*Filmfare Online Interview*

Rekha, the name itself spells magic. It may sound cliche, but every aspect of this magic holds true. Apart from this, she holds you spellbound, makes you speechless. But once the ice melts, the conversation begins. She goes out of her way to make you feel more than comfortable. No doubt she is suspicious and does not come forth easily, but once she is convinced she mellows down and is down to earth. She is moody, but never comes across as hell hath no fury of a Rekha scorned. That she is bold, flamboyant, alluring, charming, sensuous is every man's oft-expressed opinion. No one tries to believe that she can be a compassionate woman too, seeking love and everything else that goes with it, including the heartbreak and heartaches. No one tries to admire her guts. Sometime she is lonely and then her moods compel her to cocoon herself in a shell, to the extent that the confines herself in her glassy palatial mansion. So now over to Rekha, the most enigmatic actress, the enchantress of a woman and above all, a seductress, yet a dignified, royal, elegant and a respectable woman. That mystery unravels through every layer of, now, her unmasked appearance, was discovered by me and monument time spent with her on the sets of Prakash Mehra's latest venture, 'Mujhe Meri Biwi Se Bachao.' So here is one of the most beautiful women of Indian cinema shedding lights on her character.

Filmfare Online: What is your role in the film?
Rekha: "Kamini Devi, my character is like today's woman who does not rave, rant scream or screech. No rona dhona at all. It is very unlike the violent vendetta type of a role that I had done in films like 'Khoon Bhari Maang' or 'Phool Bane Angaarey'? "

Filmfare Online: So is it another revenge kind of film?
Rekha: "Yeah. But not exactly. See, moreover the story in each film remain same but it is the treatment which makes it different from the other. Adding more to this, the way all the character woven in one script and above all the performance from the entire star cast. It is a normal woman, who teaches her husband that if need be even a wife can turn her back on her husband. "

Filmfare Online: Tell us something about your role?
Rekha: "I would like to describe my role at length in this film. No one would believe me if I say that in the beginning I play the role of a wife of Naseer, who is very fat, very complex, very frustrated, with a very inconsequential attitude. Yet like a true Indian woman, she simply adores her husband. She never realises that her husband is only after her money and nothing else. She is filthy rich with a big house, an all-star hotel, many star business enterprises at her disposal. But at heart she is a typical middle-class woman, who craves for her husband's attention.
And here comes the turning point in the film. She is kidnapped. Yet she don't believe that it is all because of her financial status. Even this stage all that matter for her is her husband. But her husband's attitude proves like a severe bold from the blue, when he refuses to pay up the ransom, that too her own money.
Now that does it, and she evolves, changes her entire course of life and as a grand finale emerges out of shell and becomes a woman of substance. Now here what happens is after being kidnapped she is confined in a single room. Thankfully, with a TV. Besides she doesn't like the food that is being offered to her. So many times she skips her meal and in the process she starts losing weight. Then slowly realisation dawns on her and she starts exercising by watching fitness programme on TV.
How she comes out of the kidnapper's clutches will be seen to be believd. But now Kamini Devi, my character's name, emerges as a sexy, sultry siren. She herself doesn't believe in her new transformed appearance. After this twist and turn in her life she is also shocked to discover that her husband is not only a cheat, but also one big hell of a liar, and a hardcore womaniser. Now how she goes on taking revenge forms the crux of the film."

Filmfare Online: Tell us something about the director Harry Baweja?
Rekha: "He is cho chweet. He has treated the film on a very innocent, yet a hilarious comedy level. It is brilliant to work with him."

Filmfare Online: Could you please tell us about your role in 'Zubeida?'
Rekha: "Well, my role has no meat in it. But it was only because of the charm of working with Shyam Benegal again after a gap of so many years that lured me to do the film. I had last worked with him in 'Kalyug' and this time round it was he who reminded me that when I was just 14-15 years old, when he had made me model for a Gold Spot ad."

Filmfare Online: After being in this field so many years, didn't you ever think of taking a break?
Rekha: "I am still working after 30 years in this field, but not only for monetary purpose, but more for my as yet untapped potential. I have achieved everything; name, fame, awards, rewards everything except for totally fulfilled creative satisfaction. Otherwise God has blessed me with everything that I could ever have asked for."

Filmfare Online: How is it working with Prakash Mehra after so many years?
Rekha: "Well, I feel lucky to work again with Prakash Mehra's unit once again after ages. Earlier, I had done 'Muqaddar Ka Sikandar' with him and today I am having a great fun doing 'Mujhe Meri Biwi Se Bachao.' That's the kind of atmosphere I get in Prakash Mehra's unit. I am having a great time working with Naseer, again after a long gap, when I did Gulzar's 'Ijaazat.' "

Filmfare Online: What do you have to say about your awards?
Rekha: "I had got a nomination for 'Muqaddar Ka Sikandar,' the Best Actress award for 'Khoon Bhari Maang,' 'Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi' and for 'Khoobsurat.' And my crowning glory was winning the national award for 'Umrao Jaan' with a cash prize of Rs. 1 Lakh. "

Filmfare Online: At the end would you like to tell something?
Rekha: "People still want me to act, as I am sure they will remember me for years to come. "

- Shahin Raj

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