Rekha: Difference between revisions

{{Infobox person

| name = Rekha

| alt = Rekha is looking at the camera.

| birth_name = Bhanurekha Ganesan

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1954|10|10}}

}}

 

 

The daughter of actors [[Pushpavalli]] and [[Gemini Ganesan]], Rekha started her career as a child actress in Telugu films ''[[Inti Guttu (1958 film)|Inti Guttu]]'' (1958) and ''[[Rangula Ratnam (1966 film)|Rangula Ratnam]]'' (1966). Her first film as a lead happened with the Kannada movie ''[[Operation Jackpot Nalli C.I.D 999]]'' (1969). Her Hindi debut with ''[[Sawan Bhadon]]'' (1970) established her as a rising star, but despite the success of several of her early films, she was often panned in the press for her looks and weight. Motivated by criticism, she started working on her appearance and put effort into improving her acting technique and command of the Hindi language, resulting in a well-publicised transformation. Early recognition in 1978 for her performances in ''[[Ghar (1978 film)|Ghar]]'' and ''[[Muqaddar Ka Sikandar]]'' marked the beginning of the most successful period of her career, and she was one of Hindi cinema's leading stars through most of the 1980s and early 1990s.

Apart from acting, Rekha served as a [[Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha|Member of Parliament]] for the [[Rajya Sabha]] from 2012 to 2018. Her private life and public image have been the subject of frequent media interest and discussion. Starting in the 1970s, her pairing opposite [[Amitabh Bachchan]] in a number of successful films was accompanied by enduring speculation about a love affair between the two, culminating in their starring film ''[[Silsila (1981 film)|Silsila]]'' (1981), which was reflective of media projections. Her only marriage to the Delhi-based industrialist and television manufacturer Mukesh Agarwal in March 1990 ended seven months later when he died by suicide. Rekha's public image has often been tied to her perceived sex appeal. She is reluctant to give interviews or discuss her life, which resulted in her being labelled a recluse.

 

[[File:Rekha as an infant.png|thumb|upright|left|Rekha as a child, 1950s. She was born to [[Gemini Ganesan]] and [[Pushpavalli]], both were South Indian actors|alt=A picture featuring Rekha as an infant in the 1950s.]]

Rekha was born Bhanurekha Ganesan in [[Chennai|Madras]] (present-day Chennai) on 10 October 1954 to South Indian actors [[Gemini Ganesan]] and [[Pushpavalli]], when the couple were unmarried.<ref name="Who is Rekha">{{cite web |last=Roy |first=Gitanjali |url=http://www.ndtv.com/people/who-is-rekha-478965 |publisher=[[NDTV]] |title=Who is Rekha? |date=10 October 2012 |access-date=13 April 2021 |archive-date=12 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201212233621/https://www.ndtv.com/people/who-is-rekha-478965 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/every-day-is-a-celebration-not-specifically-b-day-rekha/story-KCaf5U0AeRyvN0MOqGMYPJ.html |title=Every day is a celebration, not specifically b'day: Rekha |date=10 October 2014 |work=[[Hindustan Times]] |agency=[[Press Trust of India]] |access-date=23 April 2021 |archive-date=23 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423085206/https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/every-day-is-a-celebration-not-specifically-b-day-rekha/story-KCaf5U0AeRyvN0MOqGMYPJ.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Ganesan was previously married to T. R. "Bobjima" Alamelu and had four children: the [[Illinois]]-based radiation oncologist Revathi Swaminathan, the gynecologist [[Kamala Selvaraj]], ''[[The Times of India]]''{{'s}} journalist Narayani Ganesan, and the medical doctor Jaya Shreedhar.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/2010/20101219/spectrum/book6.htm |title=Revisiting a romantic |last=Quraishi |first=Humra |date=19 December 2010 |work=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]] |access-date=14 April 2021 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304002229/http://www.tribuneindia.com/2010/20101219/spectrum/book6.htm |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="sisters">{{cite web |url=https://www.rediff.com/movies/2005/mar/10look.htm |title=Rare sight: Rekha and her five sisters! |last=Warrier |first=Shobha |author-link=Shobha Warrier |date=10 March 2005 |work=[[Rediff.com]] |access-date=13 April 2021 |archive-date=8 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200908083143/https://www.rediff.com/movies/2005/mar/10look.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> He had two more children with actress [[Savitri (actress)|Savitri]]—Vijaya Chamundeswari, a fitness expert, and Sathish Kumaar.<ref name="sisters" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.news18.com/photogallery/movies/in-pics-the-gemini-ganesan-rekha-family-tree-823544.html |title=In pics: The Gemini Ganesan-Rekha family tree |date=27 February 2015 |website=[[News18]] |access-date=14 April 2021 |archive-date=15 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415011141/https://www.news18.com/photogallery/movies/in-pics-the-gemini-ganesan-rekha-family-tree-823544.html |url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|Usman|2016|pp=31–34}} Meanwhile, Pushpavalli had two children (Babuji and Rama) from her earlier marriage to the lawyer I. V. Rangachari.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=புஷ்பவல்லி |trans-title=Pushpavalli |language=ta |date=4 December 1948 |page=4 |magazine=Pesum Padam}}</ref> Ganesan and Pushpavalli had another daughter, Radha (born 1955).<ref name="Drama in real life">{{cite news |url=https://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/Cinema/2013-12-22/Drama-in-real-life/80115 |title=Drama in real life |last=Kalyanam |first=Rajeswari |date=22 December 2013 |work=[[The Hans India]] |access-date=15 April 2021 |archive-date=15 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415044800/https://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/Cinema/2013-12-22/Drama-in-real-life/80115 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|Usman|2016|p=32}} Nagaprasad and the actress [[Shubha (actress)|Shubha]] are her cousins, while [[Vedantam Raghavayya]] and his wife Suryaprabha are her uncle and aunt, respectively.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/memories-of-the-southern-devadas/article28387949.ece |title=Memories of the Southern Devadas |last=Lata |first=S. Suchitra |date=5 December 2002 |work=[[The Hindu]] |access-date=13 April 2021 |archive-date=13 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413111330/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/memories-of-the-southern-devadas/article28387949.ece |url-status=live}}</ref> Rekha's mother tongue is [[Telugu language|Telugu]],<ref>{{cite news |url=https://i.imgur.com/FXHfWqo.png |work=[[The Times of India]] |title=I'm Old-Fashioned About Love |date=8 March 1987 |access-date=3 April 2013 |archive-date=15 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230515231534/https://i.imgur.com/FXHfWqo.png | format=PNG |url-status=live}}</ref> but she has mentioned that "at home we used to talk in English, barely spoke in Telugu",<ref>{{cite video |people=Rekha |time=09:19 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=301bnXZqGWY&t=559s |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/301bnXZqGWY |archive-date=9 March 2024 |url-status=live |title=Bollywood Actress Rekha Beautiful Telugu Speech {{pipe}} ANR National Awards |location=India |publisher=News Buzz}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and that she thinks in English.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.deccanchronicle.com/141109/entertainment-bollywood/article/%E2%80%98i-hold-no-grudges-against-anyone%E2%80%99 |work=[[Deccan Chronicle]] |title=I hold no grudges against anyone |last=Jha |first=Subhash K. |author-link=Subhash K. Jha |date=9 November 2014 |access-date=30 December 2017 |archive-date=28 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828022754/http://www.deccanchronicle.com/141109/entertainment-bollywood/article/%E2%80%98i-hold-no-grudges-against-anyone%E2%80%99 |url-status=live}}</ref> She is also fluent in Tamil and Hindi.

Since her mother fell ill at the time, Rekha was accompanied by her aunt to the shooting, which started in August that year at [[Mehboob Studio]]. A controversy arose around a kissing scene featuring Rekha and male lead [[Biswajit Chatterjee]], of which she was not notified as Nawathe wanted to maintain her natural reaction.{{sfn|Usman|2016|pp=44–50}} In later years, Rekha complained at having been tricked into the scene.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.deccanherald.com/archives/jun122005/enter165418200569.asp |date=12 June 2005 |title=Rekha: timeless beauty |access-date=5 June 2008 |author=Raaj, Shaheen |work=[[Deccan Herald]] |archive-date=20 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520220700/http://www.deccanherald.com/archives/jun122005/enter165418200569.asp |url-status=live}}</ref> The film ran into censorship problems and would not be released until 1979, when it was retitled ''Do Shikaari''.<ref name="Dinesh">{{cite web |website=Rediff.com |author=Raheja, Dinesh |author-link=Dinesh Raheja |url=http://www.rediff.com/entertai/2003/may/17dinesh.htm |date=17 May 2003 |access-date=20 September 2011 |title=Rekha: The divine diva |archive-date=24 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110924222746/http://www.rediff.com/entertai/2003/may/17dinesh.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> The kissing scene made it to the cover of the Asian edition of ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]'' magazine in April 1970.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Raju |first1=Audinarayan |last2=Puri |first2=G. N. |editor-last=Shashi |editor-first=S. S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DdohlIUDakUC&q=Rekha+Life+magazine+kissing |title=She misses her kiss |date=5 April 1970 |volume=XVII |issue=14 |page=4 |magazine=[[Sainik Samachar]] |access-date=19 April 2021 |archive-date=22 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211022011224/https://books.google.com/books?id=DdohlIUDakUC&q=Rekha+Life+magazine+kissing |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://indiancine.ma/documents/QEZ/7 |title="Mummy won't like it." |date=17 December 1971 |pages=9–11 |magazine=Filmfare |volume=20 |issue=26 |last=K. |first=A. A. |access-date=18 July 2021 |archive-date=22 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211022011227/https://indiancine.ma/documents/QEZ/7 |url-status=live}}</ref> This prompted the American journalist James Shephard to travel to India to interview Rekha, which she saw as an opportunity to boost her career and express her complaint.{{sfn|Usman|2016|p=52}} ''Do Shikaari'' underperformed at the box office.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=185&catName=MTk3OQ== |title=Box Office 1979 |website=[[Box Office India]] |access-date=20 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090216230645/http://boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=185&catName=MTk3OQ== |archive-date=16 February 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

 

 

===Career fluctuations in the 1970s (1971–1977)===