Rekha, is undoubtedly one of the most iconic Bollywood stars in Bollywood. From her on-point fashion game to impeccable acting stints, Rekha has been a stepping stone for many female actors in the industry. However, she has been nothing short of an enigma when it came to love life and relationships.
Notably, the actress faced some traumatic experiences early in her career, and it was shocking beyond belief.
Rekha was merely 15 when she starred in Anjana Safar along with Bengali actor Biswajeet Chatterjee, who must have been 33 then. During the shoot of the film, the actor forced himself on her and the details have been extremely spine-chilling even to this day.
Directed by Kuljeet Pal, Anjana Safar was released in 1969. In the actress’ biography, ‘Rekha: The Untold Story,’ it is mentioned that the actor decided to kiss the rising star then without her consent and information. Unfortunately, the director was also aware of the act and was on board with the idea.
An IBT report quoted the passage in the book which read: “The shooting of Anjana Safar was underway in Bombay’s Mahboob Studio. Raja Nawathe was the director and cinematographer of the film. In the very first schedule of the film, Kuljeet Pal (the director), Raja and Biswajeet (the lead actor) had hatched a plan, with Rekha as the unsuspecting victim. That day a romantic scene was to be filmed between Rekha and Biswajeet. Every last detail of the strategy had been decided before the shoot.”
A little Rekha was left humiliated by the spine-chilling incident that continued for five minutes. “As soon as the director Raj Nawathe said ‘action’, Biswajeet took Rekha in his arms and pressed his lips on hers. Rekha was stunned. This kiss had never been mentioned to her. The camera kept rolling; neither was the director ordering ‘cut’ nor was Biswajeet letting go of her. For all five minutes, Biswajeet kept kissing Rekha. Unit members were whistling and cheering. Her eyes were tightly shut, but they were full of tears.”
Biswajeet has stated that the kiss was crucial in the film, and it was not his but the director’s idea.
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