Bollywood sexy queen Rekha | Bollywood Actress Rekha Photo gallery | Rekha in saree | Rekha In Bikini Dress
Bhanurekha Ganesan, better known by her stage name Rekha is an Indian actress who has appeared in Bollywood films.
Noted for her versatility as an actress, Rekha was particularly recognised for playing female-oriented characters, such as that of the school girl in Khubsoorat and the decisive avenger in Khoon Bhari Maang, both of which earned her the Filmfare Best Actress Award. Her portrayal of a classical courtesan in Umrao Jaan won her the National Film Award for Best Actress. Throughout the 1970s and onwards she has been featured as a sex symbol in the Indian media.
Rekha has acted in over 180 films in a career that has spanned 40 years. She has reinvented herself numerous times in her career and is known for her ability to sustain her status. Taking part in both Indian mainstream and art cinema, known in India as parallel cinema, she has achieved commercial success, as well as critical praise for numerous of her performances throughout the years.
Rekha appeared as a child actor (credited as Baby Bhanurekha) in the Telugu film Rangula Ratnam (1966). Rekha made her debut as heroine in the successful Kannada film Goadalli CID 999 with Dr. Rajkumar in 1969. In that same year, she starred in her first Hindi film, Anjana Safar (later retitled Do Shikari). She later claimed that she was tricked into a kissing scene with the leading actor Biswajit for the overseas market, and the kiss made it to the Asian edition of Life magazine. The film ran into censorship problems, and would not be released until a decade later.She had two films released in 1970: the Telugu film Amma Kosam and the Hindi film Sawan Bhadon, which was considered her acting debut in Bollywood. She had to learn Hindi language, as her naturally spoken language was Tamil. Sawan Bhadon became a hit, and Rekha a star overnight. She subsequently got several offers but nothing of substance. Her roles were mostly just of a glamour girl. She appeared in several commercially successful films at the time, including Kahani Kismat Ki, Raampur Ka Lakshman and Pran Jaaye Par Vachan Na Jaaye, yet she was not regarded for her acting abilities.
Her first performance-oriented role came in 1976 when she played an ambitious woman in Do Anjaane, co starring Amitabh Bachchan. The film became a hit as well as a critical success, and she was widely noticed for her performance.
Her most significant turning point, however, came in 1978, with her portrayal of a rape victim in the movie Ghar. She played the role of Aarti, a newly married woman who gets gravely traumatised after being gang-raped, and the film follows her character's struggle and recuperation with the help of her loving husband, played by Vinod Mehra. The film was considered her first notable milestone, and her performance was applauded by both critics and audiences. She received her first nomination for Best Actress at the Filmfare Awards. In that same year, she first attained fame with Muqaddar Ka Sikander, in which she co-starred once again with Amitabh Bachchan. The movie was the biggest hit of that year, as well as one of the biggest hits of the decade, and Rekha was set as one of the most successful actresses of these times.The film opened to positive critical reception, and Rekha's performance as a courtesan earned her a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the Filmfare.