Umrao Jaan, Silsila, Utsav, Khoon Bhari Maang – 5 films of Rekha that make us MISS her onscreen!

Rekha, who celebrates her birthday today, has done some really inspiring films and we have chosen five best ones!

By BollywoodLife
| Updated: October 10, 2016 1:01 PM IST

Rekha is an incredible actress. Over the years in the industry, she has proved if she can be a commercial actress, she can also be the darling of parallel cinema. When it comes to films, it’s the characters that were important to her. Even today she is no less a looker. She had evolved a lot over the years as she kept doing more and more films. We know it is a crime to select only five of her best films when she has done so many, but we had to and these are the ones we thought did justice to her talent. Check the list out… Also Read - Kaun Banega Crorepati 15: Did Amitabh Bachchan make fun of wife Jaya Bachchan's short height?

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This isn’t the first time that Rekha played a courtesan in a movie. Muqaddar Ka Sikandar and Suhaag saw her in the roles of a girl who dances and sings for a living. But they weren’t of much merit at all until she worked in Muzaffar Ali’s Umrao Jaan. It was a story of a courtesan from Lucknow who falls for a Nawab. But his inability to stick to her, ruins her life forever. They are meant to spread love not get love, was what can be deduced from the film. Rekha has given her career’s best performance which made her win many awards that year. Also Read - Animal: Ranbir Kapoor film inspired by Akshay Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan's Waqt? Netizens point out similarities

Khoon Bhari Maang

Much fun was made of Rekha and her unusual hairdos in this thrilling film called Khoon Bhari Maang but nobody can deny that she was simply magnetic in this film. The power, the exuberance and rare character of a strong women in a Hindi film were perfectly portrayed by her. We don’t know how Rakesh Roshan envisioned her in that role but he was BANG ON! The film is so empowering. Yes, it was ridiculed for a lot of reason and made a beast out of a water animal but it still was explosive!

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Utsav

This was Rekha’s boldest film ever. Produced by Shashi Kapoor and directed by Girish Karnad, the actress played a courtesan yet again but this time her love gets reciprocated. It was a path breaking film in those days as Rekha showed the rare courage of doing such a sensuous film and that too with a newcomer like Shekhar Suman. That’s the beauty of being a talented actress. It’s the character that draws you to it not the people in it.

Silsila

It isn’t easy to play the other woman in a film. Those were the days when roles in films were taken very seriously by audience. Rekha and Amitabh Bachchan’s affair rumours were all over the place and Yash Chopra managed to do a casting coup by having both along with Bachchan’s wife Jaya in it. It is still not known why Rekha decided to be the easily misunderstood third wheel here when the affair rumours were anywayfiring up tabloids. But she did it and did it with great panache. She hasn’t looked this beautiful and stylish in any film before; much credit of that goes to Yash Chopra of course!

Ghar

Not many are aware of this film, but Ghar is one of the class apart movie of those days. The film chronicled the life of very much in love couple mired by rape and assault, Rekha gets gang-raped that leaves her traumatised and devastated. She portrayed the frayed nerves of a rape victim perfectly. It was a mature Rekha that many hadn’t seen till then.

There’s more to this actress’s brilliance than just these but she is more remembered for this film than any other! On that note, we would like to wish you a very happy birthday!

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ByBollywoodLife
| Updated: October 10, 2016 1:01 PM IST