[imagebrowser id=230] MUMBAI: Madame Rekha, the original czarina and screen diva of tinsel town, descended from her ivory tower and was spotted at Vidya Balan’s mehndi ceremony.

By now, it is but common knowledge that Vidya Balan, of the superhit ‘The Dirty Picture’ fame is in the process of tying the knot with her long-time beau Siddharth Roy Kapur, who is CEO of UTV Motion Pictures. We brought you news and pictures of all the goings-on at her very simple sangeet ceremony, which strangely did not see any of Vidya’s Bollywood friends or co-stars in attendance.

And now we have fresh pictures of her mehndi ceremony, which would have been just as bland an affair if we had not witnessed the presence of veteran actress and Bollywood’s original diva; Rekha.

Rekha, usually so reticent and media-shy and who loves her solitude, took a break from her self-imposed exile and came along to wish the newlyweds at their elaborate mehndi ceremony.

Dressed in an apple green kanjeevaram sari, elegant jewelry and her trademark side-swept long locks, Rekha took everyone’s breath away at the mehndi party. Seen exiting from her luxurious sedan, we spotted the beautiful ‘Umrao Jaan’ of yore, who had come to wish her very special Tam-Brahm friend, Vidya Balan on her big day.

It is no secret that Vidya and Rekha share a similar heritage, for they are both Tamilians. Vidya has always maintained she looks up to and reveres Rekha, and has somewhat modeled her style based on the screen diva. Both don kanjeevaram saris to almost every soiree and both are regarded as powerhouse performers in Bollywood, along with their formidable acting skills and raw sex appeal.

The bride-to-be was a vision in yellow, presumably a Sabyasachi Mukherjee design, and came all the way outside the venue to welcome her idol and friend Rekha. She even took time to pose for the shutterbugs, displaying her hennaed hands for all and sundry.