‘At
one
time,
I
felt
being
a
mother
was
the
ultimate
experience,
a
woman
was
not
complete
without
it.’
‘Now
I
feel
it’s
not
the
be
all
and
end
all.’
‘Motherhood
is
a
part
of
a
jigsaw
puzzle;
life
is
the
real
big
picture.’
Rekha
in
Super
Nani.
Even
a
few
days
before
her
70th
birthday,
Rekha
continues
to
entertain
and
enthrall
her
fans.
We
celebrate
the
diva
in
a
week-long
special,
leading
up
to
her
landmark
birthday
on
October
10,
and
begin
with
an
interview
she
had
given
way
back
in
1994.
Excerpts
from
an
interview
Rekha
to
Dinesh
Raheja,
then
editor
of
Movie
magazine,
“Unfortunately
for
me,
I
got
no
great
roles
(or
let’s
say
fortunately
because
it
has
taught
me
a
lot).
And
no
great
directors
so
to
speak
of.
I
didn’t
get
hit
songs
like
Mumtaz
or
the
other
girls
did.”
You’ve
been
in
the
film
industry
for
25
years.
It’s
quite
an
achievement.
I
feel
very
grateful
to
God.
I
believed
that
an
actress
lasting
for
25
years
happened
only
in
Hollywood.
Here,
an
actress
could
last
five
to
seven
years
at
the
most.
Jo
mila
woh
ganeemat
samjho,
aur
Ram
Ram
bol
ke
aage
niklo
ya
shaadi
kar
lo.
I
didn’t
know
I
would
be
here
for
25
years.
I
wanted
to
get
married
and
settle
down,
but
God
had
something
else
in
store
for
me.
You
wanted
to
have
children?
Oh
yes.
I
wanted
to
have
children
and
give
up
this
line
for
five
years.
I
wanted
to
come
back
and
get
into
direction.
If
I
had
got
pregnant,
I’d
have
had
to.
But
it
was
not
meant
to
be.
You
can’t
keep
fighting
with
destiny
all
the
time.
Rekha
in
Umrao
Jaan.
Do
you
miss
the
experience
of
motherhood?
At
one
time,
I
felt
being
a
mother
was
the
ultimate
experience,
a
woman
was
not
complete
without
it.
Now
I
feel
it’s
not
the
be
all
and
end
all.
Motherhood
is
a
part
of
a
jigsaw
puzzle;
life
is
the
real
big
picture.
How
do
you
review
your
career?
Unfortunately
for
me,
I
got
no
great
roles
(or
let’s
say
fortunately
because
it
has
taught
me
a
lot).
And
no
great
directors
so
to
speak
of.
I
didn’t
get
hit
songs
like
Mumtaz
or
the
other
girls
did.
Today,
just
when
I
feel
that
I’m
beginning
to
register
what
acting
is
all
about
and
I
know
who
I
am,
I’m
going
to
be
40
in
October.
God!
Now
it’s
a
greater
challenge
for
me.
Amitabh
Bachchan
and
Rekha
in
Silsila.
Which
of
your
films
are
you
happy
to
have
done?
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,
crying
et
al.
I
asked
Yashji
(Chopra,
Director)
for
time,
but
he
said
no.
Then
Amitji
related
an
incident.
He
said,
James
Dean
in
a
film
called
Giant
faced
a
similar
dilemma.
He
just
turned
around
and
did
Number
1
(urinated)
in
front
of
the
crowd.
That
made
him
feel
on
top
of
the
world.
James
Dean
thought
to
himself,
‘Isse
bura
kya
ho
sakta
hai?
‘and
gave
a
perfect
shot.
I
said
to
Amitji,
‘Excuse
me,
that
really
makes
me
feel
better.’
He
said,
‘I
don’t
mean
it
literally,
but
you
know
what
I
mean,
come
on.
This
is
acting.’
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.
One
sees
shades
of
Amitabh
Bachchan
in
some
of
your
performances.
I
don’t
deny
that.
When
a
critic
pointed
out
that
I
had
copied
him
in
Madam
X,
I
agreed.
Look,
when
we
started
working
together,
we
were
at
a
very
impressionable
stage.
Each
one
left
his
or
her
impression
on
the
other.
If
you
saw
a
crowd
in
those
days
from
a
top
angle,
you
just
saw
a
whole
sea
of
heads
with
the
Amitabh
hairstyle.
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?
The
biggest
compliment
you
could’ve
paid
Amitabh
is
to
say
he
influenced
you.
What
is
the
biggest
compliment
he
has
ever
paid
you?
I
think
the
only
compliment
he
has
knowingly
or
unknowingly
paid
me
was
that
he
gave
me
an
opportunity
to
work
with
a
great
co-star
like
him.
That
is
the
biggest
compliment
I
have
ever
received.
