Rekha Ganesan
Encyclopedia
Bhanurekha Ganesan, better known by her stage name
Rekha (born 10 October 1954) is an Indian actress who has appeared in Bollywood
films. Noted for her versatility and acknowledged as one of the finest actresses of Hindi cinema, Rekha started her career in 1966 as a child actress in the Telugu movie Rangula Ratnam
, though her film debut as a lead happened four years later with Sawan Bhadon
(1970). Despite the success of several of her early films it was not until the mid-to-late 1970s that she got recognition as an actress. Since the late 1970s, after undertaking a physical transformation, she has been featured as a sex symbol
in the Indian media.
Rekha has acted in over 180 films in a career that has spanned over 40 years. Throughout her career, she has often played strong female characters and, apart from mainstream cinema, appeared in arthouse
films, known in India as parallel cinema
. She has won three Filmfare Awards
, two for Best Actress and one for Best Supporting Actress, for her roles in Khubsoorat
(1980), Khoon Bhari Maang
(1988) and Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi
(1996), respectively. Her portrayal of a classical courtesan in Umrao Jaan
(1981) won her the National Film Award for Best Actress
. Though her career has gone through certain periods of decline, she has reinvented herself numerous times and has been credited for her ability to sustain her status.
(then Madras) to Tamil
actor Gemini Ganesan
and Telugu
actress Pushpavalli
. Her father enjoyed considerable success as an actor and Rekha was to follow in his footsteps.
Her parents were not married, and her father did not acknowledge his paternity during her childhood. It was in early 1970s, when she was looking for a footing in Bollywood, that she revealed her origins. Later, at the peak of her career, Rekha told a magazine interviewer that her father's neglect still rankled and that she had ignored his efforts at reconciliation.
film Rangula Ratnam
(1966). Rekha made her debut as heroine in the successful Kannada film Goa dalli CID 999 with Rajkumar
in 1969. In that same year, she starred in her first Hindi
film, Anjana Safar (later retitled Do Shikari). She later claimed that she was tricked into a kissing scene with the leading actor Biswajit for the overseas market, and the kiss made it to the Asian edition of Life magazine. The film ran into censorship problems, and would not be released until a decade later.
She had two films released in 1970: the Telugu film Amma Kosam and the Hindi film Sawan Bhadon
, which was considered her acting debut in Bollywood. She had to learn Hindi, as that was not her naturally spoken language. Sawan Bhadon became a hit, and Rekha — a star overnight. Despite the success of her films, she was often scorned for her looks. She subsequently got several offers but nothing of substance. Her roles were mostly just of a glamour girl. She appeared in several commercially successful films at the time, including Kahani Kismat Ki
, Raampur Ka Lakshman
and Pran Jaaye Par Vachan Na Jaaye, yet she was not regarded for her acting abilities. Rekha recalls, "I was called the ‘Ugly Duckling’ of Hindi films because of my dark complexion and South Indian features. I used to feel deeply hurt when people compared me with the leading heroines of the time and said I was no match for them. I was determined to make it big on sheer merit."
Her first performance-oriented role came in 1976 when she played the role of an ambitious and greedy wife in Do Anjaane
, co-starring Amitabh Bachchan
. The film became a hit as well as a critical success.
Her most significant turning point, however, came in 1978, with her portrayal of a rape victim in the movie Ghar
. She played the role of Aarti, a newly married woman who gets gravely traumatised after being gang-raped. The film follows her character's struggle and recuperation with the help of her loving husband, played by Vinod Mehra
. The film was considered her first notable milestone, and her performance was applauded by both critics and audiences. Dinesh Raheja from Rediff, in an article discussing her career, remarked, "Ghar heralded the arrival of a mature Rekha. Her archetypal jubilance was replaced by her very realistic portrayal..." She received her first nomination for Best Actress
at the Filmfare Awards
.
In that same year, she attained fame with Muqaddar Ka Sikander
, in which she co-starred once again with Amitabh Bachchan. The movie was the biggest hit of that year, as well as one of the biggest hits of the decade, and Rekha was set as one of the most successful actresses of these times. The film opened to a positive critical reception, and Rekha's performance as a courtesan named Zohra, noted for a "smouldering intensity", earned her a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the Filmfare.
's comedy Khubsoorat
, with whom she had developed a strong bond during their previous collaborations. She played Manju Dayal, a young vivacious woman who goes to visit her married sister at her in-law's house right after the marriage. Khubsoorat was a success and Rekha was appreciated for her comic timing. It won the Filmfare Award for Best Movie and Rekha won her first Best Actress award. The Tribune
described the film as "a lively comedy," noting that "Rekha’s spunky performance gives the film its natural zing."
Rekha went on to star opposite Bachchan in a number of films, most of which were hits. She also had an alleged off-screen relationship with him, which was widely reported on in the media, as well as sharply criticised, as he was a married man. This relationship ended in 1981, when they starred in Yash Chopra
's drama Silsila. The film was the most scandalous of their films together; Rekha played Bachchan's love interest, while Bachchan's real-life wife, Jaya Bhaduri, played his wife. This was their last film together. The film-column gossip may have contributed to her success. However, even critics had to admit that she had worked hard to perfect her Hindi and her acting, and that she had transformed herself from a "plump" duckling to a "swan" in the early 1970s. Rekha's credits to this transformation were yoga
, a nutritious diet, and a regular, disciplined life. In 1983, her diet and yoga practice were published in a book called "Rekha's Mind and Body Temple".
In 1981, she starred in Umrao Jaan
, a film adaptation of the Urdu novel Umrao Jaan Ada
(1905), written by Mirza Hadi Ruswa
. Rekha played the title role of a courtesan
and poetess from 19th century Lucknow
. The film follows Umrao's life story right from her days as a young girl named Amiran when she is kidnapped and sold in a brothel. Rekha once confessed, "After reading the script, I had a strange feeling that I had Umrao in me." In preparation for the role, Rekha, who at the beginning of her career did not speak Hindi, took the task of learning the finer nuances of the Urdu language. Her portrayal is considered to be one of her career-best performances, and she was awarded the National Film Award for Best Actress
for it. She played a courtesan with a heart of gold
in several of her films; Muqaddar Ka Sikandar and Umrao Jaan were followed by a number of films which had her playing similar roles.
In that same year, Rekha starred in Ramesh Talwar
's family drama Baseraa
, which saw her playing a woman who marries her sister's husband, after the latter loses her mental balance. She appeared as Sadhna in the commercially successful Ek Hi Bhool
(1981), opposite Jeetendra
, playing the role of a betrayed wife who leaves her husband. In 1982, she received another Filmfare nomination for Jeevan Dhaara
, in which she played a young unmarried woman who is the sole breadwinner of her extended family. In 1983, she took the supporting role of a lawyer in Mujhe Insaaf Chahiye
, garnering another Filmfare nomination in the Supporting Actress category.
The early 1980s marked the time when Rekha was willing to expand her range. She started working in arthouse pictures with independent directors, mostly under Shashi Kapoor
's production, in what was used to be referred to as parallel cinema
, an Indian New Wave movement known for its serious content and neo-realism. Her venture into this particular genre started off with Umrao Jaan, and was followed by other such films as Shyam Benegal
's award-winning drama, Kalyug (1981), Govind Nihalani
's Vijeta
(1982), Girish Karnad
's Utsav
(1984) and Gulzar's Ijaazat
(1987), among others. Benegal's Kalyug is a modern-day adaptation of the Indian mythological epic Mahabharat, depicted as an archetypal-conflict between rival business houses. Rekha's role was that of Supriya, a character based on Draupadi
. Critic and author Vijay Nair
described her performance as "a masterful interpretation of the modern Draupadi". In Vijeta she played a woman who struggles through her marital problems and tries to support her adolescent son, who, undecided about his future plans, eventually decides to join the Indian Air Force
. She described her performance in the film as one of her favourite from her own repertoire. For her portrayal of Vasantsena in Utsav, she was acknowledged as the Best Actress (Hindi) by the Bengal Film Journalists' Association
. Maithili Rao wrote for "Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema", "Rekha — forever the first choice for the courtesan's role, be it ancient Hindu India or 19th-century Muslim Lucknow — is all statuesque sensuality..."
Apart from parallel cinema, Rekha took on other increasingly serious, even adventurous roles; she was among the early actresses to play lead roles in heroine-oriented films, one such film being Khoon Bhari Maang
in 1988. She won her second Filmfare Award for her performance in the film. Rekha went on to describe Khoon Bhari Maang as "the first and only film I concentrated and understood all throughout." One critic wrote about her performance in the film, "Rekha as Aarti is just flawless and this is one of her best performances ever! In the first half as the shy and not so sexy Aarti she is excellent and after the plastic surgery as the model and femme fatale she is excellent too. Some scenes show that we are watching an actress of a very high calibre here." M.L. Dhawan from The Tribune
, while documenting the famous Hindi films of 1988, remarked that Khoon Bhari Maang was "a crowning glory for Rekha, who rose like a phoenix ... and bedazzled the audience with her daredevilry." Screen
listed her role in the film as one of "ten memorable roles that made the Hindi film heroine proud."
In later interviews, Rekha often described the moment she received the Filmfare Award for this role as a turning point, explaining that only then did she start genuinely enjoying her work and seeing it as more than "just a job": "...when I went up on the stage, and received my award for Khoon Bhari Maang... Boom, it hit me! That's the first time I realised the value of being an actor and how much this profession meant to me." In 2011 she further stated, "I felt even more charged to give my best and knew right then, that this was my calling, what I was born to do, to make a difference in people's lives, through my performances."
and Raakhee, who began playing character parts of mothers and aunts, Rekha was still playing leading roles, at the time when heroines such as Madhuri Dixit
and Raveena Tandon
rose to fame.
Some of her most notable films during the decade include the foreign film Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love
and the commercially successful Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi
(1996). The former, which was directed by Mira Nair
was known for its controversial topic and many felt it would damage Rekha's career, as Rekha played a Kama Sutra
teacher in the film. On the other hand, the latter was a major financial success. It featured Rekha in her first negative role as Madam Maya, a vicious gangster woman, who, during the course of the film, romances the much younger Akshay Kumar
. Her portrayal earned her several awards, including the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress and the Star Screen Award for Best Villain. In spite of the positive response to her performance from both fans and critics, she often maintains she did not like herself in the film, noting that her work was not up to her own, personal standards.
Another controversial film at that time came in the form of Aastha: In the Prison of Spring
(1997), where Basu Bhattacharya
, making the last film of his career, cast her as a housewife who moonlights as a prostitute. While her performance earned her positive notices and a Star Screen Award nomination, she was criticised by the audience for the nature of the part, to which she later replied, "...people had a lot to say about my role... I don't have problems playing anything. I've reached a stage where I could do justice to any role that came my way. It could be role of a mother, a sister-in-law; negative, positive, sensational or anything."
, directed by Rama Rao Tatineni.
In 2001, she starred as Ramdulari, a simple village woman, in Rajkumar Santoshi
's Lajja
, along with an ensemble cast that included Manisha Koirala
, Madhuri Dixit
and Anil Kapoor
. She was highly praised for her portrayal, receiving several nominations. Critic Taran Adarsh
, wrote of her performance, "... it is Rekha who walks away with the glory, delivering one of the finest performances the Indian screen has seen in the recent times."
In that same year she acted alongside Karisma Kapoor
in Shyam Benegal
's Zubeidaa
. Upperstall.com wrote, "Rekha has a stunning screen presence exuding grace and comes up with an expertly adept performance leaving her stamp on the film." She next starred alongside Preity Zinta
in Kundan Shah
's Dil Hai Tumhaara
, playing the role of Sarita, a betrayed woman who takes under her custody her husband's illegitimate daughter after his death. In 2003, she played Hrithik Roshan
's mother in Rakesh Roshan
's Koi... Mil Gaya
. The film was the biggest hit of that year.
In 2006, she was seen in the sequel to Koi... Mil Gaya
, Krrish
, one of the most successful films of the year. In 2007, she once again portrayed a courtesan in Gautam Ghose
's Yatra
. Unlike the initial success she experienced in playing such roles in the early stages of her career, this time the film failed to do well. In 2010, Rekha was awarded the Padma Shri
, the 4th highest civilian award given by the Government of India
.
In 2011, Rediff listed her as the ninth-greatest Indian actress of all time, noting, "It's hard not to be bowled over by Rekha's longevity, or her ability to reinvent herself... the actress took on a man's job and did it stunningly well, holding her own against all the top actors and being remembered despite them." Filmfare
described her acting style, writing, "...when it comes to style, sexiness or sheer onscreen presence, she's unparalleled... [she is] a fierce, raw, flinty performer with unbridled honesty. Her acting isn't gimmicky." Critic Khalid Mohamed commends her technical control: "She knows how to give and to what degree. She has all that it takes to be a director. There is a kind of vulnerability in her control. She explores when she is acting." M.L. Dhawan from The Tribune
wrote, "Rekha's flowering as an actress post Ghar and Khubsoorat climaxed in [...] Umrao Jaan. As a tragic courtesan she gave a performance of consummate artistry, adopting a much-admired huskiness and despondency of tone. Rekha communicated much with a delicately raised eyebrow.
Rekha has often been compared to Greta Garbo
, and has been cited by media as her Indian equivalent. Hindustan Times
described her physical change and loss of weight as "one of cinema's and perhaps
real life's most dramatic transformations," arguing that "Rekha morphed from an overweight, dark ordinary girl into a glamorous and beautiful enigma, shrouding her life in an intriguing Garbo-like mystery." According to Rediff, "Rekha's reclusive nature has gone a long way towards building an aura of mystery around her." Rekha rarely gives interviews, and she mostly avoids parties and events. Asked in interviews about her mysterious image, she denied several times trying to live up to this image, which, according to her, is press-created: "What mystery? The media is the one that creates this image. It's just that I am basically shy by nature, an introvert and fiercely private."
-based businessman Mukesh Aggarwal, who committed suicide in 1991. She was rumoured to have been married to actor Vinod Mehra
in 1973, but in a 2004 television interview with Simi Garewal
she denied being married to Mehra referring to him as a "well-wisher". Rekha currently lives in her Bandra home in Mumbai
.
She also has a house in Colaba and a farmhouse in Pune
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Rekha (born 10 October 1954) is an Indian actress who has appeared in Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
films. Noted for her versatility and acknowledged as one of the finest actresses of Hindi cinema, Rekha started her career in 1966 as a child actress in the Telugu movie Rangula Ratnam
Rangula Ratnam
Rangula Ratnam is a Telugu movie directed by B. N. Reddy, starring Chandra Mohan, Vanisri and Anjali Devi, under the banner of Vahini pictures. It is a social and political sattire involving a middle class family in the backdrop of politics and elections. The film bagged golden Nandi Award in the...
, though her film debut as a lead happened four years later with Sawan Bhadon
Sawan Bhadon
Sawan Bhadon is a 1970 Bollywood film produced and directed by Mohan Segal. The film was the debut film for its lead pair Rekha and Navin Nischol. The other cast of note in the film are Jayshree T, Iftekhar and Ranjeet. The music is by Sonik Omi...
(1970). Despite the success of several of her early films it was not until the mid-to-late 1970s that she got recognition as an actress. Since the late 1970s, after undertaking a physical transformation, she has been featured as a sex symbol
Sex symbol
A sex symbol is a celebrity of either gender, typically an actor, musician, supermodel, teen idol, or sports star, noted for their sex appeal. The term was first used in the mid 1950s in relation to the popularity of certain Hollywood stars, especially Marilyn Monroe and Brigitte...
in the Indian media.
Rekha has acted in over 180 films in a career that has spanned over 40 years. Throughout her career, she has often played strong female characters and, apart from mainstream cinema, appeared in arthouse
Art film
An art film is the result of filmmaking which is typically a serious, independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience...
films, known in India as parallel cinema
Parallel Cinema
The Indian New Wave, commonly known in India as Art Cinema or Parallel Cinema as an alternative to the mainstream commercial cinema, is a specific movement in Indian cinema, known for its serious content, realism and naturalism, with a keen eye on the sociopolitical climate of the times...
. She has won three Filmfare Awards
Filmfare Awards
The Filmfare Awards are presented annually by The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Hindi language film industry of India. The Filmfare ceremony is one of the oldest and most prominent film events given for Hindi films in India. The awards were...
, two for Best Actress and one for Best Supporting Actress, for her roles in Khubsoorat
Khubsoorat
Khubsoorat is a 1980 Indian Hindi film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, whose direction together with dialogues by Gulzar created a comedy classic. Rekha shined in a first all-out comic role, with her brilliant comic timing....
(1980), Khoon Bhari Maang
Khoon Bhari Maang
Khoon Bhari Maang is an Indian Bollywood movie released on 12 August 1988, directed and produced by Rakesh Roshan. It is a remake of the Australian mini-series Return to Eden , and is about a wealthy widow who is almost killed by her lover and sets out for revenge.-Synopsis:Aarti Verma is a widow...
(1988) and Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi
Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi
Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi is a 1996 Bollywood action thriller starring Rekha in her first villain role, Akshay Kumar, Raveena Tandon and former WWE wrestler Brian Lee. The film went on to do very well at the box office...
(1996), respectively. Her portrayal of a classical courtesan in Umrao Jaan
Umrao Jaan
Umrao Jaan is a 1981 Bollywood film, directed by Muzaffar Ali. It is based on the Urdu novel Umrao Jaan Ada , written by Mirza Hadi Ruswa based on the famous Lucknow courtesan...
(1981) won her the National Film Award for Best Actress
National Film Award for Best Actress
The National Film Award for Best Actress is an honor presented annually at the National Film Awards of India to an actress who has delivered the best performance in a leading role within the Indian film industry...
. Though her career has gone through certain periods of decline, she has reinvented herself numerous times and has been credited for her ability to sustain her status.
Early life
Rekha was born in ChennaiChennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
(then Madras) to Tamil
Tamil people
Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...
actor Gemini Ganesan
Gemini Ganesan
Ramaswami Ganesan , popularly known as Gemini Ganesan , was an Indian actor. He was nicknamed "Kadhal Mannan" of Tamil cinema for the romantic roles he played in movies....
and Telugu
Telugu people
The Telugu people or Telugu Prajalu are an ethnic group of India. They are the native speakers of the Telugu language, the most commonly spoken language in India after Hindi and Bengali...
actress Pushpavalli
Pushpavalli
Pentapadu Pushpavalli better known as Pushpavalli is a Tamil and Telugu film actress. She was married to Gemini Ganesan and is Rekha's mother. She starred in many films with Ganesan, mostly as his heroine. Her film work includes title roles in Miss Malini , an adaptation of R.K. Narayan's novel Mr...
. Her father enjoyed considerable success as an actor and Rekha was to follow in his footsteps.
Her parents were not married, and her father did not acknowledge his paternity during her childhood. It was in early 1970s, when she was looking for a footing in Bollywood, that she revealed her origins. Later, at the peak of her career, Rekha told a magazine interviewer that her father's neglect still rankled and that she had ignored his efforts at reconciliation.
1970s
Rekha appeared as a child actress (credited as Baby Bhanurekha) in the TeluguTelugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
film Rangula Ratnam
Rangula Ratnam
Rangula Ratnam is a Telugu movie directed by B. N. Reddy, starring Chandra Mohan, Vanisri and Anjali Devi, under the banner of Vahini pictures. It is a social and political sattire involving a middle class family in the backdrop of politics and elections. The film bagged golden Nandi Award in the...
(1966). Rekha made her debut as heroine in the successful Kannada film Goa dalli CID 999 with Rajkumar
Rajkumar
Rajkumar , born as Singanalluru Puttaswamayya Muthuraju was a popular actor and singer in the Kannada film industry...
in 1969. In that same year, she starred in her first Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
film, Anjana Safar (later retitled Do Shikari). She later claimed that she was tricked into a kissing scene with the leading actor Biswajit for the overseas market, and the kiss made it to the Asian edition of Life magazine. The film ran into censorship problems, and would not be released until a decade later.
She had two films released in 1970: the Telugu film Amma Kosam and the Hindi film Sawan Bhadon
Sawan Bhadon
Sawan Bhadon is a 1970 Bollywood film produced and directed by Mohan Segal. The film was the debut film for its lead pair Rekha and Navin Nischol. The other cast of note in the film are Jayshree T, Iftekhar and Ranjeet. The music is by Sonik Omi...
, which was considered her acting debut in Bollywood. She had to learn Hindi, as that was not her naturally spoken language. Sawan Bhadon became a hit, and Rekha — a star overnight. Despite the success of her films, she was often scorned for her looks. She subsequently got several offers but nothing of substance. Her roles were mostly just of a glamour girl. She appeared in several commercially successful films at the time, including Kahani Kismat Ki
Kahani Kismat Ki
Kahani Kismat Ki is a 1973 Hindi film produced and directed by Arjun Hingorani. The film's success prodded the director to try to recreate its success by continuing with its lead actor and film titles having 3 words starting with the alphabet K....
, Raampur Ka Lakshman
Raampur Ka Lakshman
- Synopsis :Kedarnath Bhargav, his wife, Laxmi, and two sons, Ram and Lakshman, are homeless. While traveling, their train derails and the family is separated into three groups. While Laxmi works as a maidservant in the house of Bombay's mayor and his daughter, Rekha; Ram has been abducted by a...
and Pran Jaaye Par Vachan Na Jaaye, yet she was not regarded for her acting abilities. Rekha recalls, "I was called the ‘Ugly Duckling’ of Hindi films because of my dark complexion and South Indian features. I used to feel deeply hurt when people compared me with the leading heroines of the time and said I was no match for them. I was determined to make it big on sheer merit."
Her first performance-oriented role came in 1976 when she played the role of an ambitious and greedy wife in Do Anjaane
Do Anjaane
Do Anjaane is a 1976 Hindi film. Produced by Tito, it is directed by Dulal Guha. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha, Prem Chopra, Pradeep Kumar, Utpal Dutt, Lalita Pawar and a young pre-stardom Mithun Chakraborty. The music is by Kalyanji Anandji...
, co-starring Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades...
. The film became a hit as well as a critical success.
Her most significant turning point, however, came in 1978, with her portrayal of a rape victim in the movie Ghar
Ghar (film)
Ghar is a 1978 Indian Bollywood film directed by Manik Chatterjee, released on 9 February 1978. The film stars Vinod Mehra and Rekha in lead roles.-Plot:...
. She played the role of Aarti, a newly married woman who gets gravely traumatised after being gang-raped. The film follows her character's struggle and recuperation with the help of her loving husband, played by Vinod Mehra
Vinod Mehra
Vinod Mehra was an Indian actor in Bollywood films. He started out as a child actor in a few films in the late 1950s and early 1960s before starting his adult film career in 1971 acting in over 100 films throughout the 1970s through to the 1990s...
. The film was considered her first notable milestone, and her performance was applauded by both critics and audiences. Dinesh Raheja from Rediff, in an article discussing her career, remarked, "Ghar heralded the arrival of a mature Rekha. Her archetypal jubilance was replaced by her very realistic portrayal..." She received her first nomination for Best Actress
Filmfare Best Actress Award
The Filmfare Award for Best Actress is given by Filmfare as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise a female actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role. The award was first given in 1954.-Superlatives:...
at the Filmfare Awards
Filmfare Awards
The Filmfare Awards are presented annually by The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Hindi language film industry of India. The Filmfare ceremony is one of the oldest and most prominent film events given for Hindi films in India. The awards were...
.
In that same year, she attained fame with Muqaddar Ka Sikander
Muqaddar Ka Sikander
Muqaddar Ka Sikandar is a 1978 Indian Hindi film. Produced and directed by Prakash Mehra, it stars Amitabh Bachchan in his third out of six films with Prakash Mehra to date. The films also stars Vinod Khanna, Raakhee Gulzar, Rekha and Amjad Khan...
, in which she co-starred once again with Amitabh Bachchan. The movie was the biggest hit of that year, as well as one of the biggest hits of the decade, and Rekha was set as one of the most successful actresses of these times. The film opened to a positive critical reception, and Rekha's performance as a courtesan named Zohra, noted for a "smouldering intensity", earned her a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the Filmfare.
1980s
In 1980, Rekha appeared in Hrishikesh MukherjeeHrishikesh Mukherjee
Hrishikesh Mukherjee ) was a famous Indian film director known for a number of films, including Satyakam, Chupke Chupke, Anupama, Anand, Abhimaan, Guddi, Gol Maal, Aashirwad, Bawarchi, and Namak Haraam.Popularly known as Hrishi-da, he directed 42 films during his career spanning over four decades,...
's comedy Khubsoorat
Khubsoorat
Khubsoorat is a 1980 Indian Hindi film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, whose direction together with dialogues by Gulzar created a comedy classic. Rekha shined in a first all-out comic role, with her brilliant comic timing....
, with whom she had developed a strong bond during their previous collaborations. She played Manju Dayal, a young vivacious woman who goes to visit her married sister at her in-law's house right after the marriage. Khubsoorat was a success and Rekha was appreciated for her comic timing. It won the Filmfare Award for Best Movie and Rekha won her first Best Actress award. The Tribune
The Tribune
The Tribune is an Indian English-language daily newspaper published from Chandigarh, New Delhi, Jalandhar, Dehradun and Bathinda. It was founded on 2 February 1881, in Lahore , by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a public-spirited philanthropist, and is run by a trust comprising five eminent persons as...
described the film as "a lively comedy," noting that "Rekha’s spunky performance gives the film its natural zing."
Rekha went on to star opposite Bachchan in a number of films, most of which were hits. She also had an alleged off-screen relationship with him, which was widely reported on in the media, as well as sharply criticised, as he was a married man. This relationship ended in 1981, when they starred in Yash Chopra
Yash Chopra
Yash Raj Chopra is an Indian filmmaker, film director, screenwriter, and a highly successful Bollywood producer. Waqt, Deewar, Kabhi Kabhie, Silsila, Lamhe, Chandni, Darr, Dil To Pagal Hai, and Veer-Zaara are some of his highly popular movies...
's drama Silsila. The film was the most scandalous of their films together; Rekha played Bachchan's love interest, while Bachchan's real-life wife, Jaya Bhaduri, played his wife. This was their last film together. The film-column gossip may have contributed to her success. However, even critics had to admit that she had worked hard to perfect her Hindi and her acting, and that she had transformed herself from a "plump" duckling to a "swan" in the early 1970s. Rekha's credits to this transformation were yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
, a nutritious diet, and a regular, disciplined life. In 1983, her diet and yoga practice were published in a book called "Rekha's Mind and Body Temple".
In 1981, she starred in Umrao Jaan
Umrao Jaan
Umrao Jaan is a 1981 Bollywood film, directed by Muzaffar Ali. It is based on the Urdu novel Umrao Jaan Ada , written by Mirza Hadi Ruswa based on the famous Lucknow courtesan...
, a film adaptation of the Urdu novel Umrao Jaan Ada
Umrao Jaan Ada
Umrao Jaan Ada is an Urdu novel by Mirza Hadi Ruswa , first published in 1899. It is considered the first Urdu novel by many and tells the story of a courtesan and poetess by the same name from 19th century Lucknow, as recounted by her to the author.-History and theme:According to the novel, the...
(1905), written by Mirza Hadi Ruswa
Mirza Hadi Ruswa
Mirza Muhammad Hadi Ruswa was an Urdu poet and writer of fiction, plays, and treatises . He remained on the Nizam of Awadh's advisory board on language matters for years...
. Rekha played the title role of a courtesan
Courtesan
A courtesan was originally a female courtier, which means a person who attends the court of a monarch or other powerful person.In feudal society, the court was the centre of government as well as the residence of the monarch, and social and political life were often completely mixed together...
and poetess from 19th century Lucknow
Lucknow
Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
. The film follows Umrao's life story right from her days as a young girl named Amiran when she is kidnapped and sold in a brothel. Rekha once confessed, "After reading the script, I had a strange feeling that I had Umrao in me." In preparation for the role, Rekha, who at the beginning of her career did not speak Hindi, took the task of learning the finer nuances of the Urdu language. Her portrayal is considered to be one of her career-best performances, and she was awarded the National Film Award for Best Actress
National Film Award for Best Actress
The National Film Award for Best Actress is an honor presented annually at the National Film Awards of India to an actress who has delivered the best performance in a leading role within the Indian film industry...
for it. She played a courtesan with a heart of gold
Hooker with a heart of gold
The hooker with a heart of gold is a stock character in which a "fallen woman", usually a prostitute, is a kindly and internally wholesome person.-Characteristics:...
in several of her films; Muqaddar Ka Sikandar and Umrao Jaan were followed by a number of films which had her playing similar roles.
In that same year, Rekha starred in Ramesh Talwar
Ramesh Talwar
Ramesh Talwar is an Indian Film, Theatre, Television Director , Producer, Actor. He is the nephew of the famous Film writer, Short Story writer and Playwright Sagar Sarhadi who played an immense role in shaping his personality...
's family drama Baseraa
Baseraa
Baseraa is a 1981 Indian Bollywood film. The film was produced by Ramesh Behl, and directed by Ramesh Talwar. The film stars Shashi Kapoor, Rakhee, Rekha, Poonam Dhillon, Raj Kiran, A.K. Hangal and Iftekar. The music of the film is by R.D. Burman.-Plot:...
, which saw her playing a woman who marries her sister's husband, after the latter loses her mental balance. She appeared as Sadhna in the commercially successful Ek Hi Bhool
Ek Hi Bhool
Ek Hi Bhool is a 1981 Indian Bollywood film directed by T. Rama Rao. The film stars Jeetendra and Rekha in leading roles. Shabana Azmi makes a special appearance.-Plot:...
(1981), opposite Jeetendra
Jeetendra
Jeetendra born Ravi Kapoor is an Indian actor and television producer...
, playing the role of a betrayed wife who leaves her husband. In 1982, she received another Filmfare nomination for Jeevan Dhaara
Jeevan Dhaara
Jeevan Dhaara is a 1982 Indian Bollywood film directed by Tatineni Rama Rao. The film stars Rekha, Raj Babbar, Amol Palekar, Sulochana Latkar, Simple Kapadia and Rakesh Roshan. The movie belongs to Art Cinema genre, also known as Parallel Cinema. Rekha received a nomination for Filmfare Best...
, in which she played a young unmarried woman who is the sole breadwinner of her extended family. In 1983, she took the supporting role of a lawyer in Mujhe Insaaf Chahiye
Mujhe Insaaf Chahiye
Mujhe Insaaf Chahiye is an Indian Bollywood film directed by T. Rama Rao released on 23 September 1983. The film stars Mithun Chakraborty, Rekha, Rati Agnihotri, Ranjeeta, Danny Denzongpa, Asrani...
, garnering another Filmfare nomination in the Supporting Actress category.
The early 1980s marked the time when Rekha was willing to expand her range. She started working in arthouse pictures with independent directors, mostly under Shashi Kapoor
Shashi Kapoor
Shashi Kapoor , born Balbir-Raj Prithviraj Kapoor on 18 March 1938 in Calcutta , is an award-winning Indian film actor and film producer. He has also been film director and assistant director in Hindi Films. He is a member of the Kapoor family, a film dynasty in India's Bollywood cinema...
's production, in what was used to be referred to as parallel cinema
Parallel Cinema
The Indian New Wave, commonly known in India as Art Cinema or Parallel Cinema as an alternative to the mainstream commercial cinema, is a specific movement in Indian cinema, known for its serious content, realism and naturalism, with a keen eye on the sociopolitical climate of the times...
, an Indian New Wave movement known for its serious content and neo-realism. Her venture into this particular genre started off with Umrao Jaan, and was followed by other such films as Shyam Benegal
Shyam Benegal
Shyam Benegal is a prolific Indian director and screenwriter. With his first four feature films Ankur , Nishant Manthan and Bhumika he created a new genre, which has now come to be called the "middle cinema" in India although he himself has expressed dislike in the term preferring his work to...
's award-winning drama, Kalyug (1981), Govind Nihalani
Govind Nihalani
Govind Nihalani is an Indian director, cinematographer, and also a screenwriter and film producer. He has been directing Hindi films since the late seventies, and worked in the television medium.- Biography :...
's Vijeta
Vijeta
Vijeta is a 1982 Hindi film produced by Shashi Kapoor and directed by Govind Nihalani. It stars Shashi Kapoor, Rekha, Kunal Kapoor and Amrish Puri.-Plot:Vijeta is the coming of age story of Angad...
(1982), Girish Karnad
Girish Karnad
Girish Raghunath Karnad is a contemporary writer, playwright, screenwriter, actor and movie director in Kannada language...
's Utsav
Utsav
Utsav is a 1984 Hindi film, produced by Shashi Kapoor and directed by Girish Karnad.The film stars Shashi Kapoor, Rekha, Amjad Khan, Anuradha Patel, Shekhar Suman, Anupam Kher, Shankar Nag, Neena Gupta, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Annu Kapoor, Sanjana Kapoor and Kunal Kapoor.The role played by Shashi...
(1984) and Gulzar's Ijaazat
Ijaazat
Ijaazat is an acclaimed 1987 Indian Hindi film directed by Gulzar, based on a Bengali story, Jatugriha by Subodh Ghosh....
(1987), among others. Benegal's Kalyug is a modern-day adaptation of the Indian mythological epic Mahabharat, depicted as an archetypal-conflict between rival business houses. Rekha's role was that of Supriya, a character based on Draupadi
Draupadi
In the epic Mahābhārata, Draupadi, also known as ' is the "emerged" daughter of King Drupada of Panchāla and the wife of the five Pandavas. When Yudhisthira becomes the king of Hastinapura at the end of the war, Draupadi becomes the queen of Indraprastha...
. Critic and author Vijay Nair
Vijay Nair (author)
Vijay Nair is a writer based in Bangalore. He is the author of The Boss is not your Friend published by Hachette India in 2011, Master of Life Skills published by Harper Collins in 2006, and a collection of plays called, The Gloomly Rabbit and other plays by Dronequill Publishers, Bangalore in 2003...
described her performance as "a masterful interpretation of the modern Draupadi". In Vijeta she played a woman who struggles through her marital problems and tries to support her adolescent son, who, undecided about his future plans, eventually decides to join the Indian Air Force
Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian armed forces. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict...
. She described her performance in the film as one of her favourite from her own repertoire. For her portrayal of Vasantsena in Utsav, she was acknowledged as the Best Actress (Hindi) by the Bengal Film Journalists' Association
Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards
The Bengal Film Journalists' Association is the oldest Association of Film critics in India, founded in 1937, by the inspiration and determination of the handful of pioneers amongst the then thin section of scribes that were drawn to film journalism with a lofty mission to serve the developing...
. Maithili Rao wrote for "Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema", "Rekha — forever the first choice for the courtesan's role, be it ancient Hindu India or 19th-century Muslim Lucknow — is all statuesque sensuality..."
Apart from parallel cinema, Rekha took on other increasingly serious, even adventurous roles; she was among the early actresses to play lead roles in heroine-oriented films, one such film being Khoon Bhari Maang
Khoon Bhari Maang
Khoon Bhari Maang is an Indian Bollywood movie released on 12 August 1988, directed and produced by Rakesh Roshan. It is a remake of the Australian mini-series Return to Eden , and is about a wealthy widow who is almost killed by her lover and sets out for revenge.-Synopsis:Aarti Verma is a widow...
in 1988. She won her second Filmfare Award for her performance in the film. Rekha went on to describe Khoon Bhari Maang as "the first and only film I concentrated and understood all throughout." One critic wrote about her performance in the film, "Rekha as Aarti is just flawless and this is one of her best performances ever! In the first half as the shy and not so sexy Aarti she is excellent and after the plastic surgery as the model and femme fatale she is excellent too. Some scenes show that we are watching an actress of a very high calibre here." M.L. Dhawan from The Tribune
The Tribune
The Tribune is an Indian English-language daily newspaper published from Chandigarh, New Delhi, Jalandhar, Dehradun and Bathinda. It was founded on 2 February 1881, in Lahore , by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a public-spirited philanthropist, and is run by a trust comprising five eminent persons as...
, while documenting the famous Hindi films of 1988, remarked that Khoon Bhari Maang was "a crowning glory for Rekha, who rose like a phoenix ... and bedazzled the audience with her daredevilry." Screen
Screen (magazine)
Screen is a film magazine, published every week in India. It is owned by The Indian Express publishing group. The content focuses on the Bollywood, India's Hindi movie industry located in Mumbai. Screen organizes and sponsors the Star Screen Awards for movies in Hindi....
listed her role in the film as one of "ten memorable roles that made the Hindi film heroine proud."
In later interviews, Rekha often described the moment she received the Filmfare Award for this role as a turning point, explaining that only then did she start genuinely enjoying her work and seeing it as more than "just a job": "...when I went up on the stage, and received my award for Khoon Bhari Maang... Boom, it hit me! That's the first time I realised the value of being an actor and how much this profession meant to me." In 2011 she further stated, "I felt even more charged to give my best and knew right then, that this was my calling, what I was born to do, to make a difference in people's lives, through my performances."
1990s
The 1990s saw a drop in Rekha's success and she began gradually losing her stardom. She was part of several commercially and critically unsuccessful films, in spite of doing even more challenging roles. Critics, however, noted that unlike most of the actresses of her generation, like Hema MaliniHema Malini
Hema Malini is an Indian actress, director and producer, as well as a Bharatanatyam dancer-choreographer. Making her acting debut in Sapno Ka Saudagar , she went on to appear in numerous Bollywood films, most notably those with actor and future-husband Dharmendra. She was initially promoted as...
and Raakhee, who began playing character parts of mothers and aunts, Rekha was still playing leading roles, at the time when heroines such as Madhuri Dixit
Madhuri Dixit
Madhuri Dixit is an Indian film actress who has appeared in Hindi films. Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, she established herself as one of Hindi cinema's leading actresses and most accomplished dancers. She appeared in numerous commercially successful films and was recognised for several of...
and Raveena Tandon
Raveena Tandon
Raveena Tandon is a National Film Award winning Indian actress, producer, and a former model. She has primarily worked in Bollywood films, though she appeared in a few Tamil, Kannada and Telugu films as well....
rose to fame.
Some of her most notable films during the decade include the foreign film Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love
Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love
Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love is a 1996 American drama film directed by Mira Nair. The film takes its title from the ancient Indian text, the Kama Sutra, but this only serves as a common link between the characters....
and the commercially successful Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi
Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi
Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi is a 1996 Bollywood action thriller starring Rekha in her first villain role, Akshay Kumar, Raveena Tandon and former WWE wrestler Brian Lee. The film went on to do very well at the box office...
(1996). The former, which was directed by Mira Nair
Mira Nair
Mira Nair is an Indian film director and producer based in New York. Her production company is Mirabai Films.She was educated at Delhi University and Harvard University. Her debut feature film, Salaam Bombay! , won the Golden Camera award at the Cannes Film Festival and also earned the nomination...
was known for its controversial topic and many felt it would damage Rekha's career, as Rekha played a Kama Sutra
Kama Sutra
The Kama Sutra is an ancient Indian Hindu text widely considered to be the standard work on human sexual behavior in Sanskrit literature written by Vātsyāyana. A portion of the work consists of practical advice on sexual intercourse. It is largely in prose, with many inserted anustubh poetry verses...
teacher in the film. On the other hand, the latter was a major financial success. It featured Rekha in her first negative role as Madam Maya, a vicious gangster woman, who, during the course of the film, romances the much younger Akshay Kumar
Akshay Kumar
Akshay Kumar is an Indian film actor, producer and martial artist who has appeared in over a hundred Hindi films. When he began his acting career in the 1990s, he primarily starred in action films and was particularly known for his appearances in feature films commonly called the "Khiladi series",...
. Her portrayal earned her several awards, including the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress and the Star Screen Award for Best Villain. In spite of the positive response to her performance from both fans and critics, she often maintains she did not like herself in the film, noting that her work was not up to her own, personal standards.
Another controversial film at that time came in the form of Aastha: In the Prison of Spring
Aastha: In the Prison of Spring
-External links:*...
(1997), where Basu Bhattacharya
Basu Bhattacharya
Basu Bhattacharya was a Hindi film director , most famous for his 1966 film Teesri Kasam, starring Raj Kapoor and Waheeda Rehman , which won the National Film Award for Best Film in 1967; he also produced Sparsh in 1985 starring Shabana Azmi and Naseeruddin Shah, which won the Filmfare Best Movie...
, making the last film of his career, cast her as a housewife who moonlights as a prostitute. While her performance earned her positive notices and a Star Screen Award nomination, she was criticised by the audience for the nature of the part, to which she later replied, "...people had a lot to say about my role... I don't have problems playing anything. I've reached a stage where I could do justice to any role that came my way. It could be role of a mother, a sister-in-law; negative, positive, sensational or anything."
2000s
In the 2000s, Rekha appeared in relatively few movies, usually as a mother or a widow rather than a glamour queen. She started the decade with BulandiBulandi (2000 film)
Bulandi is an Anil Kapoor film, a remake of Nattamai.In Bulundi, Anil Kapor portrays the protagonist, with Rekha and Ravina in supporting roles. Shakthi Kapoor plays the role of the villain...
, directed by Rama Rao Tatineni.
In 2001, she starred as Ramdulari, a simple village woman, in Rajkumar Santoshi
Rajkumar Santoshi
Rajkumar Santoshi is a Filmfare award-winning Indian film director and producer of Hindi films. He is the son of producer-director P.L. Santoshi.-Career:...
's Lajja
Lajja (film)
Lajja is a 2001 Hindi film directed by Rajkumar Santoshi. The film is based on the plight of women in India. The movie recounts the story of four women, and stars some of the best known names in Hindi cinema, including Rekha, Madhuri Dixit, Manisha Koirala, Mahima Chaudhry, Jackie Shroff, Anil...
, along with an ensemble cast that included Manisha Koirala
Manisha Koirala
Manisha B. Koirala is a Nepali-Indian actress who works in Indian films, as well as a UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador and social activist. Koirala has primarily worked in Hindi cinema, though she has appeared in several Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films as well...
, Madhuri Dixit
Madhuri Dixit
Madhuri Dixit is an Indian film actress who has appeared in Hindi films. Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, she established herself as one of Hindi cinema's leading actresses and most accomplished dancers. She appeared in numerous commercially successful films and was recognised for several of...
and Anil Kapoor
Anil Kapoor
Anil Kapoor is an Indian actor and producer who mainly appears in Bollywood films. He won a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for his role in Yash Chopra's film Mashaal ....
. She was highly praised for her portrayal, receiving several nominations. Critic Taran Adarsh
Taran Adarsh
Taran Adarsh is an Indian film critic, journalist, editor and film trade analyst. He is also a former producer and screenwriter. He is the son of film director and producer, B.K. Adarsh....
, wrote of her performance, "... it is Rekha who walks away with the glory, delivering one of the finest performances the Indian screen has seen in the recent times."
In that same year she acted alongside Karisma Kapoor
Karisma Kapoor
Karisma Kapoor , often informally referred to as Lolo, is an Indian actress who made her debut in 1991, and appears in Bollywood films. During her career, she has been part of many commercially and critically successful films, Raja Hindustani being the most notable of them, as it was her biggest...
in Shyam Benegal
Shyam Benegal
Shyam Benegal is a prolific Indian director and screenwriter. With his first four feature films Ankur , Nishant Manthan and Bhumika he created a new genre, which has now come to be called the "middle cinema" in India although he himself has expressed dislike in the term preferring his work to...
's Zubeidaa
Zubeidaa
Zubeidaa is a 2001 Indian film directed by Shyam Benegal and written by Khalid Mohammed. It stars Karisma Kapoor, Rekha, Manoj Bajpai, Surekha Sikri, Rajit Kapoor, Lillete Dubey, Amrish Puri, Farida Jalal, and Shakti Kapoor...
. Upperstall.com wrote, "Rekha has a stunning screen presence exuding grace and comes up with an expertly adept performance leaving her stamp on the film." She next starred alongside Preity Zinta
Preity Zinta
Preity Zinta is an Indian film actress. She has appeared in Hindi films of Bollywood, as well as Telugu, Punjabi and English language films. After graduating with a degree in criminal psychology, Zinta made her acting debut in Dil Se in 1998 followed by a role in Soldier the same year...
in Kundan Shah
Kundan Shah
Kundan Shah is an Indian film director and writer.He is most known for his comedy classic Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro and his 1985-1986, TV series Nukkad with Saeed Akhtar Mirza.-Biography:...
's Dil Hai Tumhaara
Dil Hai Tumhaara
Dil Hai Tumhaara is a 2002 Bollywood romantic comedy and family film starring Rekha, Preity Zinta, Mahima Chaudhry, Arjun Rampal, Jimmy Shergill and Alok Nath...
, playing the role of Sarita, a betrayed woman who takes under her custody her husband's illegitimate daughter after his death. In 2003, she played Hrithik Roshan
Hrithik Roshan
Hrithik Roshan is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films.After having appeared in films as a child actor in the 1980s, Roshan made his film debut in a leading role in Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai for which Roshan earned his Filmfare Awards for Best Actor and Best Male Debut...
's mother in Rakesh Roshan
Rakesh Roshan
Rakesh Roshan Rakesh Roshan Rakesh Roshan (Hindi: राकेश रोशन (born Rakesh Roshan Lal Nagrath on 6 September 1949 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India) is a producer, director and former actor in Bollywood films who was born in a Punjabi Hindu Kayastha family...
's Koi... Mil Gaya
Koi... Mil Gaya
Koi... Mil Gaya is a 2003 Bollywood science fiction film, directed by Rakesh Roshan , starring Hrithik Roshan, Rekha, and Preity Zinta. It was released on 8 August 2003...
. The film was the biggest hit of that year.
In 2006, she was seen in the sequel to Koi... Mil Gaya
Koi... Mil Gaya
Koi... Mil Gaya is a 2003 Bollywood science fiction film, directed by Rakesh Roshan , starring Hrithik Roshan, Rekha, and Preity Zinta. It was released on 8 August 2003...
, Krrish
Krrish
Krrish is a 2006 Indian superhero science-fiction film The film was directed, produced, and written by Rakesh Roshan, while the screenplay was written by Robin Bhatt, Sachin Bhowmick, Honey Irani, Akarsh Khurana, and Sanjay Masoom. The film is a sequel to Koi.....
, one of the most successful films of the year. In 2007, she once again portrayed a courtesan in Gautam Ghose
Gautam Ghose
Goutam Ghose is one of the most acclaimed film directors of modern India. Born in Calcutta. Graduated from Calcutta University....
's Yatra
Yatra (film)
Yatra is a Hindi movie directed by Gautam Ghose, the movie featured Rekha, Nana Patekar and Deepti Naval.-Plot:...
. Unlike the initial success she experienced in playing such roles in the early stages of her career, this time the film failed to do well. In 2010, Rekha was awarded the Padma Shri
Padma Shri
Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...
, the 4th highest civilian award given by the Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
.
In 2011, Rediff listed her as the ninth-greatest Indian actress of all time, noting, "It's hard not to be bowled over by Rekha's longevity, or her ability to reinvent herself... the actress took on a man's job and did it stunningly well, holding her own against all the top actors and being remembered despite them." Filmfare
Filmfare
Filmfare is an English-language tabloid-sized magazine about Indian cinema. Published by The Times Group, India's largest media services conglomerate, in Mumbai , it highlights the doings of the Bollywood film scene...
described her acting style, writing, "...when it comes to style, sexiness or sheer onscreen presence, she's unparalleled... [she is] a fierce, raw, flinty performer with unbridled honesty. Her acting isn't gimmicky." Critic Khalid Mohamed commends her technical control: "She knows how to give and to what degree. She has all that it takes to be a director. There is a kind of vulnerability in her control. She explores when she is acting." M.L. Dhawan from The Tribune
The Tribune
The Tribune is an Indian English-language daily newspaper published from Chandigarh, New Delhi, Jalandhar, Dehradun and Bathinda. It was founded on 2 February 1881, in Lahore , by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a public-spirited philanthropist, and is run by a trust comprising five eminent persons as...
wrote, "Rekha's flowering as an actress post Ghar and Khubsoorat climaxed in [...] Umrao Jaan. As a tragic courtesan she gave a performance of consummate artistry, adopting a much-admired huskiness and despondency of tone. Rekha communicated much with a delicately raised eyebrow.
Rekha has often been compared to Greta Garbo
Greta Garbo
Greta Garbo , born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson, was a Swedish film actress. Garbo was an international star and icon during Hollywood's silent and classic periods. Many of Garbo's films were sensational hits, and all but three were profitable...
, and has been cited by media as her Indian equivalent. Hindustan Times
Hindustan Times
Hindustan Times is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded in 1924 with roots in the Indian independence movement of the period ....
described her physical change and loss of weight as "one of cinema's and perhaps
real life's most dramatic transformations," arguing that "Rekha morphed from an overweight, dark ordinary girl into a glamorous and beautiful enigma, shrouding her life in an intriguing Garbo-like mystery." According to Rediff, "Rekha's reclusive nature has gone a long way towards building an aura of mystery around her." Rekha rarely gives interviews, and she mostly avoids parties and events. Asked in interviews about her mysterious image, she denied several times trying to live up to this image, which, according to her, is press-created: "What mystery? The media is the one that creates this image. It's just that I am basically shy by nature, an introvert and fiercely private."
Personal life
In 1990, she married DelhiDelhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
-based businessman Mukesh Aggarwal, who committed suicide in 1991. She was rumoured to have been married to actor Vinod Mehra
Vinod Mehra
Vinod Mehra was an Indian actor in Bollywood films. He started out as a child actor in a few films in the late 1950s and early 1960s before starting his adult film career in 1971 acting in over 100 films throughout the 1970s through to the 1990s...
in 1973, but in a 2004 television interview with Simi Garewal
Simi Garewal
Simi Garewal is an Indian actress. She is known for her work in Mera Naam Joker, Siddhartha and Karz.-Early life:Simi Garewal was born in a Jatt Sikh family in Delhi, her father, J S Garewal served in the army rising to the rank of brigadier...
she denied being married to Mehra referring to him as a "well-wisher". Rekha currently lives in her Bandra home in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
.
She also has a house in Colaba and a farmhouse in Pune
Selected filmography
- Goa dalli C.I.D 999 (1969)
- Sawan BhadonSawan BhadonSawan Bhadon is a 1970 Bollywood film produced and directed by Mohan Segal. The film was the debut film for its lead pair Rekha and Navin Nischol. The other cast of note in the film are Jayshree T, Iftekhar and Ranjeet. The music is by Sonik Omi...
(1970) ... Chanda - Raampur Ka LakshmanRaampur Ka Lakshman- Synopsis :Kedarnath Bhargav, his wife, Laxmi, and two sons, Ram and Lakshman, are homeless. While traveling, their train derails and the family is separated into three groups. While Laxmi works as a maidservant in the house of Bombay's mayor and his daughter, Rekha; Ram has been abducted by a...
(1972) - Ek BecharaEk BecharaEk Bechara is a 1972 Hindi film produced by B.N. Ghosh and directed by S. M. Abbas. The film stars Jeetendra, Rekha, Vinod Khanna, Pran, Johnny Walker and Bindu. The music is by Laxmikant Pyarelal....
(1972) - Gora Aur KalaGora Aur KalaGora Aur Kala is a 1972 Hindi film. Produced by Rajkumar Kohli, the film is directed by Naresh Kumar. The film stars Rajendra Kumar in a double role, Hema Malini, Rekha, Premnath, Prem Chopra, Madan Puri and Jagdeep. The film's music is by Laxmikant Pyarelal.-Cast:*Rajendra Kumar ... Karan...
(1972) ... Phoolwa - DharmaDharmaDharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...
(1973) - Kahani Kismat KiKahani Kismat KiKahani Kismat Ki is a 1973 Hindi film produced and directed by Arjun Hingorani. The film's success prodded the director to try to recreate its success by continuing with its lead actor and film titles having 3 words starting with the alphabet K....
(1973) ... Rekha - Namak HaraamNamak HaraamNamak Haraam , is a 1973 Indian Hindi film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. The music is by R.D. Burman and the screenplay by Gulzar and lyrics by Anand Bakshi. The film stars Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan. The film also stars Rekha, Asrani, Raza Murad, A.K. Hangal, Simi Garewal and Om Shivpuri...
(1973) ... Shyama - Pran Jaye Par Vachan Na JayePran Jaye Par Vachan Na JayePran Jaye Par Vachan Na Jaye is a 1974 Hindi film produced by Ratan Mohan and directed by S. Ali Raza. The film stars Sunil Dutt, Rekha, Iftekhar, Premnath, Jeevan, Bindu, Madan Puri, Ranjeet and Jayshree T. The film's music is by O. P. Nayyar.-Awards:...
(1974) ... Janniya - Dharam KaramDharam KaramDharam Karam is a 1975 Hindi film produced by Raj Kapoor and directed by Randhir Kapoor, who also star as father and son in the film, respectively. The film also stars Rekha, Premnath and Dara Singh. The music is by R.D...
(1975) ... Basanti - DharmatmaDharmatmaDharmatama is a 1975 Hindi movie and the first ever Bollywood film to be shot in Afghanistan. It was produced and directed by Feroz Khan. The movie is the first attempt in India to localise The Godfather. This film's protagonist Premnath was based on the character of Matka king Ratan Khatri...
(1975) ... Anu - AakramanAakramanAakraman is a 1975 Hindi war film. Produced by Jagdish Kumar and directed by J. Om Prakash. The war film stars Ashok Kumar, Sanjeev Kumar, Rekha, Rakesh Roshan, Farida Jalal, Sujit Kumar, Asrani, Keshto Mukherjee, Mumtaz Shanti and Rajesh Khanna...
(1975) - Do AnjaaneDo AnjaaneDo Anjaane is a 1976 Hindi film. Produced by Tito, it is directed by Dulal Guha. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha, Prem Chopra, Pradeep Kumar, Utpal Dutt, Lalita Pawar and a young pre-stardom Mithun Chakraborty. The music is by Kalyanji Anandji...
(1976) ... Rekha/Sunita Devi - Santan (1976)
- KabeelaKabeelaKabeela is a 1976 Hindi film. Produced and directed by Bholu Khosla it stars Feroz Khan, Rekha, Premnath and Bindu. The music of the film is by Kalyanji Anandji...
(1976) - AlaapAlaapAlaap is a 1977 Indian film produced by Hrishikesh Mukerjee and N.C Sippy and directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha, Asrani, Farida Jalal, Om Prakash and A. K. Hangal...
(1977) ... Radhiya - Khoon PasinaKhoon PasinaKhoon Pasina is a 1977 Hindi movie. The movie is produced by Baboo Mehra and directed by Rakesh Kumar. The movie stars Amitabh Bachchan, Vinod Khanna, Rekha, Nirupa Roy, Helen, Asrani, Aruna Irani, Bharat Bhushan and Kader Khan. The music is by Kalyanji Anandji.This was another 'blockbuster' movie...
(1977) - Aap Ki KhatirAap Ki Khatir (1977 film)Aap Ki Khatir is a 1977 Bollywood film. Harsh Kohli produced and Sudhendhu Roy directed the film. The stars are Vinod Khanna, Rekha, Nadira, Helen, Tun Tun and Om Shivpuri. The film's music is by Bappi Lahiri. The last song in the film "Bombay se Aaya Mera Dost" became a memorable hit...
(1977) - Immaan DharamImmaan DharamImmaan Dharam is a 1977 Hindi film. Written by Javed Akhtar, produced by Premji, it is directed by Desh Mukherjee. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Sanjeev Kumar and Rekha...
(1977) - Kachcha ChorKachcha ChorKachcha Chor is a 1977 Bollywood drama film directed by Jambu.-Cast:*Randhir Kapoor*Rekha*Som Dutt*Ranjeet*Jankidas*Helen*Chandan Arora *Darshan *Jagdeep *P. Jairaj *Viju Khote *Kirti Kumar *Ramesh Kumar *Kundan *Ratna *Renu...
(1977) - Ganga Ki SaugandhGanga Ki SaugandhGanga Ki Saugandh is a 1978 Hindi movie. Produced and directed by Sultan Ahmed this film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha, Amjad Khan, Pran, I. S. Johar, Bindu, and Anju Mahendru. The music is by Kalyanji Anandji....
(1978) ... Dhaniya - GharGhar (film)Ghar is a 1978 Indian Bollywood film directed by Manik Chatterjee, released on 9 February 1978. The film stars Vinod Mehra and Rekha in lead roles.-Plot:...
(1978) ... Aarti Chandra - Muqaddar Ka SikanderMuqaddar Ka SikanderMuqaddar Ka Sikandar is a 1978 Indian Hindi film. Produced and directed by Prakash Mehra, it stars Amitabh Bachchan in his third out of six films with Prakash Mehra to date. The films also stars Vinod Khanna, Raakhee Gulzar, Rekha and Amjad Khan...
(1978) ... Zohrabai - Prem BandhanPrem BandhanPrem Bandhan is a 1979 is an Indian Hindi film directed by Ramanand Sagar. The film stars Rajesh Khanna, Rekha, Moushumi Chatterjee as the lead actors and is supported by A. K. Hangal, Prema Narayan, Bhagwan, Keshto Mukherjee and Lalita Pawar...
(1979) - Kartavya (1979) ... Nita
- SuhaagSuhaag (1979 film)Suhaag is a 1979 Indian Hindi film directed by Manmohan Desai. A box-office success, the film became the highest earning film of 1979.The movie stars Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Rekha and Parveen Babi in lead roles. Amjad Khan, Nirupa Roy and Jeevan play supporting roles...
(1979) ... Basanti - Mr. NatwarlalMr. NatwarlalMr. Natwarlal is a 1979 Hindi action comedy movie. Produced by Tony Glaad it is directed by Rakesh Kumar. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha, Ajit and Amjad Khan. The music is by Rajesh Roshan, the songs are written by Anand Bakshi, and the highlight of the film was a children's song sung by...
(1979) - Jaani DushmanJaani DushmanJaani Dushman is a 1979 Bollywood popular horror film with a large starcast including Sunil Dutt, Rekha, Shatrughan Sinha, Vinod Mehra, Sanjeev Kumar, Neetu Singh, Jeetendra, Reena Roy, Aruna Irani, Madan Puri, Amrish Puri, Shakti Kapoor and Premnath. It was directed by Rajkumar Kohli...
(1979) - AanchalAanchal (1980 film)Aanchal is a Hindi blockbuster released in 1980 starring Rajesh Khanna, Rakhee, Rekha as the main protagonist and supported by Prem Chopra and Amol Palekar. This story basically revolves around divine relationship shared by Rajesh Khanna with Rakhee. Music is by R D Burman. Songs are sung by...
(1980) - JudaaiJudaai (1980 film)Judaai is an Indian Hindi film directed by T. Rama Rao, released on 26 September 1980. The film stars Ashok Kumar, Rekha and Jeetendra in lead roles.-Plot:...
(1980) ... Gauri - Kali Ghata (1980) ... Rekha/Rashmi
- Jal MahalJal MahalJal Mahal is a palace located in the middle of the Man Sagar Lake in Jaipur city, the capital of the state of Rajasthan, India. The palace and the lake around it were renovated and enlarged in the 18th century by Maharaja Jai Singh II of Amber.The Jal Mahal palace has got an eye-popping makeover...
(1980) - KhubsooratKhubsooratKhubsoorat is a 1980 Indian Hindi film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, whose direction together with dialogues by Gulzar created a comedy classic. Rekha shined in a first all-out comic role, with her brilliant comic timing....
(1980) - Agreement (1980) ... Mala Mathur
- KalyugKalyug (1980 film)Kalyug is a Hindi film made in 1981, and was directed by Shyam Benegal.The film is known as a modern day version of an Indian mythological epic Mahabharat depicted as an archetypal-conflict between rival business houses.-Overview:...
(1980) ... Supriya - Silsila (1981) ... Chandni
- Umrao JaanUmrao JaanUmrao Jaan is a 1981 Bollywood film, directed by Muzaffar Ali. It is based on the Urdu novel Umrao Jaan Ada , written by Mirza Hadi Ruswa based on the famous Lucknow courtesan...
(1981) ... Amiran/Umrao Jaan - BaseraaBaseraaBaseraa is a 1981 Indian Bollywood film. The film was produced by Ramesh Behl, and directed by Ramesh Talwar. The film stars Shashi Kapoor, Rakhee, Rekha, Poonam Dhillon, Raj Kiran, A.K. Hangal and Iftekar. The music of the film is by R.D. Burman.-Plot:...
(1981) ... Poornima "Nima" Kohli - Ek Hi BhoolEk Hi BhoolEk Hi Bhool is a 1981 Indian Bollywood film directed by T. Rama Rao. The film stars Jeetendra and Rekha in leading roles. Shabana Azmi makes a special appearance.-Plot:...
(1981) ... Sadhana Srivastav - VijetaVijetaVijeta is a 1982 Hindi film produced by Shashi Kapoor and directed by Govind Nihalani. It stars Shashi Kapoor, Rekha, Kunal Kapoor and Amrish Puri.-Plot:Vijeta is the coming of age story of Angad...
(1982) ... Neelima - Jeevan DhaaraJeevan DhaaraJeevan Dhaara is a 1982 Indian Bollywood film directed by Tatineni Rama Rao. The film stars Rekha, Raj Babbar, Amol Palekar, Sulochana Latkar, Simple Kapadia and Rakesh Roshan. The movie belongs to Art Cinema genre, also known as Parallel Cinema. Rekha received a nomination for Filmfare Best...
(1982) ... Sangeeta Shrivastav - Nishaan (1983)
- Mujhe Insaaf ChahiyeMujhe Insaaf ChahiyeMujhe Insaaf Chahiye is an Indian Bollywood film directed by T. Rama Rao released on 23 September 1983. The film stars Mithun Chakraborty, Rekha, Rati Agnihotri, Ranjeeta, Danny Denzongpa, Asrani...
(1983) - Agar Tum Na HoteAgar Tum Na HoteAgar Tum Na Hote is a 1983 Indian Bollywood film directed by Lekh Tandon. The film stars Rajesh Khanna, Rekha and Raj Babbar in leading roles.-Story:...
(1983) ... Mrs. Neena Mehra/Mrs. Radha Bedi - Bindiya ChamkegiBindiya Chamkegi-Plot:Shalini 'Shalu' lives a wealthy lifestyle with her businessman brother, Shyam Kapoor, and is expected to marry Surajbhan, the son of wealthy Thakursaheb. She would prefer that Shyam got married first so that he can have someone to look after him, but as he was in love with a woman named Maya,...
(1984) ... Bindiya - UtsavUtsavUtsav is a 1984 Hindi film, produced by Shashi Kapoor and directed by Girish Karnad.The film stars Shashi Kapoor, Rekha, Amjad Khan, Anuradha Patel, Shekhar Suman, Anupam Kher, Shankar Nag, Neena Gupta, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Annu Kapoor, Sanjana Kapoor and Kunal Kapoor.The role played by Shashi...
(1984) ... Vasantsena - FaasleFaasleFaasle is a 1985 Bollywood film produced and directed by Yash Chopra.The film stars Sunil Dutt, Rekha, Farooq Shaikh, Deepti Naval, Raj Kiran, Rohan Kapoor, Farha, Sushma Seth and Alok Nath. The film is the debut film for Rohan Kapoor son of singer Mahinder Kapoor and actress Farha, niece of...
(1985) ... Maya - Musafir (1986)
- LocketLocketA locket is a pendant that opens to reveal a space used for storing a photograph or other small item such as a curl of hair. Lockets are usually given to loved ones on holidays such as Valentine's Day and occasions such as Christenings, weddings and, most noticeably during the Victorian Age,...
(1986) ... Shalu - Pyar Ki JeetPyar Ki JeetPyar Ki Jeet is a 1987 Indian Bollywood film directed by Sawan Kumar Tak. The film stars Shashi Kapoor, Vinod Mehra, Rekha, Ashok Kumar, Moon Moon Sen.-Plot:...
(1987) ... Soni - Khoon Bhari MaangKhoon Bhari MaangKhoon Bhari Maang is an Indian Bollywood movie released on 12 August 1988, directed and produced by Rakesh Roshan. It is a remake of the Australian mini-series Return to Eden , and is about a wealthy widow who is almost killed by her lover and sets out for revenge.-Synopsis:Aarti Verma is a widow...
(1988) ... Aarti Verma/Jyoti - IjaazatIjaazatIjaazat is an acclaimed 1987 Indian Hindi film directed by Gulzar, based on a Bengali story, Jatugriha by Subodh Ghosh....
(1988) ... Sudha - Biwi Ho To AisiBiwi Ho To AisiBiwi Ho To Aisi : A wife should be like this) is a 1988 film, directed and written by J.K. Bihari. The music was scored by the duo of Laxmikant-Pyarelal....
(1988) ... Shalu Mehra - BhrashtacharBhrashtacharBhrashtachar is a Hindi film is directed by Ramesh Sippy and released in 1989. It stars Rekha and Mithun Chakraborty in lead roles. Shilpa Shirodkar makes her debut with this film. Rajinikanth made an extended special appearance....
(1989) ... Bhavani - Mera Pati Sirf Mera Hai (1990);... Sharda
- Phool Bane AngarayPhool Bane AngarayPhool Bane Angaray is a 1991 film K.C. Bokadia which starrs Rajinikanth and Rekha in the lead roles.-Plot:Dutta Babu is standing for elections against a cunning, corrupt, & established gangster, Bishamber Prasad , who is also powerful and influential enough to swing the election his way, as well...
(1991) ... Namrata - Madam X (1994) ... Sonu/Madam X
- Khiladiyon Ka KhiladiKhiladiyon Ka KhiladiKhiladiyon Ka Khiladi is a 1996 Bollywood action thriller starring Rekha in her first villain role, Akshay Kumar, Raveena Tandon and former WWE wrestler Brian Lee. The film went on to do very well at the box office...
(1996) ... Maya - Udaan (1997)
- Aastha (1997) ... Mansi
- Kama Sutra: A Tale of LoveKama Sutra: A Tale of LoveKama Sutra: A Tale of Love is a 1996 American drama film directed by Mira Nair. The film takes its title from the ancient Indian text, the Kama Sutra, but this only serves as a common link between the characters....
(1996) ... Rasa Devi - BulandiBulandi (2000 film)Bulandi is an Anil Kapoor film, a remake of Nattamai.In Bulundi, Anil Kapor portrays the protagonist, with Rekha and Ravina in supporting roles. Shakthi Kapoor plays the role of the villain...
(2000) ... Lakshmi - ZubeidaaZubeidaaZubeidaa is a 2001 Indian film directed by Shyam Benegal and written by Khalid Mohammed. It stars Karisma Kapoor, Rekha, Manoj Bajpai, Surekha Sikri, Rajit Kapoor, Lillete Dubey, Amrish Puri, Farida Jalal, and Shakti Kapoor...
(2001) ... Maharani Mandira Devi - LajjaLajjaLajja is a novel in Bengali by Taslima Nasrin, a writer of Bangladesh. The word lajja/lôjja means "shame" in Bengali and many other Indic languages. The book was first published in 1993 in the Bengali language, and was subsequently banned in Bangladesh, and a few states of India...
(2001) ... Ramdulaari - Mujhe Meri Biwi Se BachaaoMujhe Meri Biwi Se BachaaoMujhe Meri Biwi Se Bachaao is a 2001 Indian film directed by Harry Baweja.It stars Rekha and Naseeruddin Shah.This film is a remake of the 1986 American comedy Ruthless People starring Danny DeVito and Bette Midler....
(2001) ... Kamini - Dil Hai TumhaaraDil Hai TumhaaraDil Hai Tumhaara is a 2002 Bollywood romantic comedy and family film starring Rekha, Preity Zinta, Mahima Chaudhry, Arjun Rampal, Jimmy Shergill and Alok Nath...
(2002) ... Saritaji - BhootBhootBhoot is a Bollywood ghost movie released in 2003. It was directed by Ram Gopal Varma and stars Ajay Devgan and Urmila Matondkar. It was perceived to be different from a typical Bollywood movie as it did not contain songs. The film did average business at the box office...
(2003) ... Sarita - Koi... Mil GayaKoi... Mil GayaKoi... Mil Gaya is a 2003 Bollywood science fiction film, directed by Rakesh Roshan , starring Hrithik Roshan, Rekha, and Preity Zinta. It was released on 8 August 2003...
(2003) ... Sonia Mehra - Bachke Rehna Re BabaBachke Rehna Re BabaBachke Rehna Re Baba is a 2005 Bollywood film directed by Govind Menon, starring Rekha, Paresh Rawal, Mallika Sherawat and Satish Shah. The film's plot is inspired by the 2001 American film Heartbreakers.-Synopsis:Rukmini is well into her 40s and still unmarried...
(2005) ... Rukmini / Richa / Gurpreet - KrrishKrrishKrrish is a 2006 Indian superhero science-fiction film The film was directed, produced, and written by Rakesh Roshan, while the screenplay was written by Robin Bhatt, Sachin Bhowmick, Honey Irani, Akarsh Khurana, and Sanjay Masoom. The film is a sequel to Koi.....
(2006) ... Sonia Mehra - Kudiyon Ka Hai ZamanaKudiyon Ka Hai ZamanaKudiyon Ka Hai Zamana is a Bollywood comedy film directed by Amur Batula. Released in 2006 it stars Mahima Chaudhary, Rekha and Ashmit Patel. Its central set up is of four female friends and their problems with boyfriends and husbands, and it has been compared to Sex and the City....
(2006) ... Mayuri - YatraYatra (film)Yatra is a Hindi movie directed by Gautam Ghose, the movie featured Rekha, Nana Patekar and Deepti Naval.-Plot:...
(2007) ... Lajwanti - Sadiyaan (2010) ...