Rekha built a lasting screen image through decades of reinvention

Rekha began acting as a teenager and faced public criticism about her looks and Hindi.

She worked on her appearance, speech and screen style, and took on very different roles over the years.

In Umrao Jaan, her clothes and gestures helped tell the character’s story; in Khoon Bhari Maang, her character remakes her life after surviving an attack.

Her career shows how an actor can shape how audiences see her rather than accept the first label put on her.