Rekha Is ‘Exceptional, Never Boring’, Says Shobhaa De: ‘Unlike Jaya Bachchan, She Courts The Paps’

Shobhaa De has reflected on how Rekha’s power is in her mystique. She said that if the actress makes herself too visible, she will risk being overexposed and losing that power. Shobhaa mentioned that since Rekha hasn’t done a film in over a decade, her charm and aura are kept alive only by her obscurity. Shobhaa lauded Rekha for being sensitive, intelligent and articulate.

Speaking to Vickey Lalwani, Shobhaa said, “There are multiple Rekhas even now. It depends on which Rekha she wants you to see, and that’s what keeps her very interesting. She can become anything she chooses to be. Because she is extremely intelligent, very sensitive, very articulate, gifted, she’s just an exceptional woman who knows her power, and I hope she continues to recognise that power.”

She explained, “The power has also been her mystique, and if she starts diluting the mystique, she is treading a slightly dangerous ground right now – the overexposure. Once the mystique is gone, there isn’t much else to fall back on. It is not that there is a body of work in the last 10-15 years that she can fall back to, and say that it doesn’t matter because I have this body of work. There is only the mystique, and if that goes, then there is nothing.”

She said, “Rekha is never boring, so I enjoy every time I see a reel of hers. I like to see what she is gonna do for the benefit of the paparazzi. Unlike Jaya Bachchan, she courts the paps. That contrast in itself is very interesting for me.” “Every bit of her is a construct, and I love that because she works really hard to create that persona. It takes a lot of work to be Rekha. She can be anyone she wants; she can be Amitabh Bachchan if she wants. She can switch genders if she wants; she is that talented,” Shobhaa De concluded.