Tamil matinee idol Gemini Ganesan’s claim to fame extended much further than being Rekha’s father.
Known as Kaadhal Mannan (King of Romance) Gemini Ganesan, born on November 17, 1920 along with M G Ramachandran and Sivaji Ganesan formed the great triumvirate of superstars of Tamil cinema in the 1950s and 60s, similar to the Dilip-Raj-Dev trio in Hindi cinema.
The Tamil-Telugu epic-bio-pic Mahanati threw unshed light the relationship between legendary actress Savitri and Gemini Ganesan. In Mahanati, Tamil superstar Dulquer Salmaan played Gemini Ganesan.
During his lifetime Gemini Ganesan was never close to his daughter Rekha. Gemini Ganesan had three wives. Rekha’s mother Pushpavalli was Gemini’s second, albeit unofficial, wife.
When Gemini Ganesan passed away in 2005 Rekha had told me, “Why should I grieve for him when he’s so much part of me? Why should I grieve when I’m so grateful for his genes, his teachings, rich life and his sheer existence? Grieve for what??!! I’m happy I didn’t have to share unpleasant moments with him. He existed for me in my imagination. And that’s so much more beautiful than reality. Everything I love is unqualified by worldly time constraints.”
She further lyricized, “I’m just a small link in the larger scheme of things. I’m not the first one to go through death , nor am I the first one to receive an award. I’m enjoying everything that comes my way…good bad or ugly. I try to make good use of what life’s experiences offer. I think I’ve done a good job of my life, whatever others may think.”
