When Rekha recalled her complicated relationship with father Gemini Ganesan: ‘Didn’t know what the word father meant, he didn’t notice me’

Chennai. Veteran actor Rekha, who turns 70 on Thursday, has openly discussed her challenging childhood in various interviews over the years. In an earlier conversation with Simi Garewal, the Silsila star reflected on her early years, revealing that she didn’t know her father, the late actor Gemini Ganesan, who left her mother, Pushpavalli when Rekha was just a baby.

Reflecting on her early years, Rekha shared, “I had a wonderful childhood. Whatever little that was, because I grew up very fast.” When Simi probed about her parents’ complicated relationship, Rekha responded, “It was a romantic relationship, and anything that has romance involved isn’t easy.” When asked if she had seen her father growing up, Rekha replied, “I was a baby when he moved out. I don’t remember that.” She further revealed that she doesn’t have memories of her father ever living with them, adding, “We were not given the impression that something was out of the ordinary or dysfunctional.”

Rekha also disclosed that her father married Savitri soon after he left her mother. Rekha recalled that she affectionately called Savitri “Savitri Amma.” When asked if her father’s second marriage affected her mother, Rekha said, “If it did, she didn’t tell us. She was just so dizzy in my father’s love, and that’s what I saw.”

Rekha went on to share memories of attending the same school as her step-siblings. She noted that her father would sometimes drop off her stepbrothers and sisters at school but never seemed to notice her. When Simi asked if she ever approached him at school, Rekha replied, “No. I never approached him. I never had the chance. He would just drop them and go.” She added, “I don’t think he noticed me. I don’t think he saw me.” When asked if this troubled her, Rekha explained that she may have “blacked out” this memory due to other concerns at that age, like homework and self-consciousness about her appearance. “Even looking at my father was enough,” she reflected.

When Simi asked if she missed her father, Rekha responded, “Looking back, maybe I did miss him. But when you haven’t tasted something, you don’t know what it means. I didn’t know what the word ‘father’ meant.”