Bold and the beautiful

She���s the ugly duckling turned swan who ruled over Bollywood for more than a decade.
Rekha entered the film industry with her dusky complexion and more than just a round figure, a far cry from what the industry endorsed, at the age of 13, and delivered a hit with Sawaan Bhaadon, her debut film.
An illegitimate child of South actor Gemini Ganesan, Rekha struggled to establish her surname for a long time.Alone and vulnerable, she learnt the ropes on the sets of her films, continually seeking to revamp her image with every new film. Her proximity with the Bachchan khandaan was quite well-known in the industry. Such was Jaya Bachchan���s influence on her, that the latter supposedly adopted Jaya���s style onscreen.
The actor went on to romance her co-star in Ghar, the charming Vinod Mehra. They nearly painted the town red with their affair. Yet Rekha seemed to be seeking something more. She was awed by Amitabh Bachchan who played her guide and mentor through her filmi career. She sought feedback from Amitabh after every scene and dance step, and wanted to match step for step. Their pair had a crackling chemistry on screen to the extent where it posed a threat to Bachchan���s personal life.
Bollywood Biographies on Zoom charts the course that the actor took to experience success without a godfather in the industry. Rekha, never to be kept down for a long time bounced back with a new look to give tough competition to the likes of Raveena Tandon in Khiladiyon ke Khiladi. She made ���dusky��� alluring as cosmetic brand Lakme, for the first time, launched an exclusive copper tone endorsed by the actor.
Married and separated, and a professional low later, Rekha did some memorable roles. Says actor Farooque Sheikh on the show, ���She is one of those who can give brilliant performances in any kind of genre, be it comedy or melodrama, she excels in all of it. She is one of those rare complete actresses.���
However, we say, for the orginal Umrao Jaan, the journey has just begun.
For more on this, keep watching Bollywood Biographies on Zoom today at 8:30 pm.