Here's Why People Are Calling Rekha A 'Queer Icon We Always Needed But Never Knew We Had'
Rekha is being hailed as a queer icon by many on social media. Here's why! Furthermore, rumours about her closeness to her hairdresser-turned-secretary have been doing the rounds for a long time now.
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'
AFP
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.
"why not?" rekha is the queer icon we always needed https://t.co/OuRXZz6CDi
¡ª june? | paper moon + queenmaker era? (@mamehaswife) November 28, 2022
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.
With LIVING LEGEND #RekhaJi ???
¡ª DILJIT DOSANJH (@diljitdosanjh) April 21, 2019
And Very Spl. #FarzanaJi
Farzana Ji woh Hain Jo REKHA JI Ki Natural Beauty Ko Aur Bhi Chaar Chaand Lagati Hain ?? RESPECT
P.S - Baat Yeh Hai Ke.... NATURAL BEAUTIES SE BHARI HOI FOTO HAI JI YEH ?? pic.twitter.com/Z17ypBgL5L
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.
Actor #Rekha is an Indian queer icon and she should be duly worshipped like @cher & @DollyParton in the west. I can only bank on @thedivasushant to represent India's queer roots in the best way possible. | #QueeRekha #RaniKoHEnur pic.twitter.com/jzd50dyBuX
¡ª Rishabh Mishra (@sick_smasher) January 11, 2023
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)".
#IdolSayli ke pyaar ke sawaal par #Rekha ji ke jawaab ne maara sixer! Dekhiye unki masti aur shararat #IndianIdol2020 #MallikaEIshqRekha special mein, aaj raat 9:30 baje sirf Sony par. @iAmNehaKakkar @VishalDadlani #HimeshReshammiya @fremantle_india @jaybhanushali0 pic.twitter.com/nJbIkha7sc
¡ª sonytv (@SonyTV) April 3, 2021
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."
#IdolSayli ke pyaar ke sawaal par #Rekha ji ke jawaab ne maara sixer! Dekhiye unki masti aur shararat #IndianIdol2020 #MallikaEIshqRekha special mein, aaj raat 9:30 baje sirf Sony par. @iAmNehaKakkar @VishalDadlani #HimeshReshammiya @fremantle_india @jaybhanushali0 pic.twitter.com/nJbIkha7sc
¡ª sonytv (@SonyTV) April 3, 2021
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Garima Satija leads the Entertainment vertical of Indiatimes. A storyteller at heart who enjoys the thrill of writing, she is sometimes found daydreaming about living the lives of movie characters. Also, she hates talking about herself in the third person.
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