REKHA : The Untold Story

I never knew about her wild past. I was familiar with her only from her times of being reclusive and reserved. Wow. How different she used to be. I've found this book excellent and bought it not only for Rekha's story, but to improve my writing skills. This author has such a beautiful and easy way of expressing himself. The book is very easy to read and engaging from beginning till the end. I was surprised to learn how Rekha would disregard *Spoiler* the fact that some of her interests were married. I think that's why she suffered so much in life... she wasn't able to understand that marriage is sacred and that we should not mess with married men. Also, she seems to disregard other kinds of agreements, like her filming timings, leading to more negative karma creation. I still love Rekha but wow, did I find much new information from this book. I think that the Indian readers already familiar with her won't find the book that eye-opening, but as a foreign person who was familiar with Bollywood only for several years I've found the book very much revealing.

A lot of things were speculative and felt flat when the people involved decided to comment on them. It was wonderful to read about Rekha, as someone who watched very few movies of hers with not much context it was eye-opening to read this book. I feel she has carried herself with dignity and wit which was uncanny and made me want to pat her on the back and give her a hug because of what she has to go through in her life.

In the middle of reading the heavy duty Malayalam collection of literary giant O.V.Vijayan, this book came and went like a breath of fresh air....or rather like having vanilla ice cream after a long period of ritual dieting of salads and soups....I finished this slim volume in less than a day! Yasser Usman's writing reminds me of Vinod Mehta...probably because he is a journalist like him too...reading this book makes one feel that no one could have done more justice to writing about an elusive and reticent actress like Rekha and piece together a credible biography about her life and times....be it the explosive interviews she used to give when she was younger, her childhood and entry into Hindi films as a young teenager, struggles and metamorphosis and the 'affair' that kept the entire nation speculating for decades.... Extremely readable and enjoyed it every bit!! Pick it up people !!

Yasir usman has this really good and simple narration style which makes it even more easy and attractive to read.

Fabulous read about the mysterious beauty of Indian cinema..the beauty of the book is in simple documentation by the author without any biases..it leaves a room for you to judge the events..but the art of the writing is such that you certainly feel at the end, that when any woman would have given up..rekha refused to give in! The woman comes across as a hero who spins every tragedy to get bigger and stronger..and i must add i loved the fonts and the paper of the book ( it matters to me!), and of course the gripping story demanded me to finished it in two sessions!! And yes Yasser has written the book with such a visual flare that you almost watch it instead of reading! Go read!

Sincere effort by Yasser Usman to document the life and times of this talented, prolific and hugely successful actress. Wish she had given interview access to the author. If for no other reason than to reduce the author's having to rely on gossip magazines of the era (for some of the narration, not all), and provide her direct views, and set the facts straight, where needed. The book is lacking in one aspect - no anthology or listing of awards. For someone who acted in 150+ films, with the top production houses and actors of the time, there should have been a detailed listing of her films; and also a list of her acting awards and nominations - there are dozens, including the National Film Award (Umrao Jaan) and Filmfare Awards (nominated thirteen times, won three), to name only two of many other entities. (IIFA, BFJA, etc.)

I have always been interested in Bollywood stories though I have never bought too many books on film stars except the book in Rajesh Khanna by the same author. Rekha has always made for interesting read. There is a lot available in the Internet about her. Yet I bought thus book as I liked the author!s earlier book. And I don't regret buying this book at all. The book is racy . It is unputdownable. I finished it in a day. The author has not sensationalised anything yet ensured that the book is interesting, it brings out various facets of Rekha as a person and actress. It presents a balanced view without glorifying her nor witch hunting. The book can be read and loved by people across generations.

Incredibly written biography, finished in a single reading. I was moved with the pain she endured for years for her family and her self. Even then, she fought fiercely and bounced back every time. I was desperate to read about her, after getting to read from the media only about her affairs, while her own persona spoke something else. I knew there was something grandeur to it as an actress, as a human being, as a soul, that must come out and this author has brought it out very well. The book just moved me and its much more reverence for Rekha than ever before. Enthralling.. an absolute read.. for this Diva!!!

Good book on the subject. Nothing wildly new was revealed, but is a good overview of her life and work.

This my husband throughly enjoyed. Infact he says this is very well written and informative. He loved it and would again recommend it to anyone interested in Indian Films

Great read however... I feel could have covered a lot more considering Rekha's reign in the industry. Also don't think it's worth £13.99.

Very happy

Too much emphasis was placed on her relationship with a particular individual. We needed more on her rather than him.