This Bollywood star was born when her mother was unmarried. She later developed resentment towards her superstar father, did not attend his funeral.
If you ask anyone about the big three of Tamil cinema history, chances are that the name Gemini Ganesan will figure in most, if not all, of the permutations and combinations for it. For decaces, along with Sivaji Ganesan and MG Ramachandran, Gemini was considered the biggest Kollywood superstar, before the likes of Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, and Vijay staked claim to the title. But Gemini also had an eventful personal life off camera. One episode of which remains tragic with a big connection to Bollywood.
Gemini Ganesan and daughter Rekha’s fraught relationship
Rekha, widely regarded as one of the most successful actresses in Hindi cinema history, was Gemini’s daughter. The superstar was married several times, first to Alamelu in 1940 and then to Savitri in 1952. Before his marriage to Savitri, Gemini had already been in a serious relationship with actress Pushpavalli. In 1954, Pushpavalli gave birth to Bhanurekha Ganesa, who later come to be known as Rekha. Gemini and Pushpavalli were not married until a few years later.
Rekha has gone on record to say that her father was not always present in her life given that he had two other families to tend to. Gemini moved out of their house when she was an infant. “I was a baby when he moved out of our lives. I don’t even remember the time when he was at home,” she once said in Rendezvous With Simi Garewal, adding that her mother was “dizzy and drunk in the love of my father.” The actress added, “All the children, we are a dozen of them, were in the same school. A couple of times he came to drop other kids, so that was my first impression of him, I was like, ‘oh this is appa..’ But I never had a chance to meet him. I don’t think even he noticed me there. He never saw me.”
When Rekha skipped her father’s funeral
Rekha had to turn bread-winner for her family while still just a teenager as their financial situation was not good. This is despite the fact that Gemini was a superstar. This made the actress resent her father. In 1994, when Gemini won a Lifetime Achievement Award, Rekha presented it to him and the two had a teary-eyed reunion. However , the resentment did not end. In 2005, Gemini breathed his last at the age of 84. He was survived by seven daughters and a son. While his other children attended the funeral, Rekha skipped it. A PTI report noted that the actress was in Himachal Pradesh shooting and did not take time off.
Why Rekha refused to mourn Gemini Ganesan
A year after Gemini’s death, Rekha addressed her father’s death in an interview with the Telegraph. She said, “Why should I grieve for him when he’s so much part of me? Why should I grieve when I’m so grateful for his genes, his teachings, rich life and his sheer existence? Grieve for what??!! I’m happy I didn’t have to share unpleasant moments with him. He existed for me in my imagination. And that’s so much more beautiful than reality. Everything I love is unqualified by worldly time constraints.”
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 "A young Rekha")
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