Why Does Rekha Still Wear Sindoor 35 Years After Her Husband’s Death?

Veteran actress Rekha is celebrating her 71st birthday today, October 10. The actress's personal life has been in the limelight almost as much as her professional stints. The actress makes heads turn every time she makes a public appearance, for her impeccable style and the bold vermillion (sindoor) seated in her hair parting. Even though Rekha did not remarry after the passing of her husband, she continues to sport the sindoor, making it a style statement over the years.

However, Rekha's tryst with sindoor is not a contemporary affair. The first time she was spotted with the red vermillion was at the wedding ceremony of Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Kapoor in 1980. Her appearance grabbed more headlines than the couple's nuptials, the reason being, Rekha was unmarried at the time. Her fans, followers, as well as industry insiders at the event, such as Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan, were also shocked to see the Silsila actress with sindoor.

When asked about it, Rekha simply rubbished all rumours by claiming that she was at a shoot and forgot to remove the sindoor before arriving at the wedding ceremony of Rishi Kapoor. However, she did not stop wearing the same after that.

In 1982, an unmarried Rekha was honoured with the National Award for her role in Umrao Jaan; however, the vermillion in her hair raised the intrigue of the then President of India, Neelam Sanjiva Reddy as well. When he enquired the actress about the same, she smiled and replied, “In my city, it’s fashionable to wear sindoor.”

In 1990, Rekha got married for the first and only time. The actress tied the knot with Delhi-based industrialist Mukesh Aggarwal in an intimate ceremony in March. However, soon after their wedding, Mukesh died by suicide, giving rise to one of the biggest controversies in the actress's life.
 

Despite the death of her husband, Rekha continued to wear sindoor. Some presumed that the actress carried out the gesture for Amitabh Bachchan, who was her co-star in a few movies, and she was rumoured to be in love with him, a speculation she has given fuel to many times.

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However, in her classic style, Rekha shut down all naysayers in an interview in 2008. Addressing the viral rumours about her sindoor-laden hairline, she simply said, “I don’t worry about what people think. Besides, I think it looks good on me. Sindoor suits me.” Since then, she has often been snapped with sindoor at public events. 

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