Rekha – Biography, Facts and Life Story

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Nick name	Bollywood Queen, Rekhaji, Madame X
gender	female
age	69 years old (2024)
date of birth	October 10, 1954
full name	Bhanurekha Ganesan
Profession	actor
Country of Citizenship	India
place of birth	Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
religion	Hinduism
release date	June 27, 2024 at 1:24 pm
constellation	Libra

Bhanurekha Ganesan, popularly known by her stage name Rekha, is an Indian film performing artist. She is known for her versatility and is widely regarded as one of the finest screen characters in Indian cinema. Rekha began her career in 1966 with a child screen role in the Telugu film Rangula Ratnam. Despite the success of several of her early films, she was often asked to play prime roles and it was not until the mid-to-late 1970s that she was recognized by the public as a performing artist.

Rekha acted in more than 180 films in a career spanning more than 50 years. Throughout her career, she often played strong female characters and, in addition to traditional films, she also acted in art films, known in India as parallel cinema. She 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 Khiladivon Ka Khiladi (1996). Her role as a traditional concubine in Umrao Jaan (1981) won her the National Film Award for Best Actress.

Although she had experienced some low points in her career, she bounced back on various occasions and is hailed as an expert at maintaining her status. In 2010, the Indian government awarded her the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian award.

In 1970, she acted in two films: the Telugu film Amma Kosam and the Hindi film Sawan Bhadon, which was her Bollywood debut. Sawan Bhadon was a huge hit, and Rekha became a star almost overnight. Despite the success of the film, she was often not accepted due to her looks. As a result, she received a few job offers, but none of them were substantial, as her work was mostly just modeling. At the time, she acted in a few commercially successful films, but her acting skills were not widely recognized.

However, Rekha’s finest hour came in 1978 when she played a wounded man in the film Ghar. The film was considered her first major break and her performance was hailed by critics and audiences.

That same year, she shot to fame with Muqaddar Ka Sikander, starring opposite Amitabh Bachchan. The film was the biggest hit of the year and one of the biggest hits of the decade, and Rekha became one of the best actors of the time. The film received a rapturous response from the audience when it premiered, and Rekha’s character of Zohra, a prostitute, was known to be “exciting”.

An epitome of beauty, grace and balance, Rekha has lived an authentic life in Bollywood, but it has not been without its mixture of controversies, conflicts, triumphs and disappointments. However, the yesteryear performing artist has always remained steadfast and has not let anything come in the way of her illustrious career.

To this day, Rekha remains one of the most beautiful women in Bollywood and it is no exaggeration to say that she is able to guide young performing artists towards continued success.

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Rika Education

School: Church Park Convent, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Rekha’s career

Occupation: Actor

Known for: starring in the movie “Silsila”

Debut:

Film debut: The Child Artist – Rangula Ratnam (Telugu, 1966)

Movie Posters

Film debut: Operation Jackpot Nalli CID 999 (Kannada, 1969)

Movie Posters

Net worth: Approximately $30 million

Family and relatives

Father: Gemini Ganesan (Tamil actor)

Rekha and her father

Mother: Pushpavalli (Telugu actress)

Rekha and her father

Brother: Satish Kumar Ganesan

Rekha’s brother

Sisters: Kamala Selvaraj, Radha, Jaya Srideha, Vijaya Chamudeshwari, Revati Swaminathan, Narayani Ganesh

Rekha sisters Kamala Selvaraj, Radha, Jaya Sreedhar, Vijaya Chamundeswari, Revathi Swaminathan, Narayani Ganesh

Marital status: Married

Husband: The late Mukesh Agarwal (married January 1990; died October 1990)

Rekha and her ex-husband

Past Relationships:

• Biswajit Chatterjee, actor
• The late actor Vinod Mehra
• Sajid Khan, actor
• The late actor Navin Nischol
• Jeetendra, actor
• Shatrughan Sinha, actor
• Yash Kohli, film producer
• Amitabh Bachchan, actor
• The late entrepreneur Mukesh Agarwal
• Akshay Kumar, actor (rumored)

Things You Never Knew About Rekha

• She dropped out of school to pursue a career in show business at the age of 13. She had no personal dreams of taking this path, but her family’s financial constraints forced her to do so.
• She needs to learn Hindi because it is not the standard dialect of Hindi and it is not spoken in her family.
• Rekha was also elected as a member of Rajya Sabha. She is currently a member of Rajya Sabha (May 2012)
• Shockingly, the actor had a very traumatic childhood as her father never really cared for her when she was young and did not even acknowledge himself as her father. Perhaps this was because, Rekha’s father never married her mother and she remained an immature child.
• Rekha always longed to explore all corners of the world, which is why she wanted to become an air hostess, but surprisingly, she was rejected due to her young age.
• Rekha was so obsessed with makeup that in her youth she used to be in the company of air hostesses who would bring her the best makeup brands from abroad.
• At one point in Rekha’s early life, she even wanted to become a religious hermit. In fact, this inclination came after she studied in a religious community school with Irish nuns.
• Rekha’s husband Mukesh Aggarwal committed suicide a year after their marriage.
• Rekha is probably the bravest woman in the past, having starred with most of her co-stars including Amitabh Bachchan, Raj Babbar, Vinod Mehra, Navin Nischol, Jeetendra, Yash Kohli, Kiran Kumar, Shatrughan Sinha, Sajid Khan and Akshay Kumar.
• Apparently, there were rumours that she had secretly married her co-star Vinod Mehra, however, she flatly denied the rumours during a talk show with Simi Garewal.
• After nearly four decades in the Hindi film industry, Rekhna still has one unfulfilled dream – to star alongside Dilip Kumar.
• In her initial years in the showbiz industry, Rekha was often looked down upon for her dull looks and features, with Bollywood even considering her an outlier.
• Rekha is very passionate about singing and to live up to RD Burman’s expectations, she even sang two songs in the film titled ‘Khoobsurat’.
• While women of all ages love to emulate her unique style of wearing Kanjeevaram sarees, the performing artist loves to revisit her old sarees with another twist of her own style.
• Unlike most Bollywood stars, Rekha is known to be extremely reliable and she values ​​her time more than anyone else.
• Talking about friends with a bromance, Rekha is the closest friend of dream girl Hema Malini and whenever Hema Ji invites friends for a party, Rekha is on her speed dial.
• Rekha is also the first actor in the Indian film industry to sign up for training at Hotel Ramee International’s fitness centre and started with swimming and basic exercises.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Rekha?

Rekha is an Indian actress who was born on 10 October 1954 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.

How old is Rekha?

As of August 2024, Rekha is 69 years old.

How tall is Rekha?

Rekha has a height of 5 feet 6 inches (1.68 meters).

Categories: Best Bollywood Actors
Source: dut.edu.vn