About a few months ago, I saw Rekha on TV. She was draped in a beautiful, gold & black kanjeevaram Sari. She was wearing a gajra and dark red lipstick, and was surrounded by new-age actors who looked up to her in awe. After obliging her celebrity fans, she began to move towards her top-row seat. Suddenly, there was movement in Rekha's vicinity and Amitabh Bachchan was seen scampering for cover! The moment Big B spotted Rekha, who was pre-meditated to be seated near him, he got up in a rush and took off in a direction far away from her.
That confirmed at least one thing for me. Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha did have a love affair. Fleeing from Rekha, Big B revealed his lack of courage to face up to the past with grace. He didn't have the solemnity and maturity to look up to her, smile and say hello. He appeared scared of the cameras. He was nervous, fidgety and concerned that his reputation, stage-managed for so long, could be in danger. He appeared terrified of the trauma he would face in the bedroom with Jaya Bachchan if he remained seated next to her.
Rekha has held on her own for decades now. Spurned in love by Amitabh bachchan, she refused to fade into nothingness. She is fiercely independent and proud, she is brave and compassionate, deeply respected and loved. Even though Amitabh Bachchan treated her like a trophy, Rekha had given her mind, body and soul to him.
Shrewd and calculative, Amitabh Bachchan timed his exit from the relationship in such a manner that his family and career remained intact. He had the best of bothe the worlds. He enjoyed Rekha's wifely commitment, her marvelous body and warm heart while he could, but took no time to disengage and commit to family once Jaya Bachchan put her foot down.
While Amitabh Bachchan struts his assets and sells his soul by doing Maggi ads, Rekha continues to suffer in silence.
Rekha knew after Silsila' the futility of her desires. She knew Amitabh is too weak to take bold decisions, she knew Jaya Bachchan wouldn't let Amitabh break free from the marriage. To keep loving a man who would never be hers completely was killing her... Suddenly, in cold turkey, she pulled out and the life that followed was never the same.
Today, she is a recluse, suffering the curse of time in silence. There is no one to share her woes, no one to lend a shoulder to cry on. She is all by herself in this big bad world of Bollywood.
Relationhsips happen and they break. Some work, some don't. What is troubling is not why Amitabh did not divorce Jaya Bachchan for Rekha, the worrying thing is Big B's stern refusal to admit any past link. He is so categorical, saying they were only co-stars, that he appears vulgar. Multiple sources, close to family and friends, admit that there was a relationship between the two.
Rekha has admitted herself on many occasions. So why this mindless denial?
On TV, Amitabh appears as if he is larger than God! He preaches all kinds of moral codes. It's time he practiced these virtues in his personal life.
It's difficult to imagine the kind of life Rekha lives today. Shrouded in mystery and contradictions, Rekha's life is insulated. Even her bungalow in Mumbai is hardly visible from the outside. It is shielded by tall trees and foliage. She has become numb and comfortable with darkness, but at the same time, not afraid to come out into the world and hold her own. She appears with a smiling face but deep within, her anguish and loneliness is without parallel. All because of a man who didn't think beyond himself.
Rekha took a huge tumble in love and she still appears to be in withdrawal. Why don't they make women like her these days?
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