The first thing that strikes you about her is simplicity. Which is a bizarre word to use for someone who has lived a glamorous life. She has never thrown me any attitude.
I was her exclusive photographer from 1993 for the next five years. We shot frequently, often on consecutive days. We'd do about three-four shoots in a month, which is a lot! Most of our sessions were long.
I've have shot several hundred reels of Rekha! After those five years, I took a sabbatical from film photography. I was tired of the people, the unprofessionality, and just thought I could spend my evenings better without them.
Recently, a few years ago, I shot with her again and we just clicked. Nothing has changed between us.
It's wonderful working with someone who loves photography; a lot of film stars treat it like a chore, like its something to get through as soon as possible.
She revels in it, enjoys working at it, and is very inquisitive about the process itself, which makes my job a lot easier. I've never spoken technically with her, so I'm not sure how much she understands it, but I can assure you she understands light -- at least she understands light that will complement a shot. That is no mean feat.
Aesthetically, she's very organised. As we fiddle with the idea of a different 'look', she'll vanish with her makeup bag, play around barely for fifteen minutes, and come back with a completely new look -- which includes makeup, costume, and light. That's phenomenal!
And the energy! She can go on and on. We've often shot up to eight different looks in one evening. At the end, I've often had to yell, "Stop!" because of exhaustion, but she keeps herself switched on so entirely, and completely.
We've all had bad days, but she's so committed. I've worked with her while she's unwell, and the effort she's put into the shoot is just so special.
She's a narcissistic beauty, surely in love with herself. She knows she's gorgeous, she enjoys the attention, and she knows the power of a good still, of looking incredible in a single frame. Most of the others are dismissive of still photographs.
Akshay Kumar is a rare exception, and preens for the lenses a lot like her, he enjoys it. In fact, I always refer to Akshay as the Rekha of the male bastion!
As told to Raja Sen