When 15-Year-Old Rekha Was Forcibly Kissed By This Actor On Sets Of Her Bollywood Debut

Veteran Bollywood actress Rekha has won hearts with her dazzling on-screen presence and graceful dance moves. She still leaves us gushing over her, even at the age of 68. The actress has often found herself in the eye of controversies. From her not-so-secret affair with megastar Amitabh Bachchan to the death of her husband Mukesh Aggarwal, Rekha’s life is far from ordinary. Adding to her list of controversies, another shocking incident was when the Silsila actress was forcibly kissed by notable B-town actor Biswajeet Chatterjee.

This disturbing incident of being kissed without permission is mentioned in the actress’ biographical book, Rekha: The Untold Story, penned by Yasser Usman. The vintage beauty made her debut into Hindi films with the 1969 film Anjaana Safar, when she was just 15 years old. During the shoot of the movie, director Kuljeet Pal and actor Biswajeet planned on filming a romantic scene featuring Rekha, without informing her.

In what is now considered molestation, the particular chapter of the book highlights that a teenage Rekha was brought in front of the camera, unaware of the painful incident that was to haunt her forever. As soon as the filmmaker mouthed, “Action” Biswajeet, pulled Rekha close to him and pressed his lips onto her forcibly.

Rekha’s torment did not end there. The director allowed the kissing sequence to go on and did not say “Cut” for an excruciating five whole minutes. Biswajeet also held his co-star tightly, without any intention of letting her go. Yasser’s book further notes that Rekha, who was oblivious to the kissing scene, was on the verge of crying, standing shell-shocked, as the other crew members cheered and whistled watching the scene.

Soon, Anjana Safar was mired in censorship issues for the long kissing scene between Rekha and Biswajeet. Although the film was shot in 1969, it got released in the theatres ten years later in 1979. The infamous kiss grabbed eyeballs back at that time from both film critics and audiences. The news was also published in the Asian version of Life Magazine, with the headline – “India’s Kissing Crisis.” At the time of its premiere, the title of the movie was changed to Do Shikaari.

Coming back today, Rekha has become one of the most famous movie personalities. Although she has taken a hiatus from acting, the evergreen beauty often comes under the limelight in several award functions and events.

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