Bollywood's most enigmatic star Rekha turns 56

Bollywood’s original diva Rekha celebrates her fifty-sixth birthday on 10th October.

Spicezee Bureau

Mumbai: Celebrated as the Greta Garbo of India, Bollywood’s original diva Rekha has mesmerised her fans with an exotic charm. On 10th October, Rekha celebrates her fifty-sixth birthday. Even though the actress may have passed her prime, her youthful looks, chiselled features and histrionics can still give today’s heroines a run for their money. Talking to a news daily on Rekha’s birthday plans, a source close to the actress said, “Close colleagues and friends who traditionally visit her bungalow (at Bandra Bandstand) will be there to wish her. Other than that, Madam has no plans.” Born as Bhanurekha Ganesan to Tamil star Gemini Ganesan and Telugu actress Pushpavalli, Rekha entered Bollywood at a very young age. Starring opposite Biswajeet, Rekha got her first break in Hindi cinema with ‘Do Shikari’ - a film that never saw the light of the day. However, Rekha’s first official release was ‘Sawan Bhaadon’.

All About Rekha

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Dubbed as the ‘ugly duckling’, Rekha went for an image makeover including the way she looked, the way she dressed, her makeup, dialogue delivery and became the most glamorous actress of her times. Her newly emerged look can be seen in `Do Anjaane`, `Khubsoorat`, `Khoon Bhari Maang`, `Umrao Jaan`, `Kalyug`, `Vijeta`, `Utsav`, `Ek Hi Bhool` `Jeevan Dhara`, ‘Khiladiyon Ke Khiladi’ and `Lajja` to name a few. Apart from being a great dancer, Rekha is renowned for her acting skills which fetched her National Award for `Umrao Jaan`, and two Filmfare `Best Actress` award for `Khubsoorat` and `Khoon Bhari Maang` and another Filmfare ‘Best Supporting Actress’ award for `Khiladiyon Ke Khiladi`. The last time Rekha was seen on the silver screen in a full fledged role was Rakesh Roshan’s `Koi… Mil Gaya` and `Krrish`.