Rekha on mother Pushpavalli’s profound influence on her: ‘She taught me the grace of living’

In a recent interview, Rekha talked about the immense influence her mother Pushpavalli had on her and how she taught her to live with grace.

By: Entertainment Desk

Chennai | July 3, 2023 08:55 PM IST

3 min read

Rekha opened up on her equation with mother Pushpavalli.(Photo: Express archive)

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There is no denying that Rekha is the most graceful female actor the Hindi film industry has ever seen. And apart from her own hard work, the actor’s parents, especially her mother, have a big role in shaping her personality and her on-screen presence. In a recent interview, the veteran actor opened up about the profound influence her late mother, Pushpavalli, had in shaping her remarkable journey in the Hindi film industry.

Rekha was born to actors — Gemini Ganesan, a renowned Tamil actor, and mother Pushpavalli, who was a star in Telugu cinema. Describing her mother as her mentor, Rekha told Vogue Arabia, “My mother was my mentor, a woman of such finesse she felt like a goddess, a devi. She taught me the grace of living with gentility and love. She always said I should never lose the ankh ki chamak, or ‘twinkle in the eyes,’ because it is that joyful perception that makes one appreciate the beauty of a tiny seed that grows into a majestic tree. She also advised me wisely to practice what I love, not what I preach. She set the benchmark for me because my mother walked the talk.”

Also read | The mystery and magic of being Rekha: Retracing her career, choices as she turns 68

Rekha’s talent and contributions to the field of cinema were recognised in 2010 when she was honoured with the prestigious Padma Shri. Talking about how her mother taught her to be authentic even in the way you live your daily life, Rekha said, “To make the ordinary extraordinary, I learned long ago that authenticity is key. But how do you recognise it? My mother taught me by just the way she lived and created a home that was very sensorial. I was immersed in her world of Sufi music, Urdu shayari (poems), Chettinad art, and South Indian culture that I imbibed subliminally. She lived without synthetics, plastics, and wore pure organic fabrics because everything she touched was sacred to her. This sense of adoration for the aesthete has never left me.”

Rekha lost her mother in 1991, leaving a deep void in her life. The actor, however, continues to uphold her mother’s values in the way she leads her life and how she portrays her characters on the big screen.

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