Rekha, Biswajeet And A Kiss She Never Consented To: The Story Behind The Headlines

At a time when conversations around consent and abuse are finally becoming part of mainstream discourse in the entertainment industry, a significant moment of accountability arrived this week straight from the family of the man linked to one of Bollywood's most controversial incidents.

Pallavi Chatterjee, daughter of veteran actor Biswajeet, spoke about one of Bollywood's most notorious chapters. In an interview with journalist Vickey Lalwani, Pallavi addressed the 1969 on-set incident where her father forcibly kissed a then-15-year-old debutante, Rekha, without her consent during the filming of Anjana Safar (later released as Do Shikaari).

In an industry where family members often rush to defend their own, Pallavi didn't mince words, "It was definitely wrong," she said, refusing to shield her father. "It was not right, whether it was done by my father or by anyone else. He should have either refused to do it or obtained Rekha's consent first. She was not prepared for it, and obviously, it would have been shocking for a 15- or 16-year-old girl."

Pallavi also added that the two families shared a close bond at the time, "Rekha used to come to our house and we played together as children. Our families were very close, and we visited each other's homes. Perhaps it was even more traumatic for her because there was a family connection. You think of someone as part of your extended family, and then something like this happens."

In an industry built on blind family loyalty, Pallavi's refusal to defend her father is a welcome stance, especially since Biswajeet has always shifted the blame onto the director and producer. It was a traumatic episode for the young Rekha. Decades later, clickbait culture has repeatedly turned it into a trending topic, borrowing details from my biography of Rekha but stripping them of context to create sensational headlines.

The reality of what happened in 1969 was grim. Back then, 'consent' wasn't even a part of the film industry's vocabulary. When the film media reported on it at the time, they treated it as a salacious gimmick. Rekha was essentially exploited on camera, yet no one dared use the word.

However, the story behind those infamous "kissing" photos ending up splashed across the pages of international Life magazine goes much deeper.

Let's look at what really happened.

Anjana Safar And The Cost Of A Debut

Film producer Kuljeet Pal was a Nairobi-based businessman who had come to Bombay to produce films. His second film, Galiyon Ka Raja, had come to an abrupt halt after a few days of shooting because of a rift between the cast and the director. Kuljeet decided to quickly mount a new film starring actor Biswajeet. It was an adventure story inspired by the English classic, King Solomon's Mines. The Hindi version was to be named Anjana Safar.

Biswajeet was shooting in Madras when Kuljeet pitched him the story, and the actor signed on immediately. But the female lead was still empty. Someone recommended a Southern actress named Vanisri, so Kuljeet went to meet her at a local studio.

While at the studio, Kuljeet happened to notice a young girl named Bhanurekha, who was playing a supporting role in the film. When he learned she was the daughter of veteran actress Pushpavalli, Kuljeet decided to cast her as his heroine.

Thus began her Anjana Safar into the world of Hindi cinema. She changed her name from Bhanurekha to Rekha.

In 1969, a fourteen-year-old Rekha reached Bombay with her mother. But things were not all dreamy. Time and again, she would feel angry at her mother who had pushed her there without knowing what she wanted.

In the interview with Simi Garewal, Rekha had recalled, "Bombay was like a jungle, and I had walked in unarmed. It was one of the most frightening phases of my life... I was totally ignorant of the ways of this new world. Guys did try and take advantage of my vulnerability. I did feel 'What am I doing? I should be in school, having an ice-cream, fun with my friends, why am I even forced to work, deprived of normal things that a child should be doing at my age?' Every single day I cried, because I had to eat what I didn't like, wear crazy clothes with sequins and stuff poking into my body. Costume jewellery would give me an absolute terrible allergy. Hair spray wouldn't go off for days, even despite all my washing. I was pushed, literally dragged from one studio to another. A terrible thing to do to a 13-year-old child."

The Incident That Left A Teenage Rekha Traumatised

While onscreen kissing is normal today, for decades it remained a taboo in Indian cinema. It was a strange hypocrisy as filmmakers routinely banked on raunchy dances, double-meaning dialogues, and extreme violence to pull in audiences, yet drew the line at a kiss. Whenever a scene built toward intimacy, the camera would awkwardly pan away to focus on brushing flowers, sunsets, or waterfalls.

This cloak of cinematic modesty was usually shed only when the desperate pressure for box-office success pushed producers and stars toward sensational publicity stunts.

Producer Kuljeet Pal and actor Biswajeet were looking for exactly that kind of stunt.

The shooting of Anjana Safar had begun in Bombay's Mahboob Studio. Raja Nawathe was the director and cinematographer of the film. In the very first schedule of the film, Kuljeet, Raja and Biswajeet had hatched a plan, to which Rekha was soon going to fall victim.

That day, a romantic scene was to be filmed between Rekha and Biswajeet. Every last detail of the strategy had been decided before the shoot, and the camera was set to record each moment. As soon as director Raj Nawathe said "action", Biswajeet took Rekha in his arms and pressed his lips on hers. Rekha was stunned. This kiss had never been mentioned to her. The camera kept rolling; neither was the director ordering "cut", nor was Biswajeet letting go of her. For all of five minutes, Biswajeet kept kissing Rekha. Unit members were whistling and cheering. Rekha's eyes were tightly shut, but they were full of tears.

Recalling the day, Biswajeet later referred to the incident as Raja Nawathe's idea.

Raja had insisted that he kiss Rekha, not fifteen then, suddenly, catching her by surprise. Biswajeet maintained that it was not his fault, that he was merely working on the director's instructions. "It was not for my enjoyment, but important for the film. Rekha felt betrayed and was furious," admitted Biswajeet.

Rekha felt betrayed, cheated and exploited by what had happened. But she couldn't say a word in protest. She knew that the consequences of creating a scene would be dire: she would be thrown out of the film. Her end would have begun before her beginning.

In the recent interview, Biswajeet's daughter, actress Pallavi Chatterjee, says, "She (Rekha) was very young then. If something like this happens to you without warning, what are you supposed to do? When you are young, and something inappropriate is happening, you often feel awkward even about speaking up. Those times were very different. If a much bigger star was doing something like that, what could you really do?"

True to filmi cliche, Rekha's silence was taken to be her consent. Soon, film magazines were buzzing about a "bold" new South Indian actress. Before a single movie had even released, Rekha was branded a "sex kitten." Ironically, the notoriety worked, and she signed more films.

Later in an interview, Kuljeet Pal would claim that Rekha knew when he had decided there would be a kissing scene between Biswajeet and her. Rekha denied it.

By all accounts, she should have hated the man who took advantage of her without her consent. Yet, that very same kissing scene was later recreated for the cameras. It was a jarring detail that deeply baffled me while researching and writing my book, Rekha: The Untold Story.

The Kiss Of 'Life'

If you Google the incident today, you'll likely find the images of Biswajeet and Rekha locked in an on-screen embrace. Those photographs were first published by the international magazine Life. How an incident from a Bollywood film set found its way into a publication that had nothing to do with Indian cinema is a story in itself.

On 28 March 1968, the government of India had constituted an inquiry committee on the issue of film censorship. This committee was responsible for setting down rules and guidelines for kissing and intimacy in films. Retired Chief Justice of the Punjab High Court G.D. Khosla was the chairman of the committee. Members of the committee included R.K. Narayan, K.AAbbas, Balraj Sahni and Nargis. The Khosla committee submitted its report to the government in 1969.

According to the recommendations of the report, considered bold for its times: "If, in telling the story, it is logical, relevant or necessary to depict a passionate kiss or a nude human figure, there should be no question of excluding the shot, provided the theme is handled with delicacy and feeling, aiming at aesthetic expression and avoiding all suggestion of prurience or lasciviousness."

The Khosla committee report won accolades for its progressive take on the issue, though in later years it would be completely ignored by successive governments. The Supreme Court praised the recommendations, and the report sparked a debate on censorship. The noise that thus ensued could be heard far and wide, and in 1969 the famous international magazine, Life, decided to do a cover story in its Asia edition on the matter, titled "India's kissing crisis: to kiss or not to..."

James Shepherd, the American journalist who came to cover the issue, wanted to interview an actress who would be willing to get photographed kissing for the story. While doing his research, he met Randhir Kapoor in R.K. Studio. Randhir was busy shooting for his first film, Kal, Aaj Aur Kal (1971). He told James about Rekha, and how the scandalous kissing scene was still being talked about in the industry. The American journalist decided to talk to her.

When Life magazine reached out, producer Kuljeet Pal and Rekha recognised the opportunity. This was no film gossip publication but a respected international magazine, and the subject it wanted to explore was considered serious and newsworthy.

What followed was a remarkable turnaround. This was a golden opportunity to alchemise the negative publicity from the kissing affair into positive coverage. Rekha agreed to participate in the feature, perhaps recognising that such exposure could significantly boost her career. Life eventually published two photographs of Biswajeet and Rekha: one a still from Anjana Safar, the other a specially posed image of the two in an embrace for the magazine.

Looking back, it raises uncomfortable questions. Was Rekha, still in her mid-teens, too young to fully grasp the exploitation inherent in the situation? Or was she simply navigating an industry where a newcomer had zero agency and every incentive to comply? The harsh reality of that era was a patriarchal, male-dominated system where a young woman's voice was the easiest thing to ignore. Consent was neither widely understood nor openly discussed. For an ambitious newcomer, playing along was, sadly, a survival strategy.

The report also carried photographs of Simi Garewal and Persis Khambatta, but Rekha's photographs got all the attention. None of Rekha's films had yet been released, but thanks to the controversy and this coverage, she was already being projected as a bold actress.

To get maximum mileage out of the buzz around the Life magazine cover, Kuljeet Pal organised a press conference, Rekha's first, at the Shalimar hotel in Bombay. Rekha was asked, "So you are in favour of kissing?" "Yes," answered Rekha.

"In which situations?" asked the journalist. "When the heroine is wearing slacks."

It's difficult to say if this was a stupid answer or an open-ended statement but it confused the media. Rekha kept smiling.

"Why have you come to Hindi films?" one of them asked. "Because they don't pay much in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films..."

They laughed at her childlike and honest answers. The kiss got national and international attention.

A few years later, Rekha starred opposite Biswajeet in Kahte Hain Mujhko Raja (1975), a film he also produced and directed.

Reflecting on the episode years later, Rekha told journalist Dinesh Raheja in 1994: "I didn't do it. I was taken by surprise. Nothing could've compensated, nothing can wipe off what I felt. Not even the coverage it got in 'Life' magazine."