Rekha is the 'original style maker', says designer Manish Malhotra

Mumbai, Oct 11 (IANS) Ace couturier Manish Malhotra has heaped praise on veteran diva Rekha and called her an “original style maker” from her movies to her appearances.Malhotra shared an Instagram birthday post for the iconic star, who turned 70 on October 10. He shared a string of pictures posing with the star, who looked every inch regal in a gold saree paired with her iconic red lips.

For the caption, he wrote: “Truly The One And Only REKHAJI.. Iconic , Superstar , Beautiful and an Original Style Maker from her movies to her appearances .. Birthday Wishes , Lots and lots of Love and Respect for someone who is not only supremely talented but is also an extremely Warm and loving person.”

He went on to say that he is honoured to know the actress so closely.

“Her FABULOUS expressions to her performances to her dances the movie list is endless .. I am honoured to not only work with her but also know her closely .. Admiration and love,” wrote the designer.

Rekha, who is one of India’s finest stars, has a filmography boasting of over 180 films to credit. It was in 1969, when she had her first debut as a lead in a Kannada film titled “Operation Jackpot Nalli C.I.D 999”. A year later she made her Hindi debut with “Sawan Bhadon”.

It was her performances in 1978 with “Ghar” and “Muqaddar Ka Sikandar,” which marked the beginning of the most successful period of her career. She was then seen in films such as “Khubsoorat”, “Baseraa”, “Ek Hi Bhool, “Jeevan”, “Vijeta,” “Umrao Jaan”, “Khoon Bhari Maang” and “Silsila” to name a few.

The star, in 1996, she played against type in the role of an underworld don in the action thriller “Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi”. Then there were films such as “Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love” and “Aastha: In the Prison of Spring”, which brought her critical acclaim along with some public scrutiny.

In the 2000’s, the actress was seen in “Zubeidaa”, “Lajja”, “Koi… Mil Gaya”, and “Krrish”. Her last big screen outing was in 2014 with the film “Super Nani”, based on the Gujarati play, “Baa Ae Maari Boundary” by Imtiaz Patel. The film was directed by Indra Kumar and also featured names such as Sharman Joshi, Randhir Kapoor, Anupam Kher and Rajesh Kumar.