Almost Ethereal!. Review on Rekha

Rekha- the fat, dark, ugly duckling of *Saawan Bhadon *who had to be supported with a dubbing artiste because she had a flat dialogue delivery

Rekha- the svelte, sensitive and alluring femme fatale of Silsila whose heart is an open book

Rekha- the chulbuli, bubbly and mischievous prankster of Khubsoorat whose antics could light up the hearts of the most depressed of souls.

Or Rekha – the recluse, the enigma whose occasional appearances in public betray the pain and heartbreak of a sensitive soul who has loved and lost!

Which is the Rekha you would like to remember? For millions of her fans, Rekha embodies the manifestation of many facets of womanhood. Her films have portrayed her in various shades and Rekha has been able to bring each character to life through sheer intelligence and power of performance.

Rekha’s parents, Gemini Ganesan and Pushpavalli were renowned stars of South Indian films. But Rekha had a troubled childhood in a broken home. When she first entered the industry at a young age, she was extremely raw like an unpolished gem. It is said that her association with AB, brought out her true personality and capabilities. From a fat obese teenager, she blossomed into a slim, dusky seductress – her appearance in films like Do Anjaane and Mr. Natwarlal had the audience in awe of her.

To list merely 10 films out of her vast repertoire would be quite unfair to this versatile actress, but anyways, here goes:

1. MUQADDAR KA SIKANDER

Year: 1978

Rekha played the role of a mujra dancer to such perfection that she almost patented it., repeating it to great effect in films like Suhaag and Umrao Jaan. In this movie, she plays the supporting actress who loves the hero in vain. A tragic role where she has the audience completely on her side, as opposed to the lead heroine, Raakhee.

2. GHAR

Year: 1978

A hard-hitting film of a loving couple whose life is completely thrown in turmoil after the wife is gang-raped in presence of the husband. Rekha portrayed the role of the rape victim with such conviction and made such a great impact that she used to have many real life victims approaching her for help and advice.

3. MR. NATWARLAL

Year: 1979

Although this is a complete action film, Rekha manages to make a mark as a local girl who is the love interest of the hero.

4. KHUBSOORAT

Year: 1980

This film marked the high point in Rekha’s career, as she carried this entire film to success on her slender shoulders. As a bright, bubbly chatterbox who transforms a dull, rigid, rule bound household into a cheerful, motivating place by engaging each person from the house and encouraging them to come out of their respective shells. Rekha won the Filmfare award for this bravura performance.

5. SILSILA

Year: 1981

Hyped due to the real-life triangle of Rekha-Amitabh-Jaya, almost playing themselves on screen, the sheer brilliance of Rekha’s performance was missed out. According to me, in this film, her sensitive performance was so good that she overshadowed even the over-rated Jaya Bachchan. And of course, she was at the height of her beauty.

6. UMRAO JAAN

Year: 1981

In those days, rarely did mainstream actresses work in “Art” films and Rekha was among the first to make a mark in this genre as well. As a courtesan of Lucknow, she performed this true story with a powerful and sensitive performance which brought her the National Award, which she richly deserved.

7. UTSAV

Year: 1984

The movie may have been a flop, but as a seductress in medieval India, she captured the imagination of many young men, through her rather bold love scenes.

8. IJAAZAT

Year: 1987

Another “art” film, Rekha played the perfect foil to Naseeruddin Shah and Anooradha Patel in this marital love triangle.

9. KHOON BHARI MAANG

Year: 1988

Almost a sort of comeback film, once again Rekha single-handedly brought life into this role and the film to box-office success as a simple but rich single mother who is conned into marrying a cheat who tries to murder her. She comes back with a vengeance and brings the offenders to justice.

10. AASTHA

Year: 1997

After a rather long break, we got to see Rekha in this rather sordid tale of a dissatisfied housewife who gets into the prostitution field for the kicks and the money and her sense of guilt and remorse and how she deals with it. Rekha’s presence prevented the film from becoming merely a flesh treat and her dignified demeanor throughout the film made many women relate to her situation.

To conclude, Rekha may or may not be one of the best actresses around. She may or may not be able to carry off any role given to her. But so far, whatever she has undertaken, she has delivered. Yes, she has had duds like Mother 98, Khiladiyon ka khiladi, Qila. Etc. but then who has a 100% perfect career? One just has to watch her in awe as she performs in Koi Mil Gaya, and hope arises that the best of Rekha yet to come!

With her vast fan following and versatility, it would be impossible to sum her up in a few verses, but her song from the film Umrao Jaan attempts to do just that:

In aankhon ki masti ke, mastaane hazaaron hain,

In aankhon se vaabasta, afsaane hazaaron hain….