Meet actress who was called 'the fattest girl', delivered more than 150 films

India.com

29-05-2025

In our film industry, there have been many actors and actresses who came from a very influential background and later made a powerful impact, which simply created a special space for them. But, there was this one actress who actually had a very powerful background in the industry, but started her journey at the age of 12 so that she could save her family from the financial burden. The Queen Of Bollywood
In her starting phase, this actress was criticised for her weight and her dark complexion; she was called by many 'the fattest girl' and 'the ugly duckling' in her school. The legendary actress we are talking about has done more than 150 films in her dynamic career and won a National Award and Three Filmfare Awards.
The actress we are talking about is none other than Rekha, who is also referred to as 'Rekhaji' by her ardent fans. She was born to the Tamil industry's iconic actor Gemini Ganesan and Telugu actress Pushpavalli who are known as stalwarts of the South Indian Cinema. Despite being from such an influential background, Rekha grew up without her father's presence which later became a liability for her so that she could support the education of her siblings. When Rekha Shared About The Complicated Relationship With Her Father
Earlier, during an interview with Simi Garewal on her talk show, Rendezvous with Simi Garewal , Rekha opened up about her parent's relationship with her. The actress revealed that she has no childhood memory with her father as he left her at a very early age. However, his absence never made her broken because her mother used to share the stories about her father that were enchanted by his love and charm. Rekha's Ray Of Hope
Since Rekha's mother was a big name in the industry, she was often busy with the shoot schedule of her big projects and that is why Rekha's most of childhood was spent under the shadows of her grandmother and aunt who were always there to support her. Later, the actress found a ray of hope in her life as she found a father figure in filmmaker Mohan Segal, whose influence in film industry helped Rekha to take acting as a career, however, it was not her choice but because of the financial hardships due to which she entered into showbiz.
Apart from Pushpavalli, Rekha's father also had an affair known as Savitri who is referred as 'the queen of Telugu cinema' that later turned into marriage. As per media reports, it has been said that Gemini made his wife addicted to alcohol and after a while, differences between the two started increasing that later became the reason for their separation.