People took advantage of Rekha: Raza Murad

Rekha turned 69 today and the enigma and mysticism that surround her now are in total contrast to how Rekha used to be as a young actress in the early 70s. Senior actor and Rekha's co-star in dozens of cult hits,

Raza Murad

reveals never-heard-before aspects from her younger days. Without much ado, lets get into Raza Murad's recollections and his memories of working with and observing the enigmatic Rekha.

'She was warm, friendly and would mimic Sharmila Tagore and Mumtaz very well'

My first meeting with Rekha was on the sets of

Namak Haraam

in 1972.

She was chulbuli, chirpy, friendly and a fun-loving girl. She was a good mimic, too. She would mimic Sharmila Tagore and Mumtaz very well.
Rekha was impulsive by nature and she would follow her impulses. The best thing about her was that despite being such a big star, she didn’t behave like a star with anyone. She was very warm and friendly towards everyone. Sometimes, people took advantage of her nature. She would trust anyone very quickly.

She was a great fan of Jeetendra before she entered the industry. She was an admirer of Jeetu ji.
She used to be the life and soul of the set. The set would just light up as soon as she would arrive. She used to crack jokes, mimic, tell trivia, so everyone used to look forward to Rekha ji coming for the shoot. Set pe jaan aa jaati thi, unke aa jaane se. She would even openly talk about her weaknesses as an actor and as a person, too.

'Rekha was a big fan of Meena Kumari'

She was great at dubbing. She would hear her dialogues once and then dub without rehearsals. She was very quick. She was a big fan of Meena Kumari too. I remember Sawan Kumar Tak keeping a trial of Gomti Ke Kinare (1972) after Meena Kumari’s death. I was at that trial. Rekha wept uncontrollably at that trial remembering Meena ji. Sawan ji was trying his best to pacify her.

Very few people know that Rekha did the dubbing for Sridevi in Aakhri Raasta. After the demise of Smita Patil, Rekha also dubbed for her in Waris.
Rekha was very friendly with her staff too – the hairdresser, makeup artist and driver. She never showed starry airs. She would eat with workers. She used to treat them equally. Not many people know that she never touched a drop of liquor. On a regular day, she goes to bed by 8:30 – 9 pm.

'It's good that Rekha changed and developed a mystique, she was too good to people'

When she came from Chennai, she was totally raw. As I told you earlier, people took advantage of her friendly nature and easy-to-approach attitude. I think she realized that people misuse her and probably that’s why she became reserved. I have seen her complete transformation. She has become very choosy.
Despite being not very active on screen, she still has her aura. The way she dresses up and carries herself, she has never learned these things from anyone. I think she has developed it herself by experience. She is a self-taught person. She has done a lot of self-grooming. This is the reason why she still commands so much respect. People still think of her in very high esteem. It’s good that she changed herself. She was too good with people. Sometimes, it’s too bad to be too good.