The Ageless Beauty Rekha – Life Story, Career, Awards & Achievements
The common population thinks that Bollywood celebrities always lead happy and prosperous life. Their glittery appearance and loads of money often hide the deepest scars of their lives.
As one should know, there is always more than it meets the eyes. The media got lots of juicy gossip from Rekha’s life.
Starting from her affairs with co-actors, to rumours of her cosmetic surgeries. Her life has provided every ingredient needed to ignite controversy.
However, amidst all these things, she stayed strong as a woman and continued fighting her battles. This article shall cover up her inspirational journey, painting a new picture of the evergreen lady on our reader’s minds.
Background and Early Life of Rekha
Born as Bhanurekha Ganesan on 10th October 1954, she spent a rather troubled childhood. Both her parents, Pushpavalli and Gemini Ganesan were actors.
Her father had four children from his previous marriage. She never shared a good rapport with her father.
In one of her interviews, she claimed that she did not feel her father’s presence in life for a very long time. She lived with her mother separately, during which Pushpavalli remarried.
She also had a sister, named Radha. When her mother passed away in 1991, only then did her relationship with her father started to improve. He passed away in 2005.
Rekha first had a short role in the film “Inti Guttu”, when she was a year old. Being an obese girl for most of her childhood days, she was bullied a lot by her classmates.
She could not play sports for this reason, despite her interest in it. Rekha never saw herself as an actress and wanted to become a flight attendant.
However, owing to some personal circumstances, she had to quit her studies in the 9th standard. This was when she began venturing into the industry to become a full-fledged actress.
Birth of a Star – Film Career
Rekha moved to Mumbai in 1969. She calls her first experience there to be “scary and overwhelming”.
Having no connections in the industry, Rekha struggled a lot during her initial days. Her first break came with “Saawan Bhadon” in 1970.
Though the film was a success, critics mocked her looks. She was also bullied for her South Indian background and lack of Hindi fluency.
The first half of the 70s wasn’t bright for Rekha’s career. Most of her films were panned by the critics and major doubts arose about her acting skills and looks.
Read also: Life Story of Amitabh Bachchan, Bollywood actor and Television Host
It was then she decided to up her game and go under a much-needed change. The turning point of her career came with Ghar (1978), where she portrayed the role of a married woman who gets gang-raped. Her performance was praised and people started taking her seriously.
The next decades saw a steep rise in her career, when she delivered many hit films like “Umrao Jaan”, “Khoobsurat”, “Silsila”, “Khoon Bhari Maang” etc. She won several nominations and prestigious awards for her performances.
Her transformation was truly appreciated and her fitness regime was disclosed in a book. It was only in the 2000s when her workload decreased and she became very selective o her work.
Controversies
Rekha’s life was full of controversies, to say the least. Her relationship with Amitabh Bachhan was under media scrutiny. Silsila (1981), provoked the rumours even more.
The film proved to be her last work with Amitabh Bachchan. It was also said that Amitabh Bachchan’s wife, Jaya Bhaduri had a role behind the breakup.
Rekha’s Marriage Story
Rekha married Delhi-based industrialist and self-made entrepreneur Mukesh Aggarwal, owner of the kitchenware brand Hotline in 1990.
Mukesh Aggarwal was introduced to Rekha through mutual friend Bina Ramani, a fashion designer who termed him Rekha’s ‘crazy fan’
However, he committed suicide in 1991. This incident brought a major depressing point in her life. Media bashed her relentlessly, some even termed her as a “witch”.
Example of the truth
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Despite all these troubles, Rekha continued living gracefully. Her life is an example of the truth that running away from problems is never a solution. Apart from being a great entertainer, Rekha shall always remain an evergreen epitome of strength and courage.