Rekha, the eternal star of Hindi cinema, turns 68 today. Rekha has worked in over 180 films and was also honoured with Padma Shri. She continues to fascinate the audience with her mystique on the silver screen and challenges the young performers with her attractive self.
Even though Rekha is getting older, her charm and glamour isn’t accepting to fade. She began her acting career as a child artist in Telagu movies in 1969 and hasn’t stopped since.
Rekha was the eldest of two daughters and was born on October 10, 1954, as Bhanu Rekha Ganeshan in Chennai, the home of renowned Tamil actor Gemini Ganesan and Telugu actress Pushpavalli. However, for the majority of Rekha’s childhood, her father did not acknowledge his paternity.
Her reported affairs and her outspoken media pronouncements were frequently criticised by the public, and the directors frequently grumbled about her punctuality. She chose to take on more versatile roles as a result of this severe criticism.
She received critical acclaim and a national cinema award for best actress when she was 27 and portrayed a tragic courtesan in the 1981 movie Umrao Jaan. She began to lose out on leading roles as other young actors and actresses made their cinematic debuts. But she yearned for a place in India’s indie film industry.
When she married businessman Mukesh Agarwal at age 36, he committed suicide a year later after struggling with chronic depression. Her film poster was tarnished, the Bollywood fraternity blamed her for the catastrophe, and the public humiliation forced her to severely curtail her public appearances as a result of the incident.
She only appeared in comedic parts on the big screen after that. She was adored by everyone and lately appeared on several reality series. Her charming personality and exceptional acting abilities won her innumerable fans who awarded her the status of an ageless actress in Indian cinema despite leading such a turbulent and contentious life.