Though she is known the world over as Rekha, but Bollywood's original 'mujra girl' was born as Bhanurekha Ganesan. As she turns a year older, we take a look at her journey so far..
Rekha was born to legendary Tamil actor Gemini Ganesan and Telugu actress Pushpavalli in 1954. The couple have two daughters together, named Rekha and Radha.
Since Ganesan never married Rekha's mother, he never acknowledged Rekha as his daughter during her childhood. Though Rekha revealed her origins when she was trying to make it big in the industry, she never reciprocated his attempts at a reconciliation.
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Rekha made a film debut at the age of 12 as a child actor in the Telugu film 'Rangula Ratnam'. Three years later, she starred in her first Hindi film Anjaana Safar (later re-titled as 'Do Shikari')
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Her film 'Sawan Bhadon' opposite Navin Nischol marked her big break in Bollywood. The film was a huge hit and Rekha became an overnight star.
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Rekha's personal life has always been controversial. In 1973, Rekha was rumoured to be married to Bollywood actor Vinod Mehra. Years later, Rekha denied the marriage rumours and called him a 'well-wisher'.
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Her potrayal of a rape victim in 'Ghar' opposite Vinod Mehra was applauded by both critics and audiences and she received her first nomination for Best Actress at the Filmfare Awards.
The year 1976 was a turning point in her life, both personally and professionally. She starred in 'Do Anjaane', her first film opposite Amitabh Bachchan. They went on to star in many films successful together.
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'Khubsoorat', 'Umrao Jaan', 'Muqaddar Ka Sikander', 'Utsav' and 'Silsila' opposite Amitabh Bachchan are some of her talked about films. There were rumours of a secret affair between the two despite Amitabh being married to Jaya Bhaduri.
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In 1990, Rekha married Delhi-based industrialist Mukesh Aggarwal. Just an year after their marriage, when Rekha was in the US, Mukesh committed suicide.
Her bold onscreen avatars and acting talent contributed to her Bollywood success. For 'Khubsoorat' and 'Khoon Bhari Maang' Rekha won the Filmfare award for Best Actress. She also bagged the Filmfare award for Best supporting actress for the movie 'Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi'.
Apart from being a part of mainstream 'masala' films, Rekha is equally known for acting in arthouse cinema. She took on challenging roles that proved her mettle. She was among the first actresses who were asked to play the lead in heroin-oriented films like 'Khubsoorat', 'Khoon Bhari Maang' and 'Mujhe Insaaf Chahiye'.
Rekha has earned loads of accolades for her dancing abilities. From 'mujra' to disco, she can carry off any dance performance with elan.
Even today, Rekha is known for her unmatchable style replete with Kanjivaram sarees and gold jewellery. As the Bollywood Diva turns 58 today, we wish her a very Happy Birthday!
