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Rekha one of Bollywood’s most celebrated actresses entered films at a very young age. She was known for her beauty grace and strong presence on screen. But behind the fame some struggles and controversies followed her career. Born into a family that faced financial hardships Rekha started acting early to support her home. By her teenage years she was already working opposite established male stars. What happened on the sets of Anjana Safar? In 1969 during the shooting of Anjana Safar (later retitled Do Shikari) Rekha was paired with actor Biswajit Chatterjee under director Raja Nawathe. At the time she was not even 15 years old. The film demanded an intimate scene. While the director producers and the male lead knew about it Rekha was kept completely in the dark. Cameras were set the crew was ready and she thought it was just another take. As soon as the director called “action” Biswajit suddenly pulled Rekha close and kissed her. Shocked and unprepared she froze. The kiss went on for several minutes while the camera rolled. How did Rekha react to the incident? According to her biography written by Yasser Usman Rekha was devastated. The crew around them began whistling and clapping as the scene played out. She shut her eyes tightly tears streaming down her face. Later Rekha admitted that the experience shook her deeply. She once said “No matter what you do nothing can undo what I felt that day. That wound never heals.” What was the industry’s response? The film unit defended the incident claiming it was “necessary for the film.” Director Raja Nawathe did not call “cut” throughout the five-minute-long sequence. Actor Biswajit when asked later said that he acted on the director’s instructions. He accepted that what happened was unfair to Rekha acknowledging that she was too young to be treated in such a way. Why did this remain such a controversial chapter? This episode continues to be remembered as one of Bollywood’s most disturbing behind-the-scenes stories. It highlighted the vulnerability of young actresses at the time and the lack of safeguards on sets. For Rekha who went on to rule Hindi cinema with iconic roles this incident remained a painful scar from her early years. Her journey however also showed her resilience rising from trauma to become one of the most admired stars in Indian film history.