Rekha Is Into Singing Seriously

The  captivating enigmatic Rekha may not be seen on screen these days. But she is pursuing her secret passion…no, not what you think…Rekhaji is heavily into  singing,  and  the whole industry is  talking about it.Apparently Rekha randomly rings  up her people in  the industry and—hold  your breath—sings for them!

“And she’s very very good at  it!” a  young female star tells me. “I was  very surprised when Rekhaji called me. I know she’s very warm whenever we  meet. But we meet very rarely, at awards functions  and since award functions are not  happening at  at all , I haven’t met her for quite some time.It was therefore a  big surprise when I received  a call  from THE Rekhaji and  an even bigger  honour when she sang an ENTIRE song for me.And so beautifully.”

And this young popular actress is not the only one to receive  a melodious call from Rekha.

 The legendary  actress who has done her own playback singing in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Khubsoorat and Vinod Pande’s Ek Naya Rishta, has been  a devout  fan of  Lata Mangeshkar  for years.

In  a conversation with me some years ago Rekha  spoke  glowingly of  how close she  feels about  the great Lataji: “You know, Lataji and I share a very special rapport that goes back to when I was probably 2 or 3 years old. That was when I heard her singing in my sleep. And what a way to be woken up! She was singing Aaja re pardesi from the film Madhumati. My mother used to hear this song at full volume. I’d jump up in my cradle and start dancing.”

Rekha remembered every detail of that encounter. “I even remember the timing, and what my mom was wearing, and what perfume….I told Lataji that I used to hear Aaja re  pardesi….Pardesi to miley nahin lekin iss bahaane mujhe meri Lata Didi mili(I couldn’t  get a pardesi  but  that search   gave me the excuse  to  find my Lata Didi). I went a step further and said, I wanted Lataji to be born from my womb.I think she’s so cute. That’s why I’d like her to be my daughter.”