Rekha is one of the most famous actors in Indian movies, and her personal life is just as interesting as her acting parts. Born as Bhanurekha to South Indian legends Gemini Ganesan and Pushpavalli, Rekha forged her own career in the movie business free from the support of a godfather or mentor. Rekha's personal life has sometimes been as much of a focus as her job, notwithstanding her great success.

From the start, Rekha struggled since her father ignored her and her life has not been simple. Media coverage of her personal connections has also focused on her complex marriage to businessman Mukesh Agarwal and allegedly illicit encounters with actors including Jeetendra, Kiran Kumar, Vinod Mehra, Sanjay Dutt, and Akshay Kumar. One of the most discussed subjects in Bollywood, the media especially obsessed on her supposed romance with married Amitabh Bachchan.

"It is pure fluke that I have never got pregnant so far," Rekha said in her biography, Rekha: The Untold Story* by Yaseer Usman. I am a 'badnaam' actress with a terrible history and a reputation for being a sex freak, not just any actress.

Rekha also discussed pre-marital sex in a frank 1970s interview, characterizing it as "very natural" and denouncing the idea that women should wait until marriage. True closeness between a man and a woman, she thought, emerges from their most natural interactions. Rekha is still a mystery in the Indian film business despite the several allegations and scandals.