She has led a lavish life with cars, bungalows, making acchar, going to [director] S S Vasan's place for Dassera and getting a little gift there, her mother taking her and her siblings for a samosa treat in the Chennai airport and the endearing family traditions. She enjoyed it all, but with that was a feeling of being neglected when her father Gemini Ganesan moved on to other pastures.

Her mother did not have time for her children because she wanted to dedicate her time to her slipping career.

One story goes that whenever anybody gave them any gifts, the kids would buy stuff and whatever was left, they'd put them in these acchar jars. They would stuff money there to prevent bad times.

Rekha was recalled from boarding school and told that she would have to work. Even then, for about a year, there was no work. They'd dip into these acchar jars, which could hardly be called savings. They were just leftovers from other expenses.

Then a time came when she lived her dreams, became a star and was loved by people. The film Ghar changed her. With her signing amount, she bought a house. She said that suddenly she had to do something for the house. She stopped wearing garish clothes and she withdrew into herself. That must've been the time when the external metamorphosis must've taken place.

That was the turning point in her life.

As told to Lata Khubchandani