The enigmatic Rekha loves to swim in cryptic waters. Once in an interview with this writer in 2007 we were talking about those who have influenced her .She mentioned her father the matinee idol Gemini Ganesan, her mother Pushpavalli , filmmaker Hrishikesh Mukherjee.
Then she mentioned her Guru.
I asked who that is .
“The one and only Amitabh Bachchan. He’s my guru. I learnt so much from him,” she declared.
She then compared Mr Bachchan to Rabindranath Tagore. “I seriously think Bachchan is more Bengali than any one I know. He’s a true Bengali dada. And I’m not saying that because he has a Bengali wife or has spent time in Kolkata. There’s more of Rabindranath Tagore’s legacy in him than anyone else.”
Rekha then singled out Tagore as a feminist. “Do you know Tagore was a true woman’s libber? He started the university in Santiniketan for women long before feminism was conceptualised. I like the thought of women being given philosophical and emotional sanctuary by a man who isn’t threatened by them.
Interestingly Tagore figures in Karan Johar’s Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahaani prominently as part of Alia Bhatt’s household. In the film, there is a large picture of Tagore in Alia’s parents’ home.
