Decorating The Diva... Rekha

The 3rd Yash Chopra National Memorial Award conferred on.

- Vierendra Bhargav

La Extraordinaire!

Indeed - she is the rarest of rare - exquisite, elegant and evergreen, she’s the stuff myths are made of! Time seems to have frozen on her and despite having advanced in years, there is absolutely no sign of any wear or tear on that spotless, crystalline skin, those chiselled features and that laser-gaze in the amber eyes... Rekha defies age!

And this we are talking when nearly 4 decades and a half have elapsed since the time when, rising from South, she first struck Hindi Screens like a meteor in that turnstiles-spinning debut of hers in ‘Sawan Bhadon’ (1970). It had instantly made people sit up and take notice. The buxom beauty had a certain ‘Namak’ about her that leftviewers craving for more!

Thereby started one long trail of successes that created a halo of uniqueness around her - unique at ‘Emoting’... unique at ‘Drama’, unique at ‘Comedy’ and above all, unique at ‘Oozing the oomph’ that scorched the Screens and consequently, the hearts of the audiences all across, leaving them gasping with enchantment!

Indeed, Hindi Films had seen nothing like her!

And then, along with the Box-office bonanzas, there came Awards galore, in which top of the heap is the country’s premier Civilian Honour - the Padma Shri, presented by the President of the Republic - no less! Besides that, be it the Filmfare, the IIFA, the BFJA or what have you - she has been anointed with all the Decorations there are in the Industry.

But, of course, it would be erroneous to even assume that it has been all honky & dory for Rekha in life. There have been hiccups, faux-pas, roadblocks, even stumbles, but then, nothing can browbeat you if you are a Rekha!

Remember that 60’s song from ‘The Sound of Music’... ‘How you catch a cloud and pin it down...?’