REVEALED: Rekha's life story retold!

The two Bengali channels on the national television network, DD1 and DD7, have begun the telecast of a mega-serial named Bandini based on a novel called Joymala penned by noted author and journalist Dulendra Bhowmick. Directed by Bappa Bandopadhyay, it is actually a fictionalised account of Rekha's struggling and unwilling foray into films, egged on by her mother who forces her to join the industry.

Though the original novel does not mention any names, it is clear that it is based on Rekha's life beginning with her love-hate relationship with her father, star actor Gemini Ganeshan who refused to acknowledge the paternity of this daughter until she became a famous Bollywood star. Indrani Haldar is playing Kajol who is modelled on Rekha while Priya Karfa, a relatively new television actress, has been penciled in to play Jaya Bachchan who makes her appearance only during the Rekha-Amitabh episodes.

"We are beginning with the uneasy relationship between father and daughter but as the serial moves on, we will introduce the viewers to the men in Kajol's life such as Vinod Mehra and Amitabh Bachchan but the actors have yet to be picked," says Bandopadhyay. "Rekha has had a very colourful life and the serial will deal with all her affairs.

Right now, we are focussing on how she suffered when her father disowned her," says Indrani Haldar. "We are trying to re-create Rekha's look the best we can. I have worked on the costumes she wore

in her films and I am also sporting her hairstyle. I checked out her photographs on the net and followed her makeover. I also watched some of her films and followed up on newspaper clippings on her. The script is sticking to the novel and there shouldn't be much of a problem," she adds. Santu Mukherjee is playing Gemini Ganeshan.