REKHA – A DIVINE DIVA
Recently ,at an Award function Rekha, veiled in sublime serenity,
said, ‘I asked Javed sahib what to say about me and he said, you are Rekha!’. It’s
true, Rekha is the ultimate Diva who has retained and rejuvenated her charm,
grace and composure over decades. She is synthesis of natural attributes that yield
a calm, collected and composed Rekha, harmonized aesthetically and also truly
the epitome of exceptional positive inspiration.
Rekha, a wondrous sculpture, with expressive eyes, her sensual
lips with bright colours, a husky voice procreated “Umrao Jaan”, and with her flawless
performance, we got an iconic movie that fetched her accolades and crowned her “Umrao”
for life. Even today when you perceive “Umrao”, Rekha rises in our subconscious,
as you see her on stage singing, ‘Yeh Kya jaga Hai dosto (during Legendary Khayyam
felicitation in an Award function), the room was filled with teary silence.
Such is the connection this woman has in public mind, despite having acted in nearly two hundred movies, Rekha is synonymous with “Umrao”. 
The screen presence of the star she is, with her acting
skills she continued to give box office hits over decades. Rekha can’t be forgotten in Ijaazat, Khubsoorat, Ghar, Utsav, Muqaddar ka
Sikander etc. She has acted in all kinds of films, be it commercial or
parallel cinema, her acting has always left an indelible impact on
viewers, touched the heart of masses with her soulful performances, whether as a muse of Muzaffar Ali or Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Gulzar or Basu Bhattacharya, she has
given phenomenal performances in movies after movies. Acting in comedy films
like Khubsoorat ,with impish looks, simple pony tails which impressed teenage
girls and they imitated her, she did emotional, romantic films with different
shades and charmed ardent followers of different age groups.
Speaking in Urdu, Rekha displays an eloquence and command of
the language, though coming from Southern India. How she learnt Urdu, and mastered,
where many mainstream actresses have failed, and she also comprehended the Urdu
language nuances, mannerism and culture of Urdu is inspirational and a monumental
achievement. As Gulzar says, "Urdu evokes royalty". Her mastery over Urdu oration
with deep voice makes Rekha regal even in normal life. She continues to voice
the ‘Shayari’ of illustrious poets like Gulzar.
Rekha is a blend of courtesan poise and cherubic naivete and a perfect
manifestation for the masters of different genres of Indian cinema, be it Gulzar,
Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Basu Bhattacharya, Shyam Bengal, Muzaffar Ali or a Yash
Chopra. Without any disrespect to the earlier legends of Indian cinema, she may
well have been the ‘comprehension’ of legends like K Asif, Kamal Amrohi.…
It may be difficult to re-incarnate her in the present
cinema (though she has given some commendable performances even as a villain)
but we can only imagine her in the earlier magnum opuses where she would have easily
become a mythical icon.
This brilliant award-winning Diva has transformed herself
from time to time, her competence and talent is colossal. Rekha, when you
think about her, is artistic, poetic, ornamental and musical, an actress within Gulzar’s
typical percipience. Gulzar recognized Rekha's artistry and brought her to
remarkable performances which reflect intellect of simple and realistic
faculty.
We continue to ponder about the decade (70’s to-date) to
which Rekha's artistic brilliance is attributable, the coverage is too vast
and unending about this legend, who worked with top most Stars and continues to mesmerize the masses. She constantly encourages the new talent in Indian cinema and has
been supportive to some of the actresses who have dared to break the norms with
their excellent performances. 
Rekha, with same allure and sparkle, wearing jewels, elegant
sarees, exquisite poise stands out in all Indian Film Industry functions,
public forums and also few times she attended Indian Parliament as a nominated
MP. Her yogic tranquility is evident all over, whether its chat with Simi Garewal
or any interview of recent times.
I am open to the cosmos not just people but every leaf, every molecule and every blade of grass. I am renewing my energy and reinventing myself. My soul is being soothed and nurtured everyday. I am looking for only one thing: knowledge. My calling in life is to be not just a provider or wife or mother. My calling is to be a true fellow human bring. I am not alone. I am every woman and may I add, I am every man too.
Rekha
In Simi Garewal’s classic show on TV, Rekha mentioned about
her energies diverted towards calmness and how she gathered to reconstruct
herself in difficult times. At present, there are many tools available for
actors to do different genres of movies, and enable their portrayal as
historical figures whereas for Rekha and her generation, it was the inborn skill
and hard work which made possible the magnum opuses of earlier cinema. During
her era and before there was no ‘magic’ makeup and cinematography techniques
available and it was purely the acting and emoting skills that made actress
like Rekha and her contemporaries the legends that they are.
A woman who persevered during rough times, Rekha regenerated
herself sublimely for her own fulfilment. She rises to shine each time with
her vigorous personality and firm mind, she cannot be shredded. She sails in the
magnificent breeze and her brave eyes are the rays of sunlight, definitely a
poet’s delight.
An impeccable and remarkable Rekha with outstanding catalogue of
performances in Indian cinema continues to turn heads all times.
People’s fascination with Rekha has been hypnotic, generations
to come will remember a legend she is, Rekha stands out triumphally and “Umrao”
lives in people’s heart…
Anuradha Singh
27th January, 2019
27th January, 2019
a.singhlink@gmail.com
Copyright©2019 Anuradha Singh.
Copyright©2019 Anuradha Singh.
All rights reserved. This article or any portion thereof can not be reproduced
or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of
the author.My articles on the related subject are
as follows...
Anuradha Singh (2020). ICONIC ROMANTIC PAIRS – INDIAN CINEMA https://asingh2019.blogspot.com/2020/06/iconic-romantic-pairs-indian-cinema_6.html?m=1
Anuradha Singh (2020).
GOLDEN BEAUTIES – INDIAN CINEMA
https://asingh2019.blogspot.com/2020/05/golden-beauties-indian-cinema.html?m=1
Anuradha Singh (2019).
LEGENDARY ROMANTIC ACTORS : INDIAN CINEMA https://asingh2019.blogspot.com/2019/11/legendary-romantic-actors-indian-cinema.html?m=1
Anuradha Singh (2019).THE
RISE OF ACTION GENRE – INDIAN ACTRESSES https://asingh2019.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-rise-of-action-genre-indian.html?m=1
Anuradha Singh (2019) .REKHA
– A DIVINE DIVA https://asingh2019.blogspot.com/2019/01/rekha-divine-diva.html?m=1
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