Rekha at 70: A look at the actor, the enigma and her cinematic and fashion legacy

Just like her kaleidoscopic film career, Rekha, too, has many facets. Poised to embrace the septuagenarian status — Rekha turns 70 on October 10 — she redefined ageing with a captivating 20-minute dance performance at a recent award function. The glamourous actor is also one of India’s greatest style icons. Gulzar, who fondly calls her ‘Kalu Baba’, describes her as a “livewire”. Yet, she is famously reclusive. Regardless, she can be a habitual scene-stealer. She creates viral moments when she lovingly kisses Richa Chadha’s baby bump at a Heeramandi event; dances with Sonakshi Sinha at her wedding reception; and showers love on Janhvi Kapoor at the latter’s movie screening. To be able to orchestrate attention-grabbing pop culture moments, while retaining the enigma around her, has long been Rekha’s superpower. The limelight unabashedly courts her when she appears in public in her gorgeous kanjeevarams, exquisite jewellery, gajra in hair, potli in hand and sindoor in her maang.

Rekha and Amitabh Bachchan in a still from Silsila (1981).

For Rekha — who was once branded an “ugly duckling” — metamorphosing into a remarkable actor and ageless beauty is hard-earned. If anyone has lived many lives in one life, it is Rekha, mentioned Simi Garewal when she was the guest of her chat show in 2004. In a career spanning over five decades, she has reinvented herself multiple times. “Rekha is a committed actor. She is bright and always open to learning. She has determination, rather passion, which is evident in the way she worked on herself and grew in the industry. She worked on her Hindi and Urdu when she was criticised for her accent in the early days of her career. The way she worked on her language for Umrao Jaan is amazing,” says veteran actor Shatrughan Sinha, her co-star in several movies, including the commercially successful Khoon Bhari Maang.

Only 13 when she left studies, she was cast in Sawan Bhadon (1970) as a village belle, the movie marked Rekha’s first appearance as a Hindi film heroine. The film was a success and made the audience take note of her even though the then-reigning actors, such as Hema Malini (Johny Mera Naam), Asha Parekh (Aan Milo Sajna) and Raakhee (Jeevan Mrityu), had all delivered hits that year. Still, Rekha was not going to have it easy. “She faced a tough time at the start of her career because of her dark skin and full figure. The media and producers were nasty to her. It was the era before political correctness. She was smart enough to understand that she would have to create her own brand. Hence, she worked on her craft, fitness and created the aura of exclusivity,” says senior film journalist Deepa Gahlot.

Rekha in a still from Utsav (1984).

Calling Rekha a source of inspiration for “her long-standing career, ability to reinvent herself at any age and the versatility of her choices,” actor Richa Chadha says, “Rekha ji is the quintessential Indian performer — equally effective in both mainstream and independent cinema. She is stunning in wide-rimmed glasses in Ijaazat (1987) as well as funky costumes in Madam X. She possesses a great fashion sense and sensibility. A fascinating superstar of a bygone era who continues to shine even today.” The Masaan and Fukrey actor also reveals that she drew inspiration from Rekha for her role of Lajjo in Heeramandi.

The first noticeable transformation of Rekha came with Ghar (1978). A strikingly slimmer, chiffon sari-clad Rekha won accolades for her portrayal of a sexual assault survivor struggling to cope with the trauma. Talking to Simi, Rekha says: “People thought it was an overnight transformation. At that time, we went on a starvation diet. I used to have elaichi milk and popcorn for months.” After self-admittedly “sleepwalking” through her early career, Rekha was by then firmly in the saddle . Three years later, she delivered an iconic performance with Umrao Jaan, which fetched her the National Film Award for Best Actress.

Rekha and Vinod Mehra in a still from Ghar (1978).

The phenomenon called Rekha was forged by a long struggle with adversities that began early on in life. Born Bhanurekha to Gemini Ganesan, a Tamil cinema legend, and actor Pushpavalli in 1954, she made her big screen appearance when she was only six months old. She was thrust into the world of Hindi cinema when studying in Class IX. “Financially, I had to take on the responsibilities. My mother convinced me to become an actress… All I wanted then was to get married, be loved and have lots of children. I was completely lost in Mumbai… I never voiced my feelings,” Rekha, who rarely met her father while growing up, tells Simi. In later years, her romantic relationships reportedly resulted in heartbreaks. Her surprise marriage with Delhi-based businessman Mukesh Aggarwal in March 1990 ended tragically when he died by suicide and she faced a lot of backlash.

By the time Umrao Jaan elevated her to the league of India’s cinematic greats, she was already praised for portraying Zohrabai’s melancholy in Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978) and establishing her comic-timing as the spirited Manju of Khubsoorat (1980). Talking about casting her as Umrao Jaan, director Muzaffar Ali said at Jashn-e-Rekhta: “I saw a photograph of Rekha in a newspaper. I saw her eyes had a tevar — gir ke sambhal ne wala tevar (the ability to be back on her feet after stumbling).” In later years, responding to the praises about her performance, Rekha, would call it a reflection of a certain phase in her life. Most likely, insinuating that it’s an outcome of the rumoured relationship she had with her co-star Amitabh Bachchan, with whom she acted in 10 films.

Rekha in a still from Umrao Jaan (1981).

Once Rekha was serious about becoming an artiste, she dabbled with mainstream as well as parallel cinema with ease. Her character of Supriya in Shyam Benegal’s Kalyug (1981), a modern-day adaptation of the Mahabharata, was based on Draupadi. In Vijeta (1982) she plays mother to a grown-up son; in Girish Karnad’s erotic drama Utsav (1984) she portrays the role of courtesan Vasantasena. “The fact that she played mother to a teenager in Vijeta, at a time she was playing female leads, shows her eagerness to take on roles that she believed in. Prior to that she did a de-glam role in Baseraa (1981),” says Gahlot. Baseraa’s director Ramesh Talwar recounts that he first approached Raakhee for the film in which the younger sister marries the husband of the elder sister when the latter is comatose. “Raakhee suggested Rekha’s casting as her younger sister. She even telephoned Rekha and set up my meeting with her. Rekha said yes on our first meeting and later when there was a shooting delay, she was accommodative,” he says. Sinha, too, vouches for Rekha’s professionalism. “During the shooting of Khoon Bhari Maang, we were not talking to each other. But she didn’t let that come in the way. Years later, we patched up because of my wife Poonam, who is close to Rekha,” says the veteran actor, who has done a film titled Aaj Phir Jeene Ki Tamanna with Rekha that’s waiting to be released.

Rekha and Navin Nischol in a still from Sawan Bhadon (1970).

Post the success of Khoon Bhari Maang, she went to act in a series of revenge dramas and crowd-pleasers — Phool Bane Angaray (1991), Insaaf Ki Devi (1992) and Udaan (1997), among others. That also coincided with her experimentation with costumes and hairdos for magazine photoshoots as well as on-screen characters in movies like Sheshnag (1990). That marked her rise as a fashion icon. Photographer Jayesh Sheth, who did multiple photoshoots with Rekha in the 90s, recalls: “Rekha always came prepared with an idea for the shoots and even got props. It was never repetitive. It’s her eyes and lips that were most expressive. I used to be in awe of her energy.”

Chadha says, “The reason why Rekha ji continues to remain stylish is because she has the mind of an artist and is an aesthete who goes beyond how the industry tries to define her. That’s why she stands head and shoulders above many of her contemporaries.”

Rekha in a still from Parineeta (2005).

Sushant Divgikar, aka Rani KoHEnur (all pronouns), believes that in many ways, Rekha has redefined fashion as “being eclectic and not bound by a particular genre”. Divgikar says: “Rekha Maa, as I fondly call her, is a trailblazer. What I love is her unabashed and unapologetic personality and the fact that she lives life on her own terms. For a queer person like me, watching her while I was growing up, instilled in me a sense of self and courage of conviction to love my life as authentically as possible.” For Divgikar’s Pari hoon main sequence in her debut film, Thank You For Coming (2023), they referenced her look from Sheshnaag (1990) and designer Rahul Mishra created “a phenomenal outfit” that was close to the one Rekha wore on the film’s poster.

Being an enigma and diva are tags associated with Rekha for decades now. “We have been friends and worked in so many movies together but I still call her a mysterious woman. She has a mystique aura and she is a romantic of the highest order,” says Sinha. In her interviews, Rekha talks in riddles, especially about her private life that has been a favourite subject of gossip columns in the past. She was called bindaas and projected as a badass, making her eventually withdraw from the media. “She handpicked journalists and gave them photos and quotes about what she wanted to convey… in a sense, she created her own myth before others did,” says Gahlot, “However, behind that facade, she is a genuine and warm person. She has an unbelievable memory. Even when you meet after a gap, she will remember every detail of your previous conversation, even your outfit.”

Rekha and Naseeruddin Shah in a still from Ijaazat (1987).

Svetlana Naudiyal, programming director, Asia-Pacific at MUBI, believes that Rekha had oodles of ‘rizz’ much before this term existed. “For someone with that kind of magnetic allure to lose herself so completely in each role — becoming her characters while never letting them define her — speaks volumes of her extraordinary talent,” she says. “What makes her legacy truly iconic,” Naudiyal adds, “is to have lived a tumultuous life unapologetically on her own terms—with candour and grace. Rekha’s off-screen persona exudes mystery, passion, and an unshakeable confidence in who she is. And, perhaps, that is why her ‘rizz’ will always remain unmatched.” What amazes Divgikar is that even after going through a lot, “Rekha still stands strong and doesn’t host a pity party for herself”.

It is difficult to summarise Rekha’s eventful life and a long-storied illustrious career. One of the best observations comes from Sinha: “Don’t want to get into her personal life, it is gone with the wind. There is only one Rekha in the industry. She is all-in-one and an institution.”