Rekha, who was born out of wedlock, was not accepted by her father, Gemini Ganesan. Here's how her stepmother, Savitri tried to convince her husband to do so!
Born as Bhanurekha, Rekha is the daughter of renowned South Indian actors, Gemini Ganesan and Pushpavalli. While she managed to make an unerasable name for herself in the history of cinema, the actress had a tumultuous personal life. For the unversed, Rekha made her acting debut at the age of 12 with the Telugu film, Inti Guttu, as a child artist, and later, marked her entry into Bollywood with the film, Sawan Bhadon, in 1970.
Talking about the legendary South actor, Gemini Ganesan, he was also known for his controversial personal life, four marriages, and children. Rekha's mother, Pushpavalli was his second partner, after which he married the South legendary beauty, Savitri, on whom the biopic, Mahanati, was made. Written and directed by Nag Ashwin, the drama featured Dulquer Salmaan as Gemini Ganesan and Keerthy Suresh as Savitri.
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Back in 2018, the makers of Mahanati released a deleted scene, which highlighted Gemini Ganesan's relationship with actress, Pushpavalli and her daughters, Rekha and Radha. For the unversed, Gemini acknowledged Rekha and Radha as his own children several years after their birth. In the video, which did not make it to the final cut of Mahanati, Savitri's daughter, Vijaya asked her mother to come to her school and tell her schoolmate, Rekha, that Gemini Ganesan is just her father and not hers.
However, Savitri instead told Vijaya that they have a 'big family' and Gemini Ganesan is Rekha's father also. Well, not just this, she even tried to convince her husband to consider Rekha as his child. In the following scene, Savitri was seen inviting Pushpavalli, and her daughters, Rekha and Radha, to their home. The scene highlights Rekha's awkward relationship with Gemini as she likes her father's affection, despite knowing the fact that he left her and her mother.
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To watch the video, click here.
Rekha is well-known for not paying much attention to societal norms and living her life the way she wants. Even when her father, Gemini Ganesan died, Rekha refused to grieve for him. Once in a media interaction, the actress revealed the reason behind the same and stated that her father existed in her imagination and he's so much a part of her, so there was no point grieving. She was reportedly quoted as saying:
"Why should I grieve for him when he’s so much part of me? Why should I grieve when I’m so grateful for his genes, his teachings, rich life and his sheer existence? Grieve for what??!! I’m happy I didn’t have to share unpleasant moments with him. He existed for me in my imagination. And that’s so much more beautiful than reality. Everything I love is unqualified by worldly time constraints.”
What do you think about Rekha's stepmother, Savitri's love towards her?
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