As Rekha turns a year older today, we take a look at her alleged sizzling affair with co-star Amitabh Bachchan.
She was the sexiest heroine of her time, with a husky voice and smoky eyes, while he was the Shehenshah of Bollywood, with a majestic personality and booming baritone. When the two came together, sparks had to fly! As the sensuous diva Rekha turns a year older today, we take a look her alleged sizzling affair with Amitabh Bachchan.
The Bollywood hit ‘Do Anjaane’ transformed Rekha from an ugly duckling into a mainstream Bollywood beauty. And it’s while shooting for this movie that love supposedly blossomed between her and Big B. This 1976 flick was a hit and gave a new boos to her flagging career. It’s said that the duo used to meet at Rekha’s friend’s bungalow during the initial days of their so called affair. But when Amitabh lost his cool on co-star who was teasing Rekha on the sets of ‘Ganga Ki Saugandh’, the affair became fodder for media gossip. Having worked together in many movies like ‘Khoon Pasina’, ‘Ganga Ki Saugandh’, ‘Suhaag’, ‘Muqaddar Ka Sikandar’, ‘Ram Balram’, ‘Silsila’ and Mr. Natwarla , their crackling chemistry onscreen is apparent. We are sure that’s where the whole ‘offcreen’ affair thing has stemmed from, since nobody can share such a passionate onscreen chemistry like these two did!
Even though Rekha has talked about Big B in interviews and even claimed to love him like the whole country does, her alleged lover has never openly acknowledged her or mentioned her in interviews or media bytes. In fact, there were rumours doing the rounds that the two had secretly got married as Rekha attended Neetu and Rishi Kapoor’s wedding in sindoor and mangalsutra (the mark of a married woman). It’s needless to add that the diva was the toast of the evening, stealing the limelight away from the blushing newly-wed couple!
Yash Chopra’s cult hit ‘Silsila’ saw Amitabh, real-life wife Jaya and Rekha play the same roles offscreen. It was a major coup, considering the sensitive situation. It was also the last film of the enigmatic duo and quite a path-breaking one. In an interview with BBC, director Yash Chopra had openly admitted that Rekha and Amitabh were very much in a relationship before ‘Silsila’. “I was always on tenterhooks and scared (during Silsila) because it was real life coming into reel life. Jaya is his wife and Rekha is his girlfriend and the same story is going on (in real life). Anything could have happened because they are working together.”
Post the release of ‘Silsila’, the love seems to have faded as it’s said that Rekha wanted Big B to marry her. But the superstar refused to elave his wife and family for her. The love soon fizzled out and what exactly transpired between the two is something that we will never know.
