Here's Why People Are Calling Rekha A 'Queer Icon We Always Needed But Never Knew We Had'
In this old clip from Rendezvous With Simi Garewal, Rekha confidently says, "Why can't I marry a woman?". The clip is now being widely shared on social media and everyone is hailing the veteran actress as Queer icon.?
'Rekha is the queer icon we always needed but never knew we had'
In the clip doing the rounds, Rekha unabashedly shrugs Simi Garewal's opinion when she asks him if she was planning to get married again. Rekha asks, "with a man". To which Simi says, "Well, not a woman, obviously!"
Without missing a beat, Rekha asks, "Why not?"
Later in the interview, when Simi tells her that she would love to see her back on the show again "maybe with your husband."?
Rekha is seen rolling her eyes and answering, "That word is as alien to me as father."
With her sheer simplicity, she challenges Garewal's heteronormativity and everyone is loving it.
Furthermore, rumours about her closeness to her hairdresser-turned-secretary have been doing the rounds for a long time now. Journalist and author?Yasser Usman in his book about Rekha had revealed that no one is allowed to enter her bedroom except for her trusted secretary Farzana.?
Farzana has been with Rekha through her thick and thin for more than three decades now.
For the unversed, Rekha was married to Delhi-based businessman Mukesh Agarwal. Her marriage lasted only seven months as he committed suicide.?
She has been linked to many actors including Amitabh Bachchan?Jeetendra, and Vinod Khanna.
In the book, Usman sheds light on the much-discussed affair Rekha had with Amitabh Bachchan. In fact, in an episode of Indian Idol, she herself joked about falling for married men. In the episode, when host?Jay Bhanushali asks the judges if they have ever heard of a woman so obsessed with a married man, Rekha prompts, "Mujhse puchiye na?(You should ask me)".
An excerpt from the book reads, "At Beach Appartments, Rekha and Jaya would often meet. Rekha affectionately called Jaya ＆Didibhai＊, and frequently went over to Jaya＊s flat to spend time with her. The latter would advise her on life and career. It was there that Rekha first met Jaya＊s boyfriend, Amitabh Bachchan."
Jaya-Rekha Beef
by u/Working-Jellyfish-37 in BollyBlindsNGossip
Another excerpt reads, "I asked the filmmaker Muzaffar Ali why he cast Rekha in Umrao Jaan, when there were arguably better actresses like Smita Patil around. Pat came the reply, ＆Her eyes conveyed the experience of having been broken and then having pulled herself together. She has that strength, that striking feature which draws from her past."
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