Cinema

Rekha turns 72: From Amitabh Bachchan rumours to her brief marriage and film ties

Rekha's seventy-second birthday has revived attention on the actor's widely discussed personal life. Her public history includes a much-reported association with Amitabh Bachchan, a marriage to businessman Mukesh Aggarwal, disputed reports involving Vinod Mehra, and unconfirmed rumours linking her with Sanjay Dutt and Akshay Kumar.

Editor: AI News 24x7 Published: 10 Oct 2026, 10:40 AM Updated: 10 Oct 2026, 10:40 AM

Rekha turns 72: From Amitabh Bachchan rumours to her brief marriage and film ties.

Veteran actor Rekha turns 72 on October 10, drawing renewed attention to the personal life that has remained almost as widely discussed as her films, dancing and screen presence. Born Bhanurekha Ganesan, she began working in cinema at a young age and became one of Hindi cinema's most recognised performers.

Rekha was born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, on October 10, 1954. Her mother, Pushpavalli, was an actor, while her father, Gemini Ganesan, was also a prominent performer. Although her full name is Bhanurekha Ganesan, she has worked publicly under the name Rekha.

Amitabh Bachchan association remained the most discussed

Rekha's reported relationship with Amitabh Bachchan has attracted sustained public attention. The two actors worked together in about a dozen films, and reports placed the beginning of their association in the middle of the 1970s. They were later reported to have gone separate ways by the end of the 1980s.

Reports have linked the two actors to the sets of the 1976 film “Do Anjaane”. Their last film together was “Silsila”, released in 1981. Jaya Bachchan, Amitabh Bachchan's wife, also had an important role in that film.

The relationship was widely discussed because Bachchan was married. However, the material available here presents the relationship through reports and public discussion rather than a formal confirmation from both actors.

Vinod Mehra marriage reports were denied

After the reports involving Bachchan, Rekha's name was associated with the late actor Vinod Mehra. The two appeared together in films including “Ghar”. Reports claimed that they had married secretly, but those reports were later rejected by Rekha.

During an appearance on actress Simi Garewal's show in 2004, Rekha said that she and Mehra had not married. She described him as a good friend. The account therefore distinguishes between the reported marriage and Rekha's own denial of it.

Marriage to Mukesh Aggarwal ended within a year

Rekha married businessman Mukesh Aggarwal in 1990. The marriage took place at a temple, and the couple had reportedly met through a common friend. After the wedding, Rekha went to the home of Hema Malini and Dharmendra.

The marriage ended in divorce within a year. The supplied account says Aggarwal later died by suicide after depression and business difficulties. This remains a sensitive part of the actor's personal history and should not be confused with the separate rumours surrounding her film-industry relationships.

Unconfirmed rumours involving Sanjay Dutt and Akshay Kumar

Rekha was also linked by reports to Sanjay Dutt, although neither actor officially confirmed a relationship. Rumours in the 1980s claimed that the two had secretly married. Author Yasser Usman, who wrote the biography “Rekha: The Untold Story”, rejected the relationship in an interview with Hindustan Times.

Rekha and Dutt worked together in the 1984 film “Zameen Aasman”. Their professional association is documented here, while the reported romance and marriage remain unconfirmed.

In the middle of the 1990s, reports also connected Rekha with Akshay Kumar, who was about 13 years younger than her. The two appeared together in the 1996 film “Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi”, which included intimate scenes. Those scenes led to speculation that they were dating, but the supplied account does not provide an official confirmation.

Raveena Tandon was also part of that film and was reported to be dating Kumar at the time. In an interview, Tandon said Kumar kept his distance from Rekha and that the situation was tolerated to maintain a professional atmosphere during filming.

Conclusion

Rekha's personal life has been shaped by a mixture of confirmed events, disputed reports and unverified speculation. Her marriage to Mukesh Aggarwal and her own denial of a marriage to Vinod Mehra stand apart from the widely circulated but unconfirmed stories involving other co-stars.