Bhanurekha Ganesan, a renowned Indian actress, was born on October 10, 1954, to a prominent Tamil-speaking household. Her father, Gemini Ganesan, was a celebrated Tamil actor, while her mother, Pushpavalli, was a renowned Telugu actress. Bhanurekha is one of eight siblings, including seven sisters and one brother. Notably, one of her sisters, Dr. Kamala Selvaraj, is a respected medical professional, and another sister, Radha, resides in San Francisco with her son, Naveed, who is being groomed for a career in Bollywood.
Bhanurekha's early life was marked by her introduction to the film industry, starting with a Telugu movie, 'Rangula Ratnam', alongside her mother in 1966. The film was later remade and released in Hindi as 'Rangila Ratan' in 1976. She went on to act in a few more Telugu and Kannada films before relocating to Bombay.
Despite her background, Bhanurekha struggled with self-doubt and pessimism during her early years. However, she persevered and underwent a transformation, shedding her insecurities and emerging as a confident and talented actress.
Her Bollywood debut, 'Sawan Bhadon', in 1970, opposite Navin Nischol, marked the beginning of her journey as Rekha. Initially, her dusky complexion, weight issues, and inability to speak Hindi posed challenges, but she worked diligently to overcome these obstacles.
With time, Rekha blossomed into a versatile actress, delivering a string of box office hits, including 'Nagin', 'Muqaddar Ka Sikandar', 'Mr. Natwarlal', 'Khubsoorat', 'Umrao Jaan', and 'Khoon Bhari Maang', among others. In her later years, she has taken up character roles, even playing a grandmother in 'Krrish' (2006).
Rekha's striking features and charming on-screen presence have earned her a devoted fan base, including several well-established Bollywood actors, such as Kiran Kumar, Jeetendra, Vinod Mehra, and Amitabh Bachchan. In a 2004 television interview, she dismissed rumors of a marriage to Vinod Mehra, revealing that her only marriage was to businessman Mukesh Aggarwal, who tragically took his own life, leaving her a widow.
In her personal life, Rekha is an avid internet user, has written biographies of actresses like Zeenat Aman and Salma Agha, and enjoys collecting old photographs and postcards. She is also a yoga enthusiast, a vegetarian, and a lover of comics like Archie and Dennie the Menace. Rekha currently resides in a self-owned bungalow in Bandra, West, Mumbai, with her secretary, Farzana, and her pets.
