Justajoo jis ki thi , UskoToh naa paya humne

Is bahaane se magar dekh Li, duniyaan humne

I think this song from Umrao Jaan summarizes the life of Rekha. Every line has a deep meaning and it's based on a midnight Raag, so one has to listen to it at the right time of the day. Yaseer Usman comes up with great research though he never got a chance to directly interview Rekha. I am not an ardent fan of Rekha but I think there is so much to learn from her story. She faced parenting issues since her father disowned her. She made a debut at the age of 14 as a potboiler. I think the industry is harsh to actresses since they come with a shelf life. Her mother was hardly getting meaningful offers and she joined the Bollywood industry as a breadwinner for her family. 

The book narrates her journey and how she struggled & was even exploited during her initial 5 years. So by the time she was 21 years old she gave her first hit which was Doo Anjane (A superb movie based on extramarital relationships). Rekha's role as the opportunist wife was novel in those days. Rekha looked drop-dead gorgeous throughout the movie and it was her first movie with Amitabh. (In Namak Haram there were no scenes between Amitabh - Rekha) There are hardly any actresses like Rekha who have tasted success at such an early age & have continued their winning streak for almost a decade. (Offcourse Smita Patil was an exception). Yaseer Usmaan takes us through her carrier journey and her problematic married life. 

Two things which I liked in this book were -

1. If you are good at something which is considered to be a niche skill, keep on sharpening your saw as far as that skill is concerned.

- Rekha is considered the best dubbing artist even to date. Her command of Dubbing is superb and voice modulation comes naturally to her. She is born Tamilian and still, she managed to speak excellent Hindi. Later on, when ventured into art movies she further sharpened her skill learning from Gulzar. I believe a pause is a very important aspect when it comes to dialogue delivery. I have seen people speaking who can't hold the audience for more than 2 mins. They look stupid when they talk not because they don't have content but they barely know how to deliver their content. One must not forget that when Smita Patil died suddenly, all of her movies were dubbed by Rekha. When you see the movie, you will hardly find any difference in voice quality. 

2. Learning is a continuous process - One should not become complacent when he/ she is at the top of her career. 

- Rekha won her Filmfare award for best actress in 1981 for Khubsoorat. By this time she had worked with all major superstars and had more than 20 hits under her belt. She realized that to look exceptionally good onscreen one should be able to do her make-up. The finishing touches do matter. Rekha at the peak of her career took a 3 months break and went to London to pursue a course in Makeup & Hairstyling. The shooting of Umrao Jaan started when Rekha came back and we all see the result.

Rekha's eyes conveyed the experience of having been broken and then having pulled herself together. I remember the famous interview of Rekha with BBC in which she sang the famous ghazal of Mehdi Hasan which is available on Youtube.

"Muzhe Tum Nazar Se, Gira toh Rahe ho, Muzhe tum kabhi bhula na sakoge",

Na Jane Muzhe Kyon, Yakin ho Chala hai, mere Pyar ko tum Mita na sakoge".

I can never forget that spark in her eyes and the confidence she had when in front of the camera.