Born to veteran Tamil actor Gemini Ganesan and Telugu actress Pushpavalli on October 10, 1954, Bhanurekha Ganesan aka Rekha is considered the eternal diva of the Indian film industry. Since her parents were not married, she had to face many difficulties in her childhood. It was only when she was struggling to gain a foothold in the film industry that she exposed her parenting, being famous in her day. Rekha appeared as a child actor in the Telugu film Rangula Ratnam (1966). Rekha made her debut as a heroine in the successful Kannada Goodalli film CID 999 with Dr. Rajkumar in 1969.
He had two films released in 1970: the Telugu film Amma Kosam and the Hindi Sawan Bhadon. Sawan Bhadon was a hit and becomes a star overnight. She got a lot of offers, but nothing major. Her roles used to be just that of a glamorous girl, a typical Hindi movie heroine. She appeared in several successful movies including Kahani Kismat Ki, Raampur Ka Lakshman, and Pran Jaaye Par Vachan Na Jaaye. Her first serious, acting-oriented role came in 1976 when she signed Do Anjaane with Amitabh Bachchan. People took notice of her on that and then there was Ghar in 1978, which garnered critical acclaim and was nominated for a Filmfare Best Actress Award. She first achieved real fame in 1978 with Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, in which she co-starred with Amitabh Bachchan.
He went on to co-star with Amitabh in a string of 1980s hits. The most outrageous of these was Silsila, in which he played Amitabh’s love interest and Amitabh’s real-life wife, Jaya Bhaduri, played his wife. . She also starred in the movie Umrao Jaan. The film was considered one of her best performances and she received the National Film Award for Best Actress. In movies like Muqaddar Ka Sikandar and Umrao Jaan, her portrayal of the courtesan with a heart of gold won praise and she played similar roles in other movies. Besides mainstream cinema, she has also acted in various art films like Basera, Ijjazat, Ghar, Aastha to name a few. She to date, she plays all of her roles with the same sincerity that she used to do before. In the year 1982 she received the National Film Award for Umrao Jaan.
Other Filmfare Awards she received included the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for the film Khubsoorat (1980), the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for the film Khoon Bhari Maang (1988), the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for the movie Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi (1997), Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003. Bollywood Movie Award as Best Supporting Actress for the movie Koi Mil Gaya (2004) Star Screen Award Best Villain, for the movie Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi, Zee Cine Award for Lifetime Achievement (2006), Diva Award (2007) She is credited with acting in more than 180 films. Whether acting or dancing, she did each of them with the same enthusiasm and finesse.
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Throughout his life, he has had many rumored relationships with his co-stars namely Amitabh Bachchan, Jeetandra, Vinod Mehra, Kiran Kumar to name a few. There is a rumor in Bollywood that she married actor Vinod Mehra in 1973, which she later denied on a recent TV show. She married a businessman Mukesh Agarwal in 1990, who committed suicide in the year 1991. Her personal life was never a bed of roses. She currently lives with her secretary, Farzana in Bandra Mumbai. To date, she is as stylish as she was during her early days. The secret behind her impeccable beauty is her disciplined life, her yoga and meditation routine which she strictly follows. Each and every future actress takes her as a role model and follows her makeover style. She imbues each role she essays with a dignity and character that makes it difficult to envision anyone other than her in those roles. In doing so, she has made an indelible name for herself in the annals of Indian cinema.
More about Rekha and others at: Indian Masala Gallery