Golden Era of Bollywood: Happy Birthday REKHA

Rekha the Untold Story

Rekha who epitomises grace and lasting beauty was once bold and fiercely outspoken. She made frank and provocative statements to the press about pre-marital sex being natural and abstinence until one’s wedding night being unnecessary.
At her very first shooting schedule, in the late 1960s, Rekha fell victim to the machinations of the film’s director, producer and lead actor. They coerced her into a kissing scene, with the film’s unit members salaciously catcalling, whistling and cheering. Those lascivious voices were said to have echoed in her mind till much later.

Rekha fell in love several times — with Jeetendra, Vinod Mehra and Kiran Kumar, among others — but each relationship was fated to end the same way. The men in Rekha’s life could not stand up for a woman who had an ‘illegitimate’ past (her father never married her mother). She was left heartbroken each time, even publicly humiliated.

In the mid-70s, Rekha was said to be in love with Amitabh Bachchan, and the screen sparkled with their chemistry, and there seemed to be hope on the horizon for Rekha. Film magazines of the time bubbled over with stories of their alleged romance.

Rekha married a Delhi Businessman Mukesh Agarwal in early 1990.Decision to marry him in a spur -of-the-moment — the priest was woken up in the dead of night to officiate — Rekha found herself in a new ‘Basera’ (home), which was the name of her husband’s farmhouse in south Delhi.
In October 1990, just seven months after their wedding, Agarwal committed suicide by hanging, apparently using Rekha’s dupatta. On that tragic day, Rekha was in the U.S. for a stage show. Agarwal’s sister-in-law spoke with Rekha over the phone and consoled her, saying that the Agarwal family stood by her.
After that incident Rekha became a recluse. She minimised her interactions with the outside world. She gave fewer interviews, and even in those, one saw a significantly toned-down Rekha. She no longer made sensational statements; rather she was melancholic, almost philosophical.The Rekha we know today is the woman who slowly and painstakingly rebuilt her life and image from that day onwards. That tumultuous phase of her life completely transformed her.

Rekha As Child

Rekha's real name was Bhanurekha She was a love child of actress Pushpavalli and Tamil movie star Gemini Ganesan, It is said that her parents did not tie wedding knots. Infact, people are of the say that, when Rekha was born, her father didn't even make the declaration of his paternity.She was born on 10th Oct 1952 at Madras.

Rekha as child artist in Rangula Ratnam 1966

Rekha made her first public appearance as a child artist in the Telugu film Rangula Ratnam (1966). Goadalli CID 999, a Kannada film was her first film in which she played the lead role of heroine. She worked in a number of Telugu, Kannada and Hindi films. Her Hindi film Sawan Bhadon was a major hit in the box office. This film brought her stardom overnight. After that, she was offered plenty of roles, but most of the roles demanded her to be portrayed as a glamour girl.

Rekha in Sawan Bhadon 1970

Rekha has acted in over 180 films in a career spanning over 40 years. Throughout her career, she has often played strong female characters and, apart from mainstream cinema, appeared in Art films, known in India as parallel cinema. She has won three Filmfare Awards, two for Best Actress and one for Best Supporting Actress, for her roles in Khubsoorat (1980), Khoon Bhari Maang (1988) and Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi (1996), respectively. Her portrayal of a classical courtesan in Umrao Jaan (1981) won her the National Film Award for Best Actress.

Though her career has gone through certain periods of decline, she has reinvented herself numerous times and has been credited for her ability to sustain her status. In 2010, she was honoured with the Padma Shri by the Government of India.Rekha has also been nominated as a Rajya Sabha member.

In 2014 she also worked in Super Nani released on Diwali (24 October). Super Nani was a family drama, in which the grandmother (Rekha) is unappreciated by her children and husband, Randhir Kapoor. Her grandson, Sharman Joshi convinces her to change. The grandmother 'transforms' herself into a glamorous model.

In 2015, she appeared in R. Balki's Shamitabh, where she played herself.