Happy Birthday Rekha: Memorable quotes

Rekha is one of the most beautiful divas of Bollywood and still rules millions of hearts even today. The yesteryear actress immortalized the Indian courtesan on the silver screen with a few of her films. Rekha even walked away with the National Film Award for Best Actress in the year 1981.On her birthday, we put together a list of the most memorable quotes given by the lovely lady to the media.

In an interview with the Hindustan Times, when Rekha was asked about her obsessive nature, the actress replied, "I, me, myself ! Tell me, why not? I’ve always been that way, it has worked for me. Aakhir jaan hai to jahaan hai. I don’t do this intentionally, I am..that’s it. It starts that way. May be beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, in one self. So what? I don’t care if it’s said she’s on some sort of spiritual trip, she’s obscure, vague, not normal.. she wants to be different. I’m not so different.. but people don’t want to be common or normal. They have put me on a high pedestal.. or think I’m alien.. or." (sic)

According to her biography on IMDB, here are a few memorable quotes from the diva:
"May be I'm being unreal and impractical, but I'm not in denial. If I find someone who's willing to share me with my fans, I might change my mind. If I had a man, I'd just be devoting all my attention to that one person. I'll take out his clothes, personally monitor his menu, prepare the lunch and personally deliver it to him. "

"I don't have to spend hours planning and executing my clothes and makeup. I've done it for 40-odd years. I can't bring myself to spend more than 15 minutes on makeup and clothes."

When asked if she regretted not having children: "Not any more. I do not miss children. Even if I find the ultimate man to have babies with, it'd be very unfair to my priorities. Because if I have a baby, I won't be able to focus on anything else. Then what happens to the babies all over the world with whom I'm connected?" (Dec 9, 2006)


"I never thought I'd be home alone, with all my sisters married and gone. I never thought I'd not have my own family, my own children."

When asked if she is afraid of aging: "If I let these thoughts affect me, I wouldn't be able to be creative. I'm petrified of falling ill and going to the hospital. However, disasters are a part and parcel of life. I cannot avoid them. But when a catastrophe happens, I'd like to see it as a signal to go into another phase of my life. So, in a silly masochistic way, I welcome pain because it will help me grow."


"I didn't have an idea. I don't know what a man is all about, what he's supposed to be. Is he supposed to be a provider? Is he supposed to be a lover? Yes, I knew the lover part. I knew that by heart. I knew that my man had to be a lover. He had to love me to death. Because I didn't know any better."

About Aishwarya Rai she said, "I think she has got a very raw deal. She's our treasure but she's neither here nor there, with one foot in Hollywood. She has not had anything great since "Devdas". I will fight for her like a tigress if need be. My heart goes out to Ash. She's been around for so long and yet not been there. That's how it was with me...until I did Umrao. It seemed improbable that a Tamilan girl talking Urdu would work. Similarly this South Indian girl should realize her potential in Umrao. She doesn't need to go to Hollywood to prove herself. She's our own. Why "Bride & Prejudice"? Who are these people from outside trying to tap Ash's potential? She's our treasure. It's time we acknowledge her"

"I like shooting after three in the afternoon. I sleep on my face and it tends to get puffy in the mornings. The face actually starts settling after noon and is at its best around six in the evening. (April 1978)"

"Loner is just a word. It means I spend most my time on my own. Going by my nature, it's the most comfortable situation to be in. My god! Think of all the time I get to reason out things, not analyze situations, that's such a waste of time. But you've got to analyze things. And I never consciously created that time. It was bestowed on me. "

"I don't care much for success - it's an alien word to me. I don't believe in success, I don't believe in achievements so to speak. I just believe in relishing every moment of my life. That's enough for me."

"Among the models I admire, I find Aishwarya is the best. I disagree with the media that she is 'plastic'. I find her very expressive."

"I didn't know what the word father mean't. When you think of father, when you mention the word father, it's someone in the church. That's all I know of a father.

"Now people might think that I am not married and I have no children, the conventional lifestyle you know, but I see it this way: as long as you are alive, you have a chance to have a future. At least there is hope."

When asked about the doctors that say they did plastic surgeries on her: "I wish I could meet all those surgeons. Every once in a while, some doctor claims to have done some operation on me." What would she like to see on her gravestone? "..."That she made me smile."