Born on October 10, 1954 to veteran Tamil actor Gemini Ganesan and Telugu actress Pushpavalli, Bhanurekha Ganesan aka Rekha is considered the eternal diva of the Indian film industry. Since his parents were not married, he had to face many difficulties in his childhood. It was only when he was struggling to establish himself in the film industry that he exposed his fatherhood, as they were famous in their day. Rekha appeared as a child actor in the Telugu film Rangula Ratnam (1966). Rekha made her heroine debut in the hit Kannada Goadalli film CID 999 with Dr. Rajkumar in 1969.
Two films were released in 1970: the Telugu film Amma Kosam and the Hindi film Sawan Bhadon. Sawan Bhadon was a hit and becomes a star overnight. He received many offers, but nothing substantial. For the most part, her roles used to be just a glamorous girl, a typical Hindi movie heroine. He appeared in several successful films, such as Kahani Kismat Ki, Raampur Ka Lakshman, and Pran Jaaye By Vachan Na Jaaye. His first serious, performance-oriented role came in 1976 when he signed Do Anjaane with Amitabh Bachchan. People noticed her on that and then came Ghar in 1978, which was critically acclaimed and nominated for Filmfare’s best actress award. He first achieved real fame in 1978 with Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, in which he co-starred with Amitabh Bachchan.
He then co-starred with Amitabh on several hits of the 1980s. The most scandalous of them was Silsila, in which he played Amitabh’s love interest and Amitabh’s real-life wife, Jaya Bhaduri, played his wife. He also starred in the movie Umrao Jaan. The film was considered one of her best performances and received the National Film Award for Best Actress. In films such as Muqaddar Ka Sikandar and Umrao Jaan, her portrayal as a courtesan with a heart of gold won praise and she played similar roles in other films. Besides mainstream cinema, he also acted in various art films such as Basera, Ijjazat, Ghar, Aastha, to name a few. To date, he delivers all his papers with the same sincerity that he used to do before. In 1982 he received the National Film Award for Umrao Jaan.
Other Filmfare awards she received were 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 film Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi (1997), Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003 Bollywood Movie Award for best supporting actress for the film Koi Mil Gaya (2004) Star Screen Award Best Villain, for the film Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi, Zee Cine Award for Lifetime Achievement (2006), Forever Diva Award (2007) He has the merit of acting in more than 180 films. Whether acting or dancing, he did each of them with the same enthusiasm and finesse.
Go see her gallery: Bollywood
Throughout his life, he has had many 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 television show. She married a businessman Mukesh Agarwal in 1990 who committed suicide in 1991. He currently lives with his secretary, Farzana in Bandra Mumbai. To date, she is as stylish as she was during her early days. The secret behind her flawless beauty is her disciplined life, yoga and meditation routine that she strictly follows. Each and every future actress takes her as a role model and follows her makeover style. She imbues each role she rehearsed with a dignity and characterization that makes it difficult to envision anyone other than herself in those roles. In doing so, he has made an indelible name for himself in the annals of Indian cinema.
More about Rekha and others at: Indian Masala Gallery