She was said to be the "Ugly Duckling" in the film industry due to her dark skin tone and her South Indian features; but her transformation from being an "Ugly Duckling" to a "sex symbol", to a "glamourous diva" was well-received and Rekha became a favorite of many. 

Rekha was born on October 10, 1954 and is the daughter of the famous Tamil actor Gemini Ganeshan and Telugu actress Pushpavalli. Her father neglected Rekha and his reconciliation efforts later failed miserably. Initially, Rekha didn't divulge details about her father but while she was looking to establish herself in Bollywood, in 1970s, she revealed his identity in an interview. 

Rekha started off her career as a child actress and was known by the name Baby Bhanurekha in the Telugu film 'Rangula Ratnam' in 1966. Her debut as a full-fledged actress was through the Kannada film 'Goa Dalli CID 999' with Rajkumar in 1969. 

Rekha entered Bollywood through the film 'Sawan Bhadon' for which she learnt Hindi as it was not her spoken language. But inspite of taking so much efforts, Rekha was not noticed or accepted much. Her first performance-oriented role came in 1976 when she played the role of an ambitious and greedy wife in 'Do Anjaane', co-starring Amitabh Bachchan. But her real break came through the 1978 movie 'Ghar' in which she portrayed a rape victim. 

Her role in 'Khubsoorat' was appreciated and she won her first Best Actress Award for it. Her role in 'Umrao Jaan' won her the National Film Award for Best Actress. 

Her career graph slowly dipped in the 1990s but Rekha's timeless beauty still makes many go weak in their knees. Fridaymoviez wishes Rekha, a true Diva, A Very Happy Birthday!