New Delhi: Rekha is without a doubt the most elegant female actor the Hindi cinema industry has ever produced. Additionally, the actor's parents, particularly her mother, played a significant role in determining her personality and her on-screen presence in addition to her own dedication. The seasoned actor recently talked openly about the significant impact her late mother Pushpavalli had on moulding her extraordinary career in the Hindi cinema business.
Rekha was born to actors Gemini Ganesan, a well-known Tamil actor, and Pushpavalli, a Telugu film icon. In an interview with Vogue Arabia, Rekha talked about her mother being her mentor and how she taught the 'Silsila' actress the art of graceful living. "My mother was my mentor, a woman of such finesse she felt like a goddess, a devi. She taught me the grace of living with gentility and love. She always said I should never lose the ankh ki chamak, or ‘twinkle in the eyes,’ because it is that joyful perception that makes one appreciate the beauty of a tiny seed that grows into a majestic tree. She also advised me wisely to practice what I love, not what I preach. She set the benchmark for me because my mother walked the talk," she said.
2010 saw the prestigious Padma Shri award given to Rekha in recognition of her talent and contributions to the film industry. Rekha remarked that her mother instilled in her the importance of being genuine in all aspects of daily life. The veteran actor said, "To make the ordinary extraordinary, I learned long ago that authenticity is key. But how do you recognise it? My mother taught me by just the way she lived and created a home that was very sensorial. I was immersed in her world of Sufi music, Urdu shayari (poems), Chettinad art, and South Indian culture that I imbibed subliminally. She lived without synthetics, plastics, and wore pure organic fabrics because everything she touched was sacred to her. This sense of adoration for the aesthete has never left me.”
Rekha lost her mother in 1991, leaving a huge void in her life. However, the actor still adheres to her mother's principles in both how she lives her life and how she plays her characters on the silver screen.