'I am Badnaam Actress:' Rekha Denied Secret Wedding Rumours With Vinod Mehra, Revealed His Mother’s Disapproval

Rekha rejected rumors of a secret 1973 marriage with Vinod Mehra, clarifying on Simi Garewal's talk show that he was a close well-wisher while addressing his mother's strong disapproval.

Rekha never secretly married late actor Vinod Mehra. Setting the record straight, the veteran star opened up about long-standing marriage rumours and the brutal disapproval she endured from his family in the 1970s.

Gossip started in the early 1970s after Rekha's quiet breakup with actor Jeetendra. They shared strong chemistry. Hit films like Ghar and Aurat Aurat Aurat made them household favourites, driving rumors to a peak in 1973 when reports claimed they secretly wed in Kolkata.

How Rekha Denied the Wedding Rumour

"Excuse me? Like I was married to Faruq Abdullah, you mean?" Rekha retorted when host Simi Garewal directly questioned her about the alleged 1973 ceremony on Rendezvous with Simi Garewal. She rejected the story with sharp sarcasm. "No, anybody can say anything. Are you asking me?… But I don't want to (answer), it is not important. Vinod Mehra was always a well-wisher, he was always very very close to me." They never wed.

1973 brought endless speculation. Speaking candidly to Star and Style magazine back then, Rekha addressed their intimacy without confirming a marriage. "Vinod kissed me on my birthday but in the morning and in the privacy of my bedroom," she said. Their bond was affectionate, not marital.

Kamla Mehra's Strong Disapproval

Vinod Mehra's mother, Kamla Mehra, fiercely opposed the relationship behind off-screen doors. Tabloid stories fueled her anger. Biographical accounts and reports documented how Kamla refused to let Rekha enter her household because of her public image.

"To her (Vinod's mother), I am not just an actress, but I am a badnaam actress with a rotten past and a reputation for being a sex-maniac," Rekha remarked in an interview that The Times of India and BollywoodShaadis cited. "For Vinod's sake, she tolerated me in the beginning. Now she won't tolerate me at all."

A Lifelong Friend and Emotional Anchor

The wedding claim was entirely false. When public criticism hit hard, Vinod Mehra stood by Rekha as a steady support.

Decades later, trust defines their story. Through constant gossip and family pressure, Rekha always maintained that Mehra was a cherished friend and well-wisher. Their bond outlasted tabloid headlines — remaining one of Indian cinema's most talked-about friendships.