From courtesan to spirited girl next door, Rekha's remarkable versatility in Hindi cinema

Rekha in Jaal (1986). Rekha’s ascent in the Hindi film industry wasn’t an easy one, despite her father Shivaji Ganesan’s superstar status. (Image source: Twitter/Netflix India)

In October 2022, the Dadasaheb Phalke award was conferred on Asha Parekh. There was some criticism over Parekh’s selection, for while the actress pulled off a string of blockbusters in the 1960s, her films lack what might be termed an enduring legacy. A lifetime achievement award would have done her more justice instead, critics argued.

It will be significantly harder to dispute the status of the latest recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Outstanding Contribution to the Film Industry Award (different from the Dadasaheb Phalke Award presented at the National Film Awards ceremony). Bhanurekha Ganesan or Rekha, as she is more popularly known, and daughter to Tamil superstar Shivaji Ganesan and Pushpavalli, put together a body of work in Hindi cinema that combined commercial success while winning critical acclaim for her offbeat performances.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Dadasaheb Phalke -DPIFF Awards (@dpiff_official)

Story continues below Advertisement

Remove Ad

Rekha’s ascent in the Hindi film industry wasn’t an easy one. Despite her father’s superstar status, she came into the world of films to help the family tide past their financial woes. She also had to put up with a most unsavoury episode while only in her teens. She was made to kiss the actor Biswajeet on the sets of Anjana Safar, stuff that made for excellent tabloid fodder, but which left the young girl in tears. Even the success of Saawan Bhado, her very first Hindi film in 1970, could not save her from being subject to the worst kind of body shaming in her initial years in the industry.

But Rekha survived. And flourished. The late 1970s saw her rise to stardom, beginning with Ghar (1978) where her depiction of a rape survivor earned her praise. Around the same time, she put in a memorable character performance as Zohra Bai in Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978), a role that perhaps earned her more plaudits than what came the way of the film’s tragic hero played by Amitabh Bachchan.

(Image source: Twitter AbbakkaHypatia)

Indeed, Bachchan and Rekha shared some terrific on-screen chemistry, a continuation possibly of their alleged off-screen romance. Be it their nok-jhonk in Mr Natwarlal (1979) or the unapologetic, amorous nature of ‘Rang barse’ in Silsila (1981), they really forged a formidable pairing like Raj Kapoor and Nargis before them and Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol in later years.

Fans and critics, however, would do better if they examine Rekha’s work for what it is rather than going through her personal life to feed their own voyeuristic sensibilities. As Rekha rose to commercial fame and success, she became bankable enough to carry films on her own. Khubsoorat (1980), Umrao Jaan (1981) and Khoon Bhari Maang (1988) aren’t just ready examples of this, but also exhibit Rekha’s versatility. She could play the effervescent girl next door, the coquettish courtesan dripping with tehzeeb and saleeka and the scorned woman out for revenge with equal aplomb.

She was very much in demand with filmmakers from outside the commercial mainstream too. Be it Shyam Benegal’s Kalyug (1981), or Govind Nihalani’s Vijeta (1982), or Gulzar’s Ijaazat (1987), Rekha put in a number of convincing performance while playing different characters – wife, mother, spurned lover.

Between these films, there was Girish Karnad’s Utsav (1984). Rekha played the rather erotic courtesan character of Vasantsena here, a continuation of her roles in Muqaddar Ka Sikandar and Umrao Jaan to some extent, but where she flaunted her skin and sexuality like-never-before. Utsav didn’t do well at the box office, but one suspects that Rekha made her place as a pin-up star solely on the strength of that sizzling role. Not bad for a woman whose dark complexion and rotund shape were the subject of ridicule in her early years.

Rekha in Mira Nair's 'Kama Sutra' (Image via Twitter/BeTheJuggernaut)

The 1990s saw producers and filmmakers milk Rekha’s sensuality quotient, casting her in films like Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi (1996) and Aastha (1997). Both films went against convention in that Rekha played a negative character in the Akshay Kumar-starrer and a married woman turning to prostitution in the Basu Bhattacharya film. More importantly, these roles came to Rekha when she was way past her heyday. Yet, she was pulling in audiences solely on account of her ‘oomph’ factor while being well into her forties.  She was a trailblazer in this regard.

The last phase of Rekha’s career saw her play character roles such as the Kama Sutra teacher in Mira Nair’s film by the same name (1996) and mother to Hrithik Roshan in Koi… Mil Gaya (2003). It wasn’t exactly the kind of swansong that was expected from an actor of her caliber, but she had done enough before that to carve her own unique niche in Hindi cinema.

She could pull off family dramas (Agar Tum Na Hote, 1983) and feminist stories (Phool Bane Angaray, 1991) with equal dexterity. She was the very embodiment of femme fatale, wooing audiences with generous doses of her thumkaas (‘Salaam-e-ishq meri jaan’) and her bewitching eyes (‘Inn aankhon ki masti ke’). Be it as a lead actor or in small character roles (Zubeidaa, 2001 or Lajja, 2001), she left a mark no matter what the size of her acting canvas.

The 2023 Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival award is a well-deserved recognition of this fine actor.