Did You Know Rekha’s Mother Pushpavalli Never Married Gemini Ganesan?

We are in an era where actresses from the South film industries are gaining national recognition through a wave of films being dubbed as pan-India projects. However, decades ago, several actresses from the South made giant leaps and became reigning queens in the Hindi film industry. Sridevi, Rekha, Hema Malini and Jaya Prada are some of them. Did you know that Rekha’s mother was also a popular actress in Tamil and Telugu cinema?

Rekha’s mother Pushpavalli was the first actress to play Sita on the big screen. She received Rs 300 for her role as Sita in Sampoorna Ramayanam released in 1936. As her fame grew, leading roles began to appear. In 1940, Pushpavalli got married, but six years later she decided to live separately from her husband due to differences in their marital life. At the same time, a new star called Gemini Ganesan made his debut in Tamil cinema with the film Miss Malini, which starred Pushpavalli in the lead role.

The on-screen romance soon transitioned into real-life romance as well. However, Gemini Ganesan was a married man and he was hesitant to end his marriage and allow Pushpavalli to receive the status of his wife. Their love continued to blossom nevertheless and the couple had two daughters out of wedlock, one of them being Bollywood legend Rekha. Being a child born out of wedlock, Rekha did not get to spend a lot of time with his father and lived with her mother for most of her life. Pushpavalli died in 1991 at the age of 65.

Rekha stepped into the acting world at the age of 12 with the Telugu film Inti Guttu as a child artist. Her first Hindi film release was Sawan Bhadon in 1970.

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