Rekha's Friend On Why Her Relationship With Amitabh Bachchan Ended: 'He Had Joined Politics And…'

Some Bollywood stories refuse to fade, no matter how many years pass. Rekha and Amitabh Bachchan’s bond is one of them. Long after their films stopped coming together, the questions never did. Now, a close

friend of Rekha has shared a deeply personal account that explains why the actress once wanted Amitabh Bachchan to publicly accept their relationship. Author and entrepreneur Bina Ramani, who shared a close friendship with Rekha, has spoken about the emotional space the actress was in during that phase of her life. In an interview with ANI, Ramani suggested that Rekha wanted acknowledgement, not secrecy. What stopped it, she said, was Amitabh Bachchan’s marriage to Jaya Bachchan and his entry into politics. Rekha’s childhood shaped her need for love Bina Ramani began by speaking about Rekha’s early life and the emotional gaps she carried into adulthood. Born out of wedlock to actor Gemini Ganesan, Rekha grew up without a stable family structure, something that deeply affected her. “Rekha was a very good friend. She was childlike. She is pure. If she has made silly moves in her life, those were out of innocence. She was trapped by her childhood. Between the role of a mother and a father, she must have craved and couldn’t get enough of love. And then at a very young age 13–14, she started working. She didn’t really enjoy the childhood,” Ramani said. ‘Her whole life was encased in Amitabh Bachchan’ According to her, Rekha was always searching for emotional security, something she felt she found with Amitabh Bachchan. When asked about Rekha’s alleged feelings for Amitabh, Ramani was direct. “When I met her, her whole life was in encased in Amitabh Bachchan,” she said. Asked if Rekha was truly in love with him, Ramani replied, “Yes, she believed she belonged to him in spirit. And she believed that he belonged to her in spirit. They had a communication. These things can happen.” However, things changed when Amitabh Bachchan entered politics. Ramani said Rekha struggled with the reality that their bond could never be acknowledged publicly. “Amitabh had joined politics, and she had come to visit me in New York. She was going through hard time because Amitabh had now become a public person, and he may have probably said to her that there was no chance of him ever… their alliance must have had to drift…publicly no more,” she shared.

Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha’s electrifying on-screen chemistry, especially in Silsila (1981), has long been a subject of fascination — fueling conversations, headlines and speculation for decades. While Silsila remains their most iconic and talked-about films, the duo shared screen space in several other films that showcased their effortless onscreen rapport. Some of their memorable films together include Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978), Mr. Natwarlal (1979), Suhaag (1979), Do Anjaane (1976), and Ram Balram (1980).