Rekha and the men she loved: From famed actors, Jeetendra and Amitabh Bachchan, to business tycoon, Mukesh Agarwal

Rekha, the actress who keeps her heart on her sleeve, is a legendary artist of Bollywood who challenged stereotypes and enchanted the audience with her performances. The trailblazing actress is renowned for her versatility, whether it's seeking revenge in ‘Khoon Bhari Maang’ or gracefully dancing on ‘Dil Cheez Kya Hai’ in ‘Umrao Jaan’ - she owns her presence on the screen.

Over the years, the speculations about her love and tragedy have been a hot topic. While the actress gained love from the audience, her personal life somehow crumbled to dust after a couple of tragic relationships. From the grace that never faded to the stature that never bent, the 70-year-old actress graciously stands tall, getting admired by generations.

Let’s take a look at the men who changed the course of Rekha’s life - from famed actors to businessmen.

Before Rekha could experience ‘love,’ she was allegedly molested on the sets of ‘Anjana Safar’ at the Mehboob Studios. The 15-year-old Rekha was supposed to shoot a romantic scene with her co-star, Biswajeet Chatterjee, and was forcibly kissed without her permission, according to the biography ‘Rekha: The Untold Story’ by Yasser Usman.

Chatterjee and the director, Kuljeet Pal, allegedly decided to shoot the scene without informing her. When Pal exclaimed, “Action!” the actor grabbed the teenager from her back and kissed her. While she was horrified by the incident, the actress was on the verge of crying.

In the biography, Usman mentioned that one of the serious relationships of Rekha was indeed with the actor she worked with in more than 30 films, Jeetendra. While the actor was renowned for his flirtatious demeanour, he had been married to Shoba Kapoor. The duo grew an affinity towards each other; however, while shooting ‘Ek Bechara,’ Rekha overheard him saying that she was a mere ‘timepass.’ The appalling revelation made her weep for hours in her room, leading to the end of the relationship.

Rekha and Kiran Kumar, the ‘Sukhee’ actor, are old flames who had a short-term affair. In a 1975 interview with Stardust magazine, Rekha revealed an incessant habit of her partner, who was indeed Kumar. She stated that his ‘mumma’s boy’ personality and a ‘dutiful son’ composure annoyed her - the one where he insisted on returning home at 10 p.m. and having a glass of milk.

Against all odds, Rekha and Vinod Mehra, her ‘Ghar’ co-star, tried to establish a peaceful relationship, but fate had other plans. The riveting actress fell in love with Vinod Mehra so profoundly that she used to call him ‘Vin Vin.’ The dates and dinner were often spotted by the fans.

While the couple were engrossed with each other, Vinod’s mother did not accept Rekha as her daughter-in-law. When they secretly got married in Calcutta, Vinod took her to his home, and his mother was so furious with the courtship that she removed her footwear to beat and humiliate Rekha. The two tried to brush off the rumours in the past, but the actress’ biography disclosed the incident.

The scandalous affair between Rekha and Amitabh Bachchan has been the talk of the BTown for decades, and no love triangle would come as close to being as iconic as theirs. Rekha has never been coy about her hopeless admiration and passionate love for the ‘Shahenshah’ in interviews.

The duo shared the screen for the first time in ‘Do Anjaane’ and for the last in ‘Silsila.’ Amitabh, who had been married to the actress Jaya Bhaduri, could not continue his relationship with Rekha. During Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh’s wedding, Rekha made a stunning entry with vermilion (sindoor) in her hair, leading to the spread of speculations of Rekha’s marriage with Bachchan. While Rekha clarified that for her it was a mere fashion statement, Jaya invited the actress to her house for a meal in the actor’s absence - and claimed her husband back.

During the trial show of ‘Muqaddar Ka Sikandar,’ Jaya wept after watching the romantic scenes of the duo. Following the incident, Bachchan did not work with Rekha until ‘Silsila,’ where the plot suggests that he ends the extramarital affair and gets back with his wife.

With a pinch of hope in her heart, Rekha moved on from the unapologetic and unforgettable love affair with Bachchan by falling in love with a Delhi-based business tycoon, Mukesh Agarwal. In the biography, it has been revealed that the businessman suffered from acute chronic depression while being upset about Rekha’s career in the entertainment industry.

They met via their mutual friends, and tied their knot after meeting a couple of times. However, due to the issues in his business and a financial setback, the cracks in the marriage went deeper. After mutual consent, they divorced each other. However, when the actress was away on tour, he ended his life by hanging himself with Rekha’s dupatta, and left a note stating that he did not blame anyone.

Post the unfortunate incident, there have been rumours about Rekha’s affairs with much-younger co-stars, but they turned out to be baseless. In the biography and during the interviews, the actors have denied the allegations and tagged rumours as pointless. While the affairs have been the favourite BTown topics, the golden actress has made an indelible mark in the industry, who’s renowned for her gracious presence and enchanting the audience with her mere presence.