Mumbai, July 17, 2026
Bollywood superstar Hema Malini recalled the beautiful and enduring bond between her and fellow colleague and Bollywood superstar Rekha.
The upcoming episode of music reality show ‘Indian Idol’ will take viewers on a nostalgic journey as Hema Malini will be seen elaborating on her friendship with Rekha, further revealing that their bond began years before they shared the screen.
During the conversation, host of the show Aditya Narayan said, “Jahan tak mujhe pata hai, Rekha ji aur aapne lagbhag aath filmein saath mein ki hain. Main jaana chahunga ki Rekha ji ke saath kaam karne ka aapka experience kaisa raha?” (As far as I know, Rekha ji and you have worked together in nearly eight films. I would like to know what your experience of working with Rekha ji has been like)
Hema Malini recalled, “Maine Rekha ko tab dekha tha jab woh bahut chhoti thi. Main Bharatanatyam seekh rahi thi Chennai mein, lekin uss waqt maine Kuchipudi bhi seekhna shuru kiya tha. Main Guru Vempati Chinna Satyam ji ke paas training ke liye jaati thi. Tab meri film ‘Sapno Ka Saudagar’ release ho chuki thi, lekin filmon ke saath-saath main stage performances bhi karti thi. Dance hamesha meri zindagi ka ek bahut bada hissa raha hai aur aaj bhi hai.”
(I first saw Rekha when she was a very young girl. I was learning Bharatanatyam in Chennai and had also started training in Kuchipudi. I used to train under Guru Vempati Chinna Satyam. By then, my film ‘Sapno Ka Saudagar’ had already been released, but alongside films, I continued performing on stage. Dance has always been a very important part of my life, and it still is)
She continued, “Jab main dance classes mein jaati thi, Rekha bhi wahaan aati thi. Woh tab ek chhoti si ladki thi. Guru ji hamesha kehte the ki yeh dance rehearsal se bhaag jaati hai, isse pakadna bahut mushkil hai. Woh bahut hi mischievous thi.”
(Whenever I went for dance classes, Rekha would also come there. She was just a little girl then. Guru ji would always say that she would run away from rehearsals and was very difficult to catch. She was extremely mischievous)
Recalling one of Rekha’s early stage performances, Hema Malini shared, “Humne Guru ji ka ek dance ballet kiya tha jo Krishna, Rukmini aur Satyabhama ki kahaani par aadharit tha. Usmein Narad Muni ka kirdaar Rekha ne Kuchipudi style mein nibhaya tha. Narad Muni ke costume mein woh bahut hi pyaari lag rahi thi aur unhone kamaal ki performance di thi. Mujhe uss waqt bilkul andaaza nahi tha ki kuch saalon baad woh Bombay aayengi aur Hindi filmon ki itni badi actress banengi.”
(We performed a dance ballet by Guru ji based on the story of Krishna, Rukmini and Satyabhama. Rekha played the role of Narad Muni in the Kuchipudi style. She looked adorable in the Narad Muni costume and gave a remarkable performance. At that time, I had no idea that a few years later she would come to Bombay and become such a big Hindi film star)
She further added, “Baad mein jab humne Gora Aur Kala ki shooting saath mein ki, tab humne in purani yaadon ko phir se taaza kiya. Humne bahut saari baatein share ki aur aaj hum bahut achhe dost hain bilkul behnon ki tarah.”
(Later, when we worked together on ‘Gora Aur Kala’, we revisited those old memories. We shared many conversations, and today we are very good friends, just like sisters)
Speaking about another special connection between their families, Hema Malini revealed, “Rekha ji ki mummy Pushpavalli ji aur meri maa Jaya Chakraborty ji, dono ka birthday 3rd January ko hota tha. Hum dono parivaar milkar unka birthday celebrate karte the aur ek doosre ke saath bahut pyaari yaadein baantte the.” (Rekha ji’s mother Pushpavalli ji and my mother Jaya Chakraborty ji both shared the same birthday—January 3. Our families used to celebrate their birthdays together and created many beautiful memories)
Talking about Hema Malini and Rekha, on the professional front, both the actresses have shared screen space in many films over the years.
They appeared together in ‘Gora Aur Kala’ in 1972, followed by Feroz Khan’s cult classic ‘Dharmatma’ in 1975 and then reunited in the family drama ‘Apne Apne’ in 1987.(Agency)
FOLLOW NOW
