Rekha was written off as a ‘dark skinned South Indian actress’, transformed into a ‘white swan’: Kabir Bedi recalls her aura

Rekha and Kabir Bedi’s Khoon Bhari Maang released successful August 1988. (Photo: Kabir Bedi/ Twitter)

Bedi besides reflected connected Rekha’s singular journey, noting that she had to flooded important obstacles to execute success. “It is singular due to the fact that it’s a tribute to her hard enactment and tenacity, she came to Bombay and started with smaller films similar Sawan Bhadon (1970) and each that, and she truly had to enactment her mode up the ladder.”

He recalled, “They utilized to disregard her arsenic a acheronian skinned southbound Indian histrion and past she became a achromatic swan with her performances and her success. So she truly proved her mettle successful the manufacture with her acting. But beyond acting is simply a question of a definite persona that is conscionable determination successful stars and she has that.”

Bedi’s archetypal brushwood with Rekha was during the filming of Umrao Jaan. He recalled being profoundly impressed by her talent, and said, “For me, Rekha was a prima from the infinitesimal I saw her successful Umrao Jaan. She ne'er diminished my eye. So, I ever looked up to Rekha arsenic a prima and an actress.” Their collaboration connected Khoon Bhari Maang proved to beryllium a pivotal infinitesimal successful some Bedi’s and Rekha’s careers.

Bedi shared the communicative of however Rakesh Roshan approached him to play a analyzable relation that transformed from leader to villain successful Khoon Bhari Maang and however nary histrion would instrumentality it up. He shares, “During that clip I was surviving successful America, I was shooting successful Hawaii with Tom Selleck for Magnum, P.I, and Rakesh Roshan called maine and helium said that helium wanted maine to beryllium a leader successful his film. I asked him if heroes were connected a onslaught successful Bombay, what’s the portion helium had to connection maine erstwhile I was each the mode successful Hawaii? So helium said that the leader turns into a villain and nary heroes volition hold to bash it and if helium puts a villain successful the movie past determination would beryllium nary surprise. He thought I was the champion idiosyncratic to transportation it off, both, being a leader and a villain. So I said good and I asked him who the starring woman was, and helium said Rekha. I didn’t hold for 1 second, I said ‘done’ due to the fact that it was fantastic to beryllium acting with her and a joyousness to execute with her. She is unquestionably the prima of the film. The movie was 1 of my astir palmy too.”

In the caller past, Rekha has made lone made a fistful of peculiar appearances successful a fewer films, including Rakesh Roshan’s Koi… Mil Gaya (2003), Pradeep Sarkar’s Parineeta (2005), Krrish (2006), Krrish 3 (2013), Super Nani (2014) to sanction a few. When asked what it would instrumentality for Rekha to marque a comeback, Bedi said enthusiastically, “Rekha remains untouched arsenic a diva, and if anyone has her successful their film, they volition beryllium fortunate.”