born October 10, 1954 at 12:00 PM in Chennai (India)
Sun in 16°25 Libra, Moon in 19°14 Pisces
Heigth: 5' 7" (1m70)
Biography of REKHA
Rekha born Bhanurekha Ganesan on 10 October 1954, is a National Film Award-winning Indian actress who has appeared in Bollywood films. She has frequently been described as The Diva of Bollywood, and throughout the 1970s till date, has been featured as a sex symbol in the Indian media.
Noted for her versatility as an actress, Rekha was particularly recognised for her willingness to play 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, and was followed by numerous critically acclaimed performances.
Rekha has acted in over 180 films in a career that has spanned 40 years. 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 her performances throughout the years.
Early life : Born on 10 October 1954 in Chennai, India, she is the daughter of renowned Tamil actor Gemini Ganesan and the Telugu actress Pushpavalli. Her father enjoyed considerable success as an actor and Rekha was to follow in his footsteps.
Rekha's parents were not married, and her father did not acknowledge his paternity during her childhood. It was during the early 1970s, when she was looking for a footing in the Bollywood film industry, that she revealed her origins. Later, at the peak of her career, Rekha told a magazine interviewer that her father's neglect still rankled and that she had ignored his efforts at reconciliation.
Film career1970s : Rekha appeared as a child actor 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 used to be 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 as 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, when she portrayed the role of a rape victim in the movie Ghar, alongside Vinod Mehra. The film was considered her first notable milestone, as she got critical acclaim for her performance, and received her first nomination for Best Actress at the Filmfare Awards. In that same year, she first attained fame with Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, 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.
1980s : Following her success with Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, Rekha went on to star opposite Bachchan in a number of films, most of which were hits. She had not only a successful on-screen pair with him, but a real-life relationship, which was widely reported in the media, as well as sharply criticised, as he was a married man. This relationship was ended and concluded in 1981, when they starred in Yash Chopra's drama Silsila. The film was the most scandalous of their films together, as it was based on their real-life relationship; Rekha played Bachchan's love interest, while Bachchan's real-life wife, Jaya Bhaduri, played his wife. This has been their last film together, and they never have collaborated again.
The film-column gossip may have contributed to her success. However, even critics had to admit that she had worked hard to perfect her Hindi and her acting, and that she had transformed herself from a "plump" duckling to a "swan" in the early 1970s. Rekha's credits to this transformation were yoga, a nutritious diet, and a regular, disciplined life.
In 1981, she starred in the Urdu film Umrao Jaan. The film tells the story of a young girl, Amiran, who is kidnapped and sold in a brothel, and follows her life story there as Umrao. Her portrayal of a sensitive courtesan has been considered one of her career best performances, and she received the National Film Award for Best Actress for it. Overall, she played a courtesan with a heart of gold in several of her films; Muqaddar Ka Sikandar and Umrao Jaan were followed by a number of films which had her playing similar roles.
Rekha's post-Bachchan era marked a new stage in her career; it was the time when she turned her career professionally. She was willing to work with independent and art film directors, and throughout the 1980s, regularly worked in parallel cinema, a term that refers to the new wave, realistic cinema in India. Her venture into this particular genre started off with Umrao Jaan, and was followed by other 1981 such releases as Shyam Benegal's award-winning drama, Kalyug; Ramesh Talwar's Baseraa, which saw her playing a woman who marries her sister's husband, after the latter loses her mental balance; and the commercially successful Ek Hi Bhool, opposite Jeetendra, with Rekha playing the role of a betrayed wife who leaves her husband. Her performances in these films were highly praised by critics. Other notable arthouse films during the 1980s included Jeevan Dhaara, Utsav and Ijaazat.
Apart from parallel cinema, Rekha took on other increasingly serious, even adventurous roles; she was among the early actresses to play lead roles in heroine-oriented films, delivering films such as Khubsoorat, Khoon Bhari Maang and Mujhe Insaaf Chahiye. She won Filmfare trophies for her roles in Khubsoorat (1980) and Khoon Bhari Maang (1988). One critic wrote of her performance in Khoon Bhari Maang, "Rekha as Aarti is just flawless and this is one of her best performance ever! In the first half as the shy and not so sexy Aarti she is excellent and after the plastic surgery as the model and femme fatale she is excellent too. Some scenes show that we are watching an actress of a very high calibre here."
1990s onwards : The 1990s saw drop in her success and she almost lost her stardom. She was part of some commercially and critically unsuccessful films, in spite of doing even more challenging roles. Unlike most actresses of her generation like Hema Malini and Raakhee, who began making supporting roles as the mother or the aunty, Rekha was still playing the leading roles, at the same time when heroines Madhuri Dixit and Raveena Tandon rose to fame.
The foreign film, Kama Sutra: A Tale Of Love and the commercially successful Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi (1996) were some of her most notable films during the decade. The former, which was directed by Mira Nair was known for its controversial topic, as Rekha played a Kama Sutra teacher in the film. On the other hand, the latter was a major grosser and earned her several awards, including the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award and the Star Screen Award Best Villain for her first villain role of a gangster woman.
In recent years, she has appeared in relatively few movies, usually as a mother or a widow rather than a glamour queen. In 2001, she starred as Ramdulari in Rajkumar Santoshi's Lajja, along with an ensemble cast that included Manisha Koirala, Madhuri Dixit and Anil Kapoor. She received several nominations for her portrayal; critic, Taran Adarsh, wrote of her performance, "... it is Rekha who walks away with the glory, delivering one of the finest performances the Indian screen has seen in the recent times." In that same year she acted alongside Karisma Kapoor in Shyam Benegal's Zubeidaa. Upperstall.com wrote, "Rekha has a stunning screen presence exuding grace and comes up with an expertly adept performance leaving her stamp on the film." She next starred alongside Preity Zinta in Kundan Shah's Dil Hai Tumhaara, playing the role of Sarita, a betrayed woman who takes under her custody the extramarital daughter of her husband. In 2003, she played Hrithik Roshan's mother in Rakesh Roshan's Koi... Mil Gaya, a performance which won her the Bollywood Movie Award - Best Supporting Actress. The film was the biggest hit of that year.
She next took part in a number of films, such as Parineeta. In 2006, she was seen in the sequel to Koi... Mil Gaya, Krrish, one of the most successful films of the year. In 2007, she once again portrayed a courtesan in Gautam Ghose's Yatra. Unlike the initial success she had in playing such roles in the early stages of her career, this time the film failed to do well.
Personal life : Rekha has had various unsuccessful relationships with fellow Bollywood stars including Amitabh Bachchan, Vinod Mehra and in 1990 she married Delhi-based businessman Mukesh Aggarwal, who committed suicide in 1991. She was rumored to have been married to actor Vinod Mehra in 1973, but in a 2004 television interview with Simi Garewal she denied being married to him referring to him as a "well-wisher". Rekha currently lives along with her secretary Farzana in her Bandra home in Mumbai.
Awards
Main article: List of Rekha's awards, nominations and honours
Selected filmography
Main article: Rekha filmography
Rekha has acted in over 180 Hindi films, in both Indian mainstream and art cinema, known as parallel cinema.
Sawan Bhadon (1970) ... Chanda
Rampur Ka Lakshman (1972)
Gora Aur Kala (1972) ... Phoolwa
Dharma (1973)
Kahani Kismat Ki (1973) ... Rekha
Namak Haraam (1973) ... Shyama
Pran Jaye Par Vachan Na Jaye (1974) ... Janniya
Dharam Karam (1975) ... Basanti
Dharmatma (1975) ... Anu
Aakraman (1975)
Do Anjaane (1976) ... Rekha/Sunita Devi
Santan (1976)
Kabeela (1976)
Alaap (1977) ... Radhiya
Khoon Pasina (1977)
Aap Ki Khatir (1977)
Imaan Dharam (1977)
Ganga Ki Saugand (1978) ... Dhaniya
Ghar (1978) ... Aarti Chandra
Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978) ... Zohrabai
Prem Bandhan (1979)
Kartavya (1979)
Suhaag (1979) ... Basanti
Mr. Natwarlal (1979)
Jaani Dushman (1979)
Aanchal (1980)
Judaai (1980) ... Gauri
Kali Ghata (1980) ... Rekha/Rashmi
Jal Mahal (1980)
Khubsoorat (1980)
Agreement (1980) ... Mala Mathur
Kalyug ... Supriya (1980)
Silsila (1981) ... Chandni
Umrao Jaan (1981) ... Amiran/Umrao Jaan
Baseraa (1981) ... Poornima "Nima" Kohli
Ek Hi Bhool (1981) ... Sadhana Srivastav
Vijeta (1982) ... Neelima
Jeevan Dhaara (1982) ... Sangeeta Shrivastav
Nishaan (1983)
Mujhe Insaaf Chahiye (1983)
Agar Tum Na Hote (1983) ... Mrs. Neena Mehra/Mrs. Radha Bedi
Bindiya Chamkegi (1984) ... Bindiya
Utsav (1984) ... Vasantsena
Faasle (1985) ... Maya
Musafir (1986)
Locket (1986) ... Shalu
Pyar Ki Jeet (1987) ... Soni
Soorma Bhopali (1988) ... (Guest Appearance)
Khoon Bhari Maang (1988) ... Aarti Verma/Jyoti
Ijaazat (1988) ... Sudha
Biwi Ho To Aisi (1988) ... Shalu Mehra
Bhrashtachar (1989) ... Bhavani
Phool Bane Angaray (1991) ... Namrata
Madam X (1994) ... Sonu/Madam X
Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi (1996) ... Maya
Kama Sutra: A Tale Of Love (1996) ... Rasa Devi
Bulandi (2000) ... Lakshmi
Zubeidaa (2001) ... Maharani Mandira Devi
Lajja (2001) ... Ramdulaari
Dil Hai Tumhaara (2002) ... Saritaji
Bhoot (2003) ... Sarita
Koi... Mil Gaya (2003) ... Sonia Mehra
Parineeta (2005) ... Moulin Rouge singer
Krrish (2006) ... Sonia Mehra
Yatra (2007) ... Lajwanti
Om Shanti Om (2007) ... Special Appearance
Introduction
Here are some character traits from REKHA's birth chart. This description is far from being comprehensive but it can shed light on his/her personality, which is still interesting for professional astrologers or astrology lovers.
Pour afficher son thème en français: thème astral paramétrable et interactif pour REKHA en français.
N.B.: As this celebrity's birth time is unknown, the chart is drawn for 12:00 PM - the legal time for his/her place of birth; since astrological houses are not taken into account, this astrological profile excerpt is less detailed than those for which the birth time is known.
The dominant planets of REKHA
When interpreting a natal chart, the best method is to start gradually from general features to specific ones. Thus, there is usually a plan to be followed, from the overall analysis of the chart and its structure, to the description of its different character traits.
In the first part, an overall analysis of the chart enables us to figure out the personality's main features and to emphasize several points that are confirmed or not in the detailed analysis: in any case, those general traits are taken into account. Human personality is an infinitely intricate entity and describing it is a complex task. Claiming to rapidly summarize it is illusory, although it does not mean that it is an impossible challenge. It is essential to read a natal chart several times in order to absorb all its different meanings and to grasp all this complexity. But the exercise is worthwhile.
In brief, a natal chart is composed of ten planets: two luminaries, the Sun and the Moon, three fast-moving or individual planets, Mercury, Venus and Mars, two slow-moving planets, Jupiter and Saturn, and three very slow-moving planets, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. Additional secondary elements are: the Lunar Nodes, the Dark Moon or Lilith, Chiron and other asteroids such as Vesta, Pallas, Ceres or Juno. There are also special features such as the Arabic Parts, the Vertex, the Black Sun, hypothetical planets, etc. They are all posited on the Zodiac wheel consisting of twelve signs, from Aries to Pisces, and divided into twelve astrological houses.
The first step is to evaluate the importance of each planet. This is what we call identifying the dominant planets. This process obeys rules that depend on the astrologer's sensitivity and experience but it also has precise and steady bases: thus, we can take into account the parameters of a planet's activity (the number of active aspects a planet forms, the importance of each aspect according to its nature and its exactness), angularity parameters; (proximity to the four angles, Ascendant, Midheaven, Descendant and Imum Coeli or Nadir, all of them being evaluated numerically, according to the kind of angle and the planet-angle distance) and quality parameters (rulership, exaltation, exile and fall). Finally, other criteria such as the rulership of the Ascendant and the Midheaven etc. are important.
These different criteria allow a planet to be highlighted and lead to useful conclusions when interpreting the chart.
The overall chart analysis begins with the observation of three sorts of planetary distributions in the chart: Eastern or Western hemisphere, Northern or Southern hemisphere, and quadrants (North-eastern, North-western, South-eastern and South-western). These three distributions give a general tone in terms of introversion and extraversion, willpower, sociability, and behavioural predispositions.
Then, there are three additional distributions: elements (called triplicity since there are 3 groups of signs for each one) - Fire, Air, Earth and Water - corresponding to a character typology, modality (or quadruplicity with 4 groups of signs for each one) - Cardinal, Fixed and Mutable - and polarity (Yin and Yang).
There are three types of dominants: dominant planets, dominant signs and dominant houses. The novice thinks astrology means only "to be Aries" or sometimes, for example, "to be Aries Ascendant Virgo". It is actually far more complex. Although the Sun and the Ascendant alone may reveal a large part of the character- approximately between 30 and 60% according to the chart, a person is neither "just the Sun" (called the sign) nor just "the first house" (the Ascendant). Thus, a particular planet's influence may be significantly increased; a particular sign or house may contain a group of planets that will bring nuances and sometimes weaken the role of the Ascendant, of the Sun sign etc.
Lastly, there are two other criteria: accentuations (angular, succedent and cadent) which are a classification of astrological houses and types of decanates that are occupied (each sign is divided into three decanates of 10° each). They provide additional information in this first general part.
These eleven (or six, if the birth time is unknown) general character traits must not be taken literally; they are, somehow, preparing for the chart reading. They allow to understand the second part of the analysis, which is more detailed and precise. It focuses on every area of the personality and provides a synthesis of all the above-mentioned parameters according to sound hierarchical rules.
Warning: when the birth time is unknown, which is the case for REKHA, a few paragraphs become irrelevant; distributions in hemispheres and quadrants are meaningless, so are dominant houses and houses' accentuations. Therefore, some chapters are removed from this part.
For all paragraphs, the criteria for valuation are calculated without taking into account angles and rulerships of the Ascendant and of the Midheaven. The methodology retains its validity, but it is less precise without a time of birth.
