Rekha On Mother Pushpavalli’s Influence On Her

In a rare interview, senior actress Rekha spoke about her life and career in showbiz. Also, she spoke about her late mother, Pushpavalli and her influence on her remarkable journey.

The ‘Khubsoorat’ actress told Vogue Arabia, “My mother was my mentor, a woman of such finesse she felt like a goddess, a devi. She taught me the grace of living with gentility and love. She always said I should never lose the ankh ki chamak, or ‘twinkle in the eyes,’ because it is that joyful perception that makes one appreciate the beauty of a tiny seed that grows into a majestic tree. She also advised me wisely to practice what I love, not what I preach. She set the benchmark for me because my mother walked the talk.”

Further, Rekha added, “To make the ordinary extraordinary, I learned long ago that authenticity is key. But how do you recognise it? My mother taught me by just the way she lived and created a home that was very sensorial. I was immersed in her world of Sufi music, Urdu shayari, Chettinad art, and South Indian culture that I imbibed subliminally. She lived without synthetics, plastics, and wore pure organic fabrics because everything she touched was sacred to her. This sense of adoration for the aesthete has never left me.”

For the unversed, the ‘Khubsoorat’ actress’s parents, Gemini Ganesan and Pushpavalli were also a part of the film world. Her father was a renowned Tamil actor while her mother was a star in Telugu cinema.