Is Rekha planning big-screen comeback?
What's the story
Bollywood actor Vijay Varma has revealed that the legendary Rekha (71) is keen on returning to the silver screen. Speaking to News18 Showsha, he said that she had asked him to recommend her name to directors he's working with. "She told me once, 'Hum log saath mein kab kaam karenge, Vijay?' She asked me about the films I'm doing and told me that I should recommend her name to my directors," Varma said.
Role revelation
Rekha almost starred in 'Gustaakh Ishq'
Varma also shared that Manish Malhotra, who is making his production debut with Gustaakh Ishq, wanted to cast Rekha for a small role. However, director Vibhu Puri decided against it due to the role's length. "In fact, for one of the roles in 'Gustaakh Ishq,' Manish wanted to call Rekha ji. Then Vibhu told him that it's too small a role for her," Varma said.
Role discussion
'Gustaakh Ishq' team felt Rekha deserved a bigger role
The cameo role required Rekha to shoot for less than a day. However, the team felt that such a small role wouldn't do justice to her legacy in Hindi cinema. "It's a small but important and consequential role. The character leads Varma's character to Naseeruddin Shah's character," Puri explained.
Casting views
Malhotra and Puri's thoughts on casting Rekha
Malhotra said, "I was thinking along the lines of a friendly appearance. That way, we would've been able to see her onscreen. I'm sure she would've done it." Puri added, "MM kept insisting that we approach Rekha ji for that part. But then we thought that aadhe din ke kaam ke liye, we wouldn't want to call her. She deserves a bigger role."
Future plans
Malhotra's desire to work with Rekha in future
Malhotra expressed his desire to work with Rekha in the future. He said, "I would love for Rekha ji to work in a film produced by me. When the right script comes, she would love to do a role in it." "It has to be a part that challenges her. She has done so much already. She has a huge bandwidth of work. The search for that script is on." Rekha's last full-fledged role was in Super Nani (2014).