Manish Malhotra and Rekha’s friendship is no secret. Her regal and enigmatic image as a fashionista has found a home in the designer’s sensibility – one that is all about timelessness and maximalism. Over
the years, their professional equation has culminated into a deep friendship that goes beyond red carpets and film sets. Their latest collaboration featuring a magazine shoot caught the attention of fashion connoisseurs, leading many to wonder if Rekha is finally set for her big screen comeback.
While she continues to make appearances at award shows and reality shows, she has kept herself away from the world of acting. So, now that Manish has announced Gustaakh Ishq, his debut production venture, does it mean that he’ll be able to bring Rekha back to the screens through his films? Speaking exclusively to News18 Showsha, his lead actor Vijay Varma makes an interesting revelation. And seems like the wait to see Rekha gracing the silver screen may soon come to an end!
“In fact, for one of the roles in Gustaakh Ishq, Manish wanted to call Rekha ji. Then Vibhu (Puri, director) told him that it’s too small a role for her,” Vijay tells us. The character was a cameo appearance and required the veteran star to shoot for less than a day. But the team felt that a role with a small screen time wouldn’t do justice to her legacy and body of work. And that’s when another actor was brought on board.
Vibhu shares, “It’s a small but important and consequential role. The character leads Vijay’s character to Naseer (Naseeruddin Shah) saab’s character. MM kept insisting that we approach Rekha ji for that part. But then we thought that aadhe din ke kaam ke liye, we wouldn’t want to call her. She deserves a bigger role. Both MM and Rekha ji are very fond of each other.” Manish adds, “I was thinking along the lines of a friendly appearance. That way, we would’ve been able to see her onscreen. I’m sure she would’ve done it.”
But is there a plan to come together for future projects? “I would love for Rekha ji to work in a film produced by me. When the right script comes, she would love to do a role in it. It has to be a part that challenges her. She has done so much already. She has a huge bandwidth of work. If I get a script that I think I should take to her, I’ll do it. The search for that script is on. She shouldn’t feel, ‘What have you got me? You know me!’” says Manish.
Vijay further reveals that Rekha’s on the lookout for a film to mark her comeback with. “She told me once, ‘Hum log saath mein kab kaam karenge, Vijay?’ She asked me about the films I’m doing and told me that I should recommend her name to my directors,” says the Dahaad and Lust Stories 2 actor.
For the unversed, Rekha’s last outing as an actor was Super Nani that released in 2014.
