Rekha – The Ravishing Line Of Charm And Mystique

It is said that Jennifer Kapoor had prophesised about Rekha, that she would be the darling of the masses for years to come. Perhaps she had recognised the mysterious and an enigmatic star quality in the dusky Southern beauty at the time when people were shocked to see Rekha as a plump, somewhat obese debutant in Sawan Bhado (1971). From then on it was the story of ugly duckling turning into a beautiful swan, making Jennifer’s prophecy gloriously true!! The makeover miracle of this Queen Bee was such that she still remains a glamour connoisseur and icon.

Her obsession with the mirror began from her first film with Amitabh, Do Anjaane (1976), where her performance as an ambitious wife who sacrifices love, was appreciated. Ghar (1978) by Gulzar was the birth of a mature Rekha, as an actress and Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Khoobsurat (1980) was the first step, of this namkeen (as Meena Kumari called her) and now svelte diva, towards the Queen’s throne. She dazzled her way to it with an unbroken string of box-office successes. It was during the 80s that she was at the peak of her career. But she was gutsy enough to do off beat cinema along with her glamourous image. She was a winner in that too, for the audience loved her in those mellow roles.

A peek into some known, some not so known songs of Rekha from the 80s. The songs give you an idea of how Rekha gelled her glamorous image with the off beat cinema and still left the audience spell bound!! This Line of fire sure has the charm and mystique to awe her audience.

1. Daasi (1981) – Having an ensemble of starcast like Sanjeev Kumar, Rakesh Roshan, Moushumi Chatterjee and Rekha, the film had some good songs set to tune by Ravindra Jain. This song is sung by Asha Bhonsle.

2. Vijeta (1982) – Under the direction of Govind Nihalani, set against the backdrop of Indian Air Force, Rekha sizzled yet again in a mother’s role in her prime time. Music by Ajit Varman and this beautiful song sung by Asha Bhonsle and Pandit Satyasheel Deshpande.

3. Jeevan Dhara (1982) – AN off beat cinema from South, it had a story of sacrifices by a woman for her family. This peppy song is rendered by Asha Bhonsle and Suresh Wadkar under the music direction of Laxmikant Pyarelal.

4. Utsav (1984) – This well known film by Shashi Kapoor- Girish Karnad combo was based on 2nd-century BC Sanskrit play, Mrichakatika. Though it couldn’t do well at the box office, Rekha’s role in it was appreciated by all and so was its music.

5. Faasle (1985) – A typical Yash Chopra film which wasn’t appreciated for its out of the way story line of a secret love life of a widower. But the film has beautiful soundtrack tuned by Shiv Hari and penned by Shahryar.

6. Musafir (1986) – Directed by Jabbar Patel, it had Rekha opposite Naseeruddin Shah. The film is known for its lovely soundtrack by R.D.Burman and lyrics by Gulzar.

7. Ek Naya Rishta (1988) – The film stars an unusual pair of Rekha and Raj Kiran. It is a modern take on relationships, business, independence and institution of marriage. It has got some beautiful songs by Khayyam.