Rekha Ganeshan : A Journey From Ugly Duckling To An Enigma In Forty Three Years

                                                      by R.K.Upadhyay

Whoever saw the film Sawan Bhadon ( 1970),  starring Navin Nischal and

Rekha, could not have imagined that the fat , dark and almost ugly girl of the film would transform some day to  the most mysterious and enigmatic heroine of hindi film screen .

Not many Indians approve her actions particularly reported promiscuity,driving her short lived husband Mukesh Agrawal to suicide . But she has kept her side of the story well hidden .She never revealed her side of her unsuccessful love story with Amitabh . May be her troubled childhood, in which her actor  father,the famous Gemini Ganeshan ,never lived with family ,had some role in her insecurity. She had even attempted suicide by drinking Tik 20.

What makes her different is that she used the tragedies of her personal life to perfect her looks , hindi diction and acting so much that the public, deluged in her professional excellence, had to forgive her actions. It is not an inspiring determination of the class of Mayuri  ( Sudha Chandran) who became a classical dancer Inspite of losing a leg or Stephen Hawking a celebrity physicist in wheel chair but for an ordinary person her story is still awesome.

Rekha’s most memorable roles if only a few have to be quoted are Umrao Jaan (1981), for which she got national award ,Silsila (1982),where she set screen on fire with her looks and love scenes with Amitabh , Khoon Bhari Maang(1988) for her sense of using cosmetics and beauty aids , Khoobsoorat(1980) for her young girl’s acting, Utsav (1995) for use of jewellery.Her first superhit was Muqaddar Ka Sikandar(1978) with Amitabh again . Another controversial role played well was in Aastha , in which she a loving wife becomes a call girl for simple luxuries of life but repents later and is forgiven by her husband played equally well by Om Puri .

At the age of 58 she is aging gracefully as Hema, Waheeda  and Maharani Gayatri Devi who continued to look very beautiful in her seventees.