REKHAJI , AAP MERI JEENE KI TAMANNA BADAA DETI HO...

I think l know Rekha well , but the more l see her , the more l know that l have a long way to go before l know even a little about her - Ali Peter John

I first used to see a young Rekha shooting in Mohan Studio and Natraj Studio (both the studios are now extinct, alas ) .

She was shooting for Hrishikesh Mukherjee's "Namak Haraam" with the then superstar Rajesh Khanna and the still struggling Amitabh Bachchan.

I used to see men passing dirty and lewd comments against her , calling her names like 'Kali Bhains ' and Miss Ugly among other names in different languages.

The only two men who treated her with respect were Hrishi daa and the struggling Amitabh.

Those were days when even l was a struggler and found the studios as my shelter and where l could get tea for a rupee, so there was no chance of my meeting for talking to any one of them , but l still made the round of the studios , lilttle knowing that walking around studios would be a part of my job for several years .

I first saw Rekha alone in a building called Beach Apartments where she had Jaya Bhaduri as her neighbour .

This was the time when l could take courage and just say hello to her and she would be kind to smile back , l dont know why .

I kept seeing her and smiling at her till l found a job as a cub reporter in Screen . My opportunities to see her increased and we knew each other on a first name basis .

I was an established journalist and circumstances had turned me into an alcoholic.

I would sometime get drunk before noon and walk around studios like l used to when l was a struggler .

Rekha was shooting in an air conditioned studio call Seth Studio and l dont know what got into me , but l decided to walk up to the floor where Rekha was .

Any damn fool would have known that l was drunk , but the alcohol in me gave me the courage to go up to Rekha and shake her hand , while the crowd around kept staring at me .

How could l dare to approach Rekha in the condition I was in ? That could be the question in every one's mind .

Rekha didn't show any signs of being angry or irritated by my behaviour . But when l reached my office , l knew that she had already complained to my editor about my going to her set drunk .

No action was taken against me , but I decided to punish myself by not going anywhere near Rekha ...

I didnt see her for several months , till one day the same editor told me that l was going to Udaipur to cover the shooting of a film called "Phool Bane Angaray" in which Rekha was cast with Rajnikant as her hero .

I told my editor that it would be wrong for me to incite Rekha whose bad books l have got into . But my editor insisted that l go to Udaipur .

I was with a group of journalist and we were about to start a round of drinking , but l had given up drinking and l was only worried about how Rekha would react to my presence in the same hotel where she had her suite .

And before l could think any further , l saw "the Rekha " walking down the stairs with her pet poodle in her arms and a shawl round her neck .

She took one look at the group of journalist and asked only one question, ' has Ali come?"

I knew my time to be hanged by her was drawing very close , but she only said , "Ali , l want you in my suite at 6.30 in the morning " . I couldn't sleep because l didnt know what 'the Rekha' had in her mind for me .

I reached her suite at 6.30 sharp and the way she welcomed me , l could never think that we had any misunderstanding. But what was more interesting was what she said next , she told me over a cup of coffee ( l hated the taste of coffee , but how could l say no to the Rekha'?

I sipped the coffee while she told me ,' l want you to be with me whenever l am free , especially during lunch break and after the day's shooting was over .

I was supposed to be in Udaipur for just 2 days , but she gave me a new suite on the same floor on which she was and for the next 5 days , she told me the story of her life which included her love story with a man who she referred to as He , Him or God .

I wrote a full page article about our meeting and all the she told me . I met her after the article was published and she said ,' what are you doing in a film magazine ?

You should be having a shack near a beautiful beach and just write poetry " . It was a complement l have still not received from anyone in the film industry...

Our meetings became frequent and l could tell people in advance about when she would come to a party or an event . We had become friends

I was in Hyderabad where she was to shoot for "Ashaa Jyoti" with Rajesh Khanna who was on his downward slop .

Some journalists from Bombay were with me and she saw one of the male journalists who kept writing nasty things about her and immediately told he director , Dasari Narayan Rao and her producer Kovai Chezhiyan that if all the journalists were not asked to leave Annapurna Studio immediately or she would not shoot .

She saw me in the group and told her director that only l would be allowed to stay on .

It was a dicey situation, but in spite of knowing how the Rekha would react , l decided to be with the journalist .

She met me and told me why she didnt like "those dirty journalists " and l could see sense in what she said about who she called , ' dirty yellow journalists'

We had our Screen awards in Chennai and my company wanted a good star as a chief guest and l could only think of Rekha and she agreed to come to Chennai .

I had planned to give her a surprise . She was not on talking terms with her father , Gemini Ganeshan .

My colleagues in Chennai were asked to invite Gemini to the awards function and he came .

Rekha was surprised tosee her father after years . My plan was working out . My company decided to give the Lifetime Achievement award to Gemeini Ganeshan and l asked the anchor to invite "the Rekha " on stage to present the award to her father .

The father and daughter were in tears when they met and the Rekha touched the feet of her father .

"The Rekha" thanked me for making what was impossible possible . Gemeini Ganeshan died some time later

I left Screen in August 2007 and my meetings with people , especially stars dwindled because l knew how the industry generally behaved when peiple were no longer important to them because they were not of use to them .

But l realized that there were starts who maintained the same relationship whether you are out or of absolutely no use to them .

Most of the stars l met were the same people l knew when they were nowhere and were good to me as usual...

And if there was one megastar who didnt show any change in her attitude or behaviour towards me , it was 'the Rekha' .

I was meeting the Rekha aftera very ling time and was looking like her grandfather when we met at a private screening of Mainsha Koirala's come back film , 'Dear Maya' .

In just a few minutes she made up for the time we had not met . She was the same picture of beauty , grace , love and affection.

And the next time too it was something to do with Manisha who 'the Rekha' seemed to have a soft corner for .

It was the book launch of Manisha's book , "Healed " . There were many other stars , but like always 'the Rekha ' stood out from the rest of them .

I was not going to meet her , my young friend Rajan encouraged to go and meet her .

She was about to leave , when l just called out in my feeble voice, R E K H A and she turned back and came running towards me and embraced me , an embrace which had the fragrance of true friendship in it .

It was not l , but ahe who asked the photographers to take a picture of both of us. And l have not looked so presentable as l look in that photograph which l cherish and even have as my DP which you can see if you are reading this piece .

In this lockdown times , l have missed many things and many good people, but the one woman who l have been craving to even look at once , it is "the Rekha" .

MERE JEEVAN REKHA MEIN EK REKHA ZAROOR REKHA WAALI REKHA HOGI . MAI KAHI SAALON SE SOCH TAA HUN KI REKHA KAA AUR MERAA KYAA RISTAA HO SAKTAA HAI .

FIR SOCHTAA HUN KI AGAR MAI REKHA KI REKHA KO NAHI HI JAANOO TOH AUR BHI ACHHA HO SAKTAA HAI .

JAB MAI REKHA KE BAAREMEIN SOCHTAA HUN , MERI JEENE KI TAMANNAA AUR BHI BAD JAATI HAI .

AUR KYAA KAHE SAKTAA HIN MAI ISS JAADUNAGRI SE AAYI HUI JAADUGARNI KE BAARE MEIN?