A ll she wanted to do become a homemaker. In those days, even her close association with the film industry did not tempt her to try her luck in tinsel town. Nevertheless, destiny had other plans in store for Rekha Ratheesh. Good offers came her way, one after the other, and today she is a well-known face on the mini screen. Now that her role as Padmavathy in ‘Parasparam’, aired on Asianet, is getting appreciation, Rekha finally feels that she is in the “right profession.” In addition, she hosts a cookery show, ‘Taste Time’, on the same channel. Excerpts from an interview with Rekha:
Facing the camera
My father, Ratheesh, was a dubbing artiste and mother, Radhadevi, also was an actress and dubbing artiste. She has worked with Prem Nazir and Madhu.
I was born and brought up in Chennai. At the age of four, I debuted as a child artiste in Unnai Naan Santhithen, playing Revathi’s character during her childhood. But I didn’t act after that because my father didn’t want me to get into this profession. I too was not keen on acting. All I wanted to do was get married, have kids and stay at home.
But that wasn’t meant to be…
That is because of Captain Raju, our family friend. He wanted me to do a role in the serial ‘Nirakkoottukal’ that was aired on Asianet. My father couldn’t say no to him. After that I got a role in ‘Manassu’, directed by A. M. Nazeer. Then came serials such as ‘Devi’ and ‘Kavyanjali’. I took a break and then returned in the role of Madathilamma in ‘Ayirathil Oruval’ (Mazhavil Manorama). The role was a big break. Today I enjoy being in this profession. In fact, before he passed away, my father made me promise that I would not leave the field for anyone else’s sake.
Playing mother at a young age…
I am 32 and in ‘Parasparam’ I play the mother of four children, all of them married. I am a grandmother as well in the serial! I had my apprehensions when the role came my way. Padmavathy, though, is not the run-of-the-mill mother-in-law that you see in serials. Almost all of those characters have negative shades. Padmavathy is rather different. She may look and behave rough and tough but she has a good heart. The role is as prominent as that of the lead character. The producer has given me the freedom to experiment with my looks. I have kept it as close to real life as possible by not going overboard with the make-up or the clothes. The character stands out due to these factors.
On the big screen
Cinema is on the mind of every artiste. But, unfortunately, many serial artistes have had bad experiences in tinsel town. Not every filmmaker treats us with respect. Many serial actors had to be satisfied with blink-and-you-miss roles in films. I don’t want to fall in that list. I have done two films, Mambazhakalam and Pallavur Devanarayanan . If good roles come my way, I might do them. Otherwise I am more than happy in my space.
As a cookery show host…
I am a foodie and I love cooking. I used to cook for my co-artistes on the sets and when word got around, I got the offer to host ‘Taste Time’.
