The credit for her radical change in appearance, said the grapevine, went to Yoga and makeovers. The transformation was so complete that it not only altered her outward appearance but also enhanced her acting capabilities. In the process she ruled the roost for almost a decade. It was apparently at this point of time that Amitabh Bachchan stepped into her personal and professional life. Their hits together like Mukaddar ka sikandar, Mr Natwarlal, Khoon paseena and Silsila made Amitabh-Rekha one of the most successful pairs on the Hindi screen.

Rekha's most memorable film is Umrao Jaan in which she played the role of a court dancer with aplomb and enchanted the audience with her mastery of classical dances.

Though her success was belated, Rekha did not rest content. She regularly worked in parallel cinema (Utsav, Basera, Ijaazat), and is among the early actresses to play lead roles in heroine-oriented films, with superhits such as Khubsoorat, Khoon Bhari Maang and Umrao Jaan. In her later years, she has confined herself to well-etched character roles, such as in Zubeidaa and Koi Mil Gaya.

Rekha is the daughter of the Tamil film superstar Gemini Ganeshan and actress Pushpavalli. Rekha played a child-star in the Telugu film Rangula Ratnam (1966), and took up acting as a career with two films released in 1970: the Telugu film Amma Kosam and the Hindi Sawan Bhadon (co-starring Navin Nischol), neither of which were successful.

Rekha's most recent film is Bachke rehna re, where she is cast with Mallika Sherawat.

From the chubby Rekha of yesteryears to sultry heroine and finally a character artiste of repute, the actress has come a long way. Let's hope this charmer will put in many more years on the silver screen.

Compiled by Cultural Correspondent