bedi. He wrote in the caption: Ayeeee... lockdown ka faayda! Zindagi bhar filmon me kapde phaade aur ab biwi se kapdon ki silayee seekh raha hu

Ranjeet took the National Defence Academy entrance exam, got selected and even enrolled for the training as an Air Force cadet. During the course, Ranjeet got romantically involved with his instructor's daughter and had to bear the consequence as he was sent home packing.

In picture: Ranjeet shared this picture with his horse Chetak. He wrote in the caption: This was Chetak who was more than a friend of mine. I have spent many unforgettable moments in life with him. We would swim together in the river. We would go on rides for miles and miles around my farm. I used to love sleeping in his barn. Sometimes only on the grass. Every morning he would wake me up with his neighing. I miss him.

He rejoined his soccer team, after coming back home. In the late 60s, Ranjeet happened to be in Bombay (now Mumbai) once and was attending a party, where a producer asked him if he would be interested in films.

In picture: Ranjeet Instagrammed this picture on February 18, 2020, and wrote in the caption, "51 years ago, when I came to Mumbai from Delhi, this is how I looked. Now I wonder did I really look like a villain? [sic]"

"I immediately said yes and my film career started," Ranjeet said, adding that the first role he was offered never saw the light of the day as the film was never made.

In picture: Ranjeet shared this picture with a quirky caption, which read: Ayeee... "Pani Bachao Mission" ko dhyan may rakhte huye BMC k Pani may nahi Barish k Pani may naha raha hu.

Ranjeet, who studied in Delhi's Hindu College for some time, got into the film industry in 1966-67, playing the role of Rekha's brother in the movie Saawan Bhado.

In picture: Ranjeet with Amitabh Bachchan on the sets of Laawaris, while shooting for the song 'Mere Angne Mein'.

Did you know, the veteran actor was given the screen name 'Ranjeet' by superstar Sunil Dutt? The duo had shared screen space in 'Reshma aur Shera' in 1968.

Ranjeet started doing villainous roles from his third film 'Sharmelee' with Shashi Kapoor and Rakhee. "I have done over 500 films in all languages, except Malayalam and Assamese. But I have seen just about eight or 10 films in these five decades. I had never got any formal training in acting," he said, who was also referred to as 'Rapist Ranjeet' by cine-goers, thanks to his roles.

In picture: Ranjeet with his parents. Remembering his parents, Ranjeet shared this picture and wrote in the caption, "Mere Kaan khichne wali Jodi - mere Maa-Baap. Afsos, ab kaan khichne wala koi nahi. They were my best friends."

Recalling how he tore into the limelight for his rapist act in Sharmilee (1971), Ranjeet said yesteryear actress Rakhee had recommended him for the role. "I was offered the role of a molester, and I agreed. Since then, filmmakers started casting me in negative roles. Producers would demand a rape scene in the film to increase its viability. I never thought I would become so famous. I laugh when people call me a rapist," he says.

Having successfully created a name for himself in negative roles, Ranjeet says that he has learnt to live with his image of a villain and a rapist.

In picture: A still from Ranjeet's debut Saawan Bhadon. The backstory behind this picture, explained by Ranjeet, "My first film, Saawan Bhadon where I played Rekha's brother. After I gave my first shot, my producer & director Mohan Sahgal called me a kharbhuja (melon) .. Uninteresting & rough on the outside, textured & full of flavour on the inside. He said if he knew this earlier, he would have given me the main villain's role - which was a great encouragement for me as a newcomer!"

"My family, which was very orthodox, threw me out of the house when they learnt that I had raped the heroine in the film (Sharmelee). For some time, I had to stop signing films. I had to convince the family that I was only acting," Ranjeet recalled, whose father Dwarakaprasad Bedi had a factory of electrical accessories in Delhi.

In picture: Ranjeet with his son Chiranjeev Bedi.

During his lull period, Ranjeet had even decided to quit the film industry and join his father's business partner, who wanted to send him to Germany to start off a pharmaceutical factory.

In picture: Ranjeet with his family, (L to R) son Chiranjeev, wife Aloka Bedi and daughter Divyanka Bedi.

Contrary to his on-screen image, Ranjeet is a shy person. Surprised? Well, that's what the veteran actor said in an interview earlier. "I am still a very shy person. I am a vegetarian and hardly drink," he said.

Ranjeet shared this picture on his Instagram account and wrote the backstory of this throwback photo. This was his first-ever autographed photo for a fan. "For as long as I can remember, I have always tried my best to reply to fan mails. I am who I am only because of your love. A few months ago I asked my kids about Instagram as fans kept on requesting me to join. They told me, "Papa, think of it this way. Before you used to interact with fans through letters. Today you can connect with millions of your fans from all over the world at any time in a matter of seconds through this platform. Through words, images and videos your fans will get to know the real Ranjeet even better." It still did not make much sense to me until just recently. I never could have imagined that a simple video of me spending time with my daughter would be appreciated by so many. I thank all my wonderful fans who showered me with heartwarming messages. I thank all my media colleagues who wrote such lovey and humbling words for me. I thank everyone who has supported me to date. My heart is full of love and appreciation for all of you and I hope that I can continue to entertain you through this new social media journey of ours together. Love you all and please stay safe," he wrote.

Ranjeet feels that the days of the 'iconic' villains - the likes of K.N. Singh, Pran, Prem Chopra, Amjad Khan, Gulshan Grover, Amrish Puri and Shakti Kapoor are over. "The Indian film audience still waits for the thrill of the entry of the villain. However, now the lines have changed. A lot of heroes are also doing anti-hero and negative characters," he said.

In picture: Ranjeet and his closest pals from the film industry - Paintal, Rishi Kapoor, Danny Denzongpa, Prem Chopra and Jeetendra.

On the family front, Ranjeet married actress Mumtaz's niece Nazneen. Her name was changed to Aloka Bedi, after marriage. Ranjeet's daughter Divyanka is an award-winning fashion designer and son Chiranjeev is a keen Formula One race driver.

Ranjeet is a happy family man and his Instagram pictures and videos are proof of it! His way of putting down his thoughts in his captions are indeed as interesting as his journey in filmdom. Don't you think so?

In picture: Ranjeet loves painting. He keeps sharing pictures, such as this one, on Instagram. The caption for this picture that Ranjeet wrote was: Ayyeee. Papa Ranjeet ne apne hathon mai naya hathiyar le liya hai.