Kamal Haasan's Wife Caught Him With Rekha In A Chennai Hotel Room
Before Rekha and Amitabh Bachchan's rumoured love story made headlines, she was reportedly caught with Kamal Haasan by his then-wife.
A resurfaced story from the late 1970s suggests actress Vani Ganapathy once walked in on husband Kamal Haasan and Rekha at a Chennai hotel—an incident that stirred rumours behind the scenes of a soon-to-release Tamil film.
Rekha was on the sets of Yash Chopra's Silsila with Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan, and had also signed Meendum Kokila alongside Kamal Haasan and Sridevi in 1981. Reports say she and Kamal struck a close bond during the shoot, a connection that largely flew under the radar at the time.
Trouble erupted when Vani showed up unannounced at the Hotel Chola Sheraton in Chennai. A journalist relayed a dramatic account to Rediff, quoting a hotel staffer who said:
'In late 1979, I was working at the Hotel Chola Sheraton in Chennai. One night, when I reported for work, I found the place in a tizzy. As the girls in reception told the story, Kamal Haasan and Rekha Ganesan were in the latter's room in the hotel when Kamal's then-wife Vani Ganapathy arrived and gave her husband a public dressing-down."
Following the confrontation, rumours mills were abuzz that Rekha was replaced on Meendum Kokila and Malayalam actress Deepa (also known as Unni Mary) stepped in. Kamal and Rekha never confirmed or denied the story, leaving it wrapped in mystery.
At the time, Kamal was married to Vani (since 1978), but things began falling apart as he started collaborating more with Sarika—a relationship that reportedly led to her pregnancy. By 1988, Kamal and Vani had divorced, and he went on to marry Sarika the same year.
That apart, Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha's rumoured love story also remains one of Bollywood's most talked-about gossip sagas. Even after Amitabh tied the knot with Jaya Bhaduri in 1973, buzz about his growing closeness with Rekha only intensified. Their sizzling chemistry in films, especially Silsila, added more fuel to the fire, with many believing it mirrored their real-life love triangle.
In fact, in a chat with Rediff in 2015, Ranjeet recalled how a personal request from Rekha led to a major casting change in his directorial debut. The film, titled Kaaranama, faced a twist that had little to do with cinema. Ranjeet had said, 'The entire first schedule of Kaaranama was an evening shift. One day, Rekha called and requested if I could move the schedule to a morning shift as she wanted to spend the evenings with Amitabh Bachchan."
Amitabh Bachchan is married to Jaya Bachchan and have two children – Abhishek Bachchan and Shweta Bachchan. Rekha was briefly married to industrialist Mukesh Agarwal in 1990, the marriage ended tragically with his death the following year.
First Published:
July 07, 2025, 13:52 IST
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