Hema Malini marks Rekha’s 72nd with rare pictures and memories

Some Bollywood friendships are written in scripts. The one Hema Malini toasted on Rekha’s 72nd birthday was written much earlier, in a Chennai dance classroom and around two family birthday cakes.

A birthday note with a long backstory

Hema Malini took to social media to wish Rekha, sharing a warm photograph of the two actors smiling together. Her message was simple and affectionate: “Happy birthday dear Rekha God bless you always with joy, good health and prosperity.”

The photograph is not just another celebrity post. Hema and Rekha have known each other since before Rekha became one of Hindi cinema’s most intriguing names. Hema opened up about that early association on an episode of the singing reality show Indian Idol, and the details are pure filmi nostalgia.

Chennai, dance class and a runaway student

Hema recalled that she was learning Bharatanatyam and had begun training in Kuchipudi under the renowned guru Vempati Chinna Satyam. A much younger Rekha would also attend the same dance classes.

By Hema’s account, Rekha kept things lively: their guru would often complain that the young girl would run away from dance rehearsals and was hard to catch. But Rekha could also deliver when the stage called. Hema remembered an early Kuchipudi ballet based on the story of Krishna, Rukmini and Satyabhama, in which Rekha played Narad Muni. She said Rekha looked adorable in costume and gave a wonderful performance.

The two families were woven together too. Hema’s mother, Pushpavalli, and Rekha’s mother, Jaya Chakravarty, shared the same January 3 birthday, so the families would celebrate the occasion together.

Why this matters for film fans

For anyone who grew up on Hindi cinema, Hema and Rekha represent two very different kinds of stardom: Hema, the dancer-turned-Dream Girl, and Rekha, the reinvented screen icon. Knowing they shared a dance floor, a guru and even a family birthday long before the arc lights makes their story feel intimate rather than merely professional.

It is also a useful reminder of how small the filmi world once was. The same dance ecosystem that shaped one legend also shaped another.

Their shared screen history

Fans wanting to revisit the pairing can start with the films that brought them together:

• Gora Aur Kala
• Kahte Hain Mujhko Raja
• Dharmatma
• Apne Apne
• Jaan Hatheli Pe

Those credits span different phases of their careers, which makes this birthday post a gentle excuse to go back and watch two legends share the frame.

Source: The Times of India