Rekha at Akash Ambani wedding reception 2019

Rekha Bhanurekha Ganesan (born 10 October 1954), better known by her stage name Rekha, is an Indian actress who appears predominantly in Hindi films. Acknowledged as one of the finest actresses in Indian cinema, she has starred in more than 180 fil ...

is an Indian actress who has received several awards and nominations, including a

National Film Award The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directora ...

and four

Filmfare Awards The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...

. Hailed as one of India's finest actresses, she made her debut as a child artist in 1966 and went on to appear in lead roles in the early 1970s. Since her debut as a leading actress she has acted in over 180 films. Rekha has often portrayed strong female characters, while also acting in some

arthouse An art film (or arthouse film) is typically an independent film, aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made primarily f ...

films besides numerous mainstream cinema. She has won four

; two

Best Actress Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress awar ...

awards—resulting from seven nominations, one Best Supporting Actress award—resulting from six nominations, and a

Lifetime Achievement Award Lifetime achievement awards are awarded by various organizations, to recognize contributions over the whole of a career, rather than or in addition to single contributions. Such awards, and organizations presenting them, include: A * A.C. ...

. The first Best Actress win came in 1981 for the Hrishikesh Mukherjee-directed ''

Khubsoorat ''Khubsoorat'' (transl. Beautiful) is a 1980 Indian Hindi, Hindi-language comedy-drama film, directed and produced by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, co-produced by N. C. Sippy with dialogues written by Gulzar. The movie stars Ashok Kumar, Rekha, Rakesh R ...

'' where she was cast in a comic role. Her portrayal of a classical

courtesan Courtesan, in modern usage, is a euphemism for a "kept" mistress (lover), mistress or prostitute, particularly one with wealthy, powerful, or influential clients. The term historically referred to a courtier, a person who attended the Royal cour ...

in '' Umrao Jaan'' (1981) fetched her the

National Film Award for Best Actress The National Film Award for Best Actress (officially known as the Rajat Kamal Award for the Best Actress) is an honour presented annually at the National Film Awards of India since 1968 to an actress for the best performance in a leading role wit ...

in 1982. Rekha received her second Filmfare Award for Best Actress in 1989 for ''

Khoon Bhari Maang ''Khoon Bhari Maang'' () is a 1988 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed and produced by Rakesh Roshan. Based on the Australian mini-series ''Return to Eden'' (1983), it stars Rekha as a wealthy widow who is almost killed by her sec ...

''. She portrayed the role of a widow who sets out to take revenge on her lover. Her negative role in ''

Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi ''Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi'' ( ''Player of Players'') is a 1996 Indian Hindi-language action film starring Rekha in her first villain role, Akshay Kumar, Raveena Tandon and former WWF (now WWE) wrestlers "Crush" and Brian Lee as "The Undertaker" ...

'' was highly appreciated by critics and earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. In 2003, she was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2010, Rekha was awarded the

Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...

, the 4th highest civilian honour in India. Other awards won by her include

International Indian Film Academy Awards The International Indian Film Academy Awards, popularly known as IIFA, is an annual awards ceremony for Bollywood. Produced by Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd, the winners of the awards are decided by fans, who vote online for th ...

Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards commonly referred as BFJA Awards, is given by The Bengal Film Journalists' Association. The BFJA is the oldest association of film critics in India, founded in 1937 to serve the developing film journalism ...

Star Screen Awards The Screen Awards is an annual awards ceremony held in India honouring professional excellence in Bollywood. The nomination and award selection is done by a panel of distinguished professionals from the industry. The awards were introduced by t ...

Zee Cine Awards The Zee Cine Award (ZCA) is an Indian awards ceremony for the Hindi film industry. They were instituted in November 1997 to award "Excellence in cinema - the democratic way". They were first held in Mumbai until 2004, when the ZCA went internat ...

Stardust Awards The Stardust Awards was an award ceremony for Hindi movies, which was sponsored by '' Stardust'' magazine. Here is a list of the award winners and the films for which they won. The first ceremony was held in 2004 for films released in 2003. The ...

and

Bollywood Movie Awards The Bollywood Movie Awards was an annual film award ceremony held between 1999 and 2007 in Long Island, New York, United States, celebrating films and actors from the Bollywood film industry based in Mumbai, India. History The predecessor to ...

National Film Awards

The

National Film Awards The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorat ...

is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. The Best Actress category was introduced in 1968 and has been presented annually to an actress who has delivered the best performance in a leading role within the

Indian film industry The Cinema of India consists of motion pictures produced in India, which had a large effect on world cinema since the late 20th century. Major centers of film production across the country include Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Ko ...

Filmfare Awards

The

are given by ''

Filmfare ''Filmfare'' is an Indian English language, English-language fortnightly magazine published by Worldwide Media. Acknowledged as one of Indian most popular entertainment magazines, it publishes pieces involving news, interviews, photos, videos, r ...

'' annually for Hindi films. The Best Actress award is given to a female actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role. The award was first given in 1954. ; Competitive awards ; Honorary Award

International Indian Film Academy Awards

Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards

Screen Awards

Zee Cine Awards

Stardust Awards

Bollywood Movie Awards

Other awards

* 1977: Film World Award for Best Actress, ''

Immaan Dharam ''Immaan Dharam'' () is a 1977 Bollywood action drama film, written by Salim–Javed (Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar), directed by Desh Mukherjee and produced by Premji. The film stars Shashi Kapoor, Sanjeev Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha, Aparna ...

''. * 1997: Lakme Timeless Beauty Award * 2004: Maha Style Icon of the year. * 2005: Sony Golden Glory Award. * 2006: Idea Zee F Awards - Fashionable Film Star. * 2012: Big Star Eternal Youth Star Award *2018: Lux Golden Rose Awards - Lux Golden Rose Legendary Beauty Award

Honours and recognitions

* 1998: Lachhu Maharaj Award for the Best Kathak Dancer in Hindi films. * 2001:

Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image The Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) is a public trust that organises the annual international film festival in Mumbai famously known as the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. Actor, producer and author Priyanka Chopra, Priyanka Chopra Jonas is ...

, an award for her abiding contribution to Cinema. * 2006:

Deenanath Mangeshkar Deenanath Mangeshkar (; 29 December 1900 – 24 April 1942) was a well-known Marathi theatre actor, a Natya Sangeet musician and a Hindustani classical vocalist. He is also the father of well-known singers Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Meena Kh ...

Award. * 2007: Living Legend in the world of entertainment by

FICCI The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) is a non-governmental trade association and advocacy group based in India. History Established in 1927, on the advice of Mahatma Gandhi by Indian businessman G.D. Birla an ...

. * 2008: "IMPPA (Indian Motion Pictures' Producers Association) Award" for outstanding contribution to Bollywood. * 2009: "Raj Kapoor Pratibha Gaurav Puraskar" by the Government of

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

for outstanding contribution to the Indian cinema. * 2010: She was awarded the

, India's fourth highest civilian honour from the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...

. *2019 -

ANR National Award The ANR National Award was instituted by the Akkineni International foundation in the honor of Akkineni Nageswara Rao. The award was given annually to recognize people for their lifetime achievements and contributions to the Indian film industry. ...

for 2018