Damsel-in-distress to diva: Rekha’s struggle

Veteran actress Rekha, who was roped in to play the character of Begum, in Abhishek Kapoor's desi adaptation of the popular Charles Dickens' classic Great Expectations had walked out of the project in May 2015, after shooting for the film, including an outdoor stint in Kashmir. While speculations of Rekha and the director having creative differences were believed to be the reasons for Rekha's exit from the movie, the real reason is reportedly, entirely different. Rekha was roped in to essay the character of Begum, a reclusive woman who leads an enigmatic life, but is still spoken about her relationships. According to sources in Mid-Day, the veteran actress felt that the character had an uncanny resemblance to her own life story. The source was quoted saying that the character of Begum is akin to what Rekha is in real life and when she realised that, she found it difficult and uncomfortable to play herself and opted out of the film. Tabu was then roped in as a replacement and several scenes had to be reshot.

‘Mujhe tum nazar se giraa to rahe ho, mujhe tum kabhi bhi bhulaa naa sakoge, na jaane mujhe kyu yakeen ho chalaa hai, mere pyaar ko tum mitaa naa sakoge...’


These lines in a Mehndi Hasan Ghazal speak of her life and her achievement in an eloquence like no other.

Rekha’s Childhood


Her father Gemini Ganesan was a leading star of more than 300 films in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malyalam and Hindi cinema. He had 4 wives, and he never accepted Rekha's mother Pushpavalli to be his lawfully wedded wife. Rekha's single mother was the sole bread-winner for the family before the responsibility fell on Rekha's shoulders.. She had to quit school when she was in class 9 to act in movies. She did not have any fascination for movies but the financial crisis dragged her to the field of acting and it proved to be a blessing in disguise for her.

Rekha’s initial ‘Bombay’ experience


Her initial experience in the then Bombay was not good either but she did not lose heart and continued to tread on the path destiny had chosen for her. In her TV show Rendezvous with Simi Garewal, Simi read out to the world what was once Rekha’s take on that phase of her life – “Bombay was like a jungle, and I had walked in unarmed. It was one of the most frightening phases of my life... I was totally ignorant of the ways of this new world. Guys did try and take advantage of my vulnerability. I did feel, what am I doing? I should be in school, having an ice-cream, fun with my friends, why am I even forced to work...deprived of normal things that a child should be doing at my age?"

Rekha’s Bollywood struggle


During her struggling days, Rekha who hailed from the South had a tough time in Bollywood as she did not know Hindi. This was why a Hindi professor used to always accompany her. She had also to face a lot of criticism due to her appearance then. She was apparently called the 'Black Swan.' She had to accept a lot of B-grade Hindi and Tamil film offers due to the dearth of money. in the year 1970 when Rekha was just 16 when she got signed for her first film, Saawan Bhado directed by Mohan Sehgal. She was paired opposite Navin Nischal in the film.

Rekha’s fantasy

Like any normal girl of her age Rekha too was star-struck. She was in complete awe of Jeetendra and Mumtaaz. She used to adore Mumtaaz so much so that putting on make-up like the star and gyrating to her dance numbers was pretty common for the dusky damsel. Rekha was also smitten by jeetendra himself. Allegedly, the actress used to sneak into the sets of Jeetendra just to catch a glimpse of the handsome star.

Rekha’s rumours


When Rekha stepped into the film industry she was linked-up with Bollywood's leading men. The first actor with whom she was linked was Biswajit. The pair had a prolonged kissing scene in a film which wasn't passed by the censors and eventually the film was canned. However the picture of Rekha and Biswajeet was flashed in a magazine and then there were rumours of the growing closeness between the two. It had just been three years of Rekha's emergence in Bollywood and already the rumours were rife that she had gotten married to actor Vinod Mehra in Kolkata. It was alleged that the duo used to be constantly spotted at the Sea Rock hotel in Mumbai. Filmfare even had both of them on their cover page.

Rekha’s alleged stormy love affair

Rekha and Amitabh’s jodi was much lauded but soon it was rumoured that their on-screen chemistry had extended itself off-screen. Rekha had first met Amitabh Bachchan on the sets of Do Anjaane. On their first meeting, Rekha had apparently forgotten her lines and was chided by Big B. He told her to learn her lines properly in a reprimanding tone. Talking about Amitabh to Simi Garewal in her popular talk show, when she was asked whether she was in love with Amitji, she said that she was absolutely in love with him. The actress further stated that she is yet to come across a single man, woman, child who can't help but fall completely, passionately, insanely, desperately and hopelessly in love with him and therefore it wouldn't be fair for her to be singled out.

Rekha’s married life

Her married life too is very tragic. In 1990, Rekha married to Delhi based industrialist Mukesh Aggarwal. A year later in 1991, he committed suicide while she was in the US. He left a suicide note behind, “Don’t Blame Anyone”. She was pilloried by the press at that time, a period which one journalist termed as "the deepest trough in her life.” However as Bhavana Somaaya rightly observed, Rekha came out of the eclipse once again unblemished.

Rekha’s aura and mystery

In 2011, Rediff listed her as the ninth-greatest Indian actress of all time, noting, that it's hard not to be bowled over by Rekha's longevity, or her ability to reinvent herself...the report asserted that the actress took on a man's job and did it stunningly well, holding her own against all the top actors and being remembered despite them. Filmfare described her acting style, writing that when it comes to style, sexiness or sheer onscreen presence, she's unparalleled and that she is a fierce, raw, flinty performer with unbridled honesty. The magazine described her acting style by stating that it isn't gimmicky. Rekha has often been compared to Greta Garbo, and has been cited by media as her Indian equivalent. Hindustan Times described her physical change and loss of weight as one of cinema's and perhaps real life's most dramatic transformations, arguing that Rekha morphed from an overweight, dark ordinary girl into a glamorous and beautiful enigma, shrouding her life in an intriguing Garbo-like mystery. According to Rediff, Rekha's reclusive nature has gone a long way towards building an aura of mystery around her.