Rekha biography: Shashi Kapoor called her dark and fat and then she became 'Queen of Bollywood', in Mumbai

From the archive record

In 1978 in South Mumbai's Novelty Cinema, for Mohan Sehgal's film premiere, a 16 year old girl with a 33 inch waist, with her hair tied up. Shashi Kapoor commented that this "dark, fat actress would not survive in the industry!" In her childhood, Rekha searched widely for a second name. Rekha's father denied that she was his daughter and did not live with her. In the 1960's and 1970's mothers used to mature their daughters early and send them into acting. Exclusive coverage on the life of the evergreen Rekha as seen in still pictures. A section in a television show takes us on a detailed story of her childhood to the the acting career, scandals, affairs, her fame and her affair with Amitabh Bachchan and their onscreen chemistry in the 1970s. Stills from her photoshoots and magazine shoots