The Original Spice Girl

She personified the true blue masala heroine – Farhana Farook revisits the actress who can have no imitation

- Farhana Farook

Sheesha ho ya dil ho Aakhir toot jaat hai… Lab taka aate aate haathon se Sagar chooth jaata hai…

The song from Aasha (1980) remains definitive in Reena Roy’s career in more ways than one. First, it’s a glorious throwback to her superstardom in the ’80s. Second, the lyrics, which speak of loving and losing, somewhere find a resonance in her own ill-fated romance with Shatrughan Sinha and later her broken marriage with Pakistani cricketer Mohsin Khan. Above all, it complements her persona – the heartbreaking song, which could have sought refuge in plaintive notes, is sung with an élan so idiosyncratic of her. It was with the same gusto that Reena sailed through blizzards and bliss that came her way. From being labeled the ‘Zaroorat’ girl to demanding top billing in the ’80s, Reena Roy’s chronicle could inspire a million starlets. If her peppery sexiness provided succour to audiences pining for Mumtaz, her seductive game in Nagin spawned a dozen serpentine sagas. Whether it was the kotha or the disco, she took centrestage with the genius of her moves. Whether she played the ‘other woman’ or the ‘wronged one’, she always walked away with sympathy and sometimes the man. Her raw sensuality is what gave her an edge over her refined contemporaries.

SMALL BEGINNINGS

Reena Roy was born on January 7, 1957, to a Muslim father, Sadiq Ali and a Hindu mother, Sharda H Rai. Reena was their third child of the four offsprings – the others being son Raja and daughters Barkha and Anjali. It’s believed Sadiq Ali was a small-time actor while Sharda H Rai starred in the Raj Kapoor- Geeta Bali starrer Bawre Nain. She later produced the film Gunehgar Kaun.