It is legendary actor, Rekha’s 71st birthday today. The actor, known for her stunning range of work in films like Umrao Jaan (1981), Silsila (1981), Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978), Vijeta (1982), Utsav (1984) and Ijaazat (1987), has spoken about her craft in interviews, particularly getting influenced by Amitabh Bachchan, with whom she worked in over 10 films.
In an old interview with Filmfare, Rekha admitted that she absorbed much of her craft by observing the mannerisms of Bachchan. “Whatever I am as an actor, I owe 100 per cent to him. I just soaked in whatever he had to offer, just observing him,” she said.
Speaking to Movie Magazine in 1994, Rekha recalled of an instance during the filming of Yash Chopra’s Silsila when Bachchan motivated during a challenging scene with crowd. “I can pick up moments like the ‘I hate you’ scene I did for Silsila. It was such an intense scene and there were 15,000 people on the location at five in the morning. I had major lines to speak. I asked Yashji for time, but he said no,” Rekha said.
Bachchan then narrated an unusual story to Rekha about Hollywood actor James Dean, who faced a similar problem during the filming of Giant (1956). James turned around and urinated in front of the crowd, which made him feel ‘on top of the world’. Rekha did the scene after hearing the story. “Start, camera, action sunte hi sab chup ho gaye. End mein when I hugged Amitji, toh sab bole, ‘Ooooh’. I had a hard time trying to control my expression,” she said.
Rekha also revealed in the same interview that she incorporated the mannerisms of Bachchan for her film, Madam X (1994). She said, “When we started working together, we were at a very impressionable stage. Each one left his or her impression on the other. I worked with him in 10 films at an early stage of my career, spanning over so many years. How can I not be influenced?”