SHE was just a fifteen - year - old with an enviable bust line (read forty-two), when she first landed in Bombay fresh out of the starched uniform of some convent school in Madras. It was in the winter of '68 that Mohan Segal signed Rekha for her first Hindi movie opposite Navin Nischol: The name Sawan Bhadon. A party was thrown to introduce her to the press. Most newcomers are shy and hesitant. Not Rekha. Her answers to all questions were bold and spoken out. And as the intake of pegs by our brethren of the Fourth Estate increased, so did their questions grow bolder. Yet Rekha was never at a loss for the quick retort. By the time that party was over no doubts remained that she had won the journalists completely over. They had never encountered anyone, new or old, who was as frank and fearless as this brash, young girl-woman. Could this outspoken fifteen-year-old have been coached to say the boldest things? I doubt it. The girl had apparently seen life raw and lived it to the full even before catching that plane to Bombay. She knew how to speak for herself. Sajid Khan The Sawan Bhadon unit did not immediately leave for location shooting in Poona. In the meantime, Mohan Segal had put up Rekha and her mother at a posh hotel in Juhu. Rekha was given tuitions to perfect her Hindi diction, and her dancing. It was during this period that Sajid Khan had just returned from the States after making a big name for himself there. Rekha spotted him one morning at Mehboob Studios. It was the blast-off for her first serious friendship I remember Rekha's words clearly when she set eyes on him, because I was around then and saw what occurred. "Oh my God!" this was said with awe and reverence. "That's Sajid Khan? He's my favourite! I'm in love with him! I have collected every photograph of his!" She scrambled out of the van in which she had driven into the studio compound and ran straight up to Sajid Khan. And that was that! There followed a rapid succession of midnight rendezvous; midnight-to-hell drives; and nine o'clock pairs to parties. Sajid was the more experienced of the two-I mean, he'd been in permissive America and all that. Rekha accompanied him everywhere he went. How can you blame a poor girl who finds herself face to face with the idol of whom she's dreamed for nights without end? Their dosti went on strong until Rekha had to go to Poona for a month-long location-shooting of Sawan Bhadon. Sajid obviously couldn't tag along, nor was Rekha a big enough star to demand that the unit take her boy-friend along, as well. So exit Sajid Khan and enter Navin Nischol. Navin Nischol Poona and Sawan Bhadon brought Rekha face to face with the handsome, sleek and suave Navin (he'd just that year finished at the Poona Film Institute). Rekha was bowled over. Two things, however, apparently deterred Navin from Rekha. Firstly, his wife was present on location. And secondly, this brash girl was apparently more crude and earthy than the suave connoisseur's tastes would permit. And her behaviour was too school-girlish. Rekha, always a frank and forthright, made it clear that she liked him a lot. But Navin coolly resisted all invitations in Poona, at least. Location shooting over, Navin and Rekha returned to Bombay where our heroine again took up the old continuity with first flame. Sajid, who had earlier once confessed that she was more than he could handle, now started to cling to her in the hope that she might be good for his career. The second stage of Sawan Bhadon now commenced-the indoor shooting stage. So again, enter Navin and exit Sajid. Every arrow in Cupid's bow was shot at the new target, Navin, who had first resisted but now relented. A man's a man, after all! They met mostly after shooting (most of the indoors of Sawan Bhadon were done at Roop Tera Studios) in Navin's car parked in nooks and crannies of the Western Express Highway. They also had to attend premieres and film-functions together. One pretty air-hostess who had flown them Air-India from Bombay to Delhi told me that they were very lovey-dovey throughout the flight (under cover of an open newspaper, of course!) Did they tire of one another? Or did Rekha realise that Navin, being a married man wouldn't be able to go far with her? Whatever be the real reason for the break-up, the fact is that one night after quite a few pegs Navin con¬fessed that "she drained me." The sentence speaks for itself. Sawan Bhadon was a thumping success. It celebrated silver jubilees everywhere. It was the first non-star cast, low-budget movie to break the stranglehold of big star-cast productions. And it propelled two newcomers to stardom's dizzy heights. Both Navin and Rekha signed up movies by the dozen.