Helen | |
|---|---|
 Helen in 2019 | |
| Born | Helen Ann Richardson (1938-11-21)21 November 1938 (age 87) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1951–present |
| Spouses | |
| Relatives | Salman Khan ( Step Son ),Arbaaz Khan (Step Son) ,Sohail Khan (Step Son),Alvira Khan Agnihotri (Step Daughter) ,Malaika Arora (Step Ex Daughter In Law),Arpita Khan (Adopted daughter) |
| Honours | Padma Shri (2009) |
Helen Ann Richardson Khan (néeRichardson; born 21 November 1938), known mononymously asHelen, is an Indian actress and dancer. She has appeared in over 750 films,[1] making her a prolific performer inHindi cinema. In a career spanning 70 years, Helen has received oneFilmfare Award.[1] She is often cited as one of the most popularnautch and cabaret dancers of her time.[2] In 2009, Helen was awarded with thePadma Shri by theGovernment of India.[3][4]
Helen Ann Richardson was born on 21 November 1938 inRangoon,Burma to anAnglo-Indian father and a Burmese mother.[5] Her father's name was George Desmier and her mother's name was Marlene. She has a brother named Roger and a sister named Jennifer. Their father died duringWorld War II. The family then trekked toDibrugarh ofAssam in 1943 in order to escape from theJapanese occupation of Burma. Helen toldFilmfare during an interview in 1964:
...we trekked alternately through wilderness and hundreds of villages, surviving on the generosity of people, for we were penniless, with no food and few clothes. Occasionally, we met British soldiers who provided us with transport, found us refuge and treated our blistered feet and bruised bodies and fed us. By the time we reached Dibrugarh inAssam, our group had been reduced to half. Some had fallen ill and been left behind, some had died of starvation and disease. My mother miscarried along the way. The survivors were admitted to the Dibrugarh hospital for treatment. Mother and I had been virtually reduced to skeletons and my brother's condition was critical. We spent two months in hospital. When we recovered, we moved to Calcutta, and sadly my brother died there due to smallpox".[6]
She quit her schooling to support her family because her mother's salary as a nurse was not enough to feed a family of four.[7] In a documentary calledQueen of the Nautch girls, Helen said she was 19 years old in 1958 when she got her first big break inHowrah Bridge.
Helen was introduced toBollywood (Hindi cinema) when a family friend, an actress known asCuckoo, helped her find jobs as a group dancer in the filmsShabistan (1951) andAwaara (1951). She was soon working regularly and was featured as a solo dancer in films such asAlif Laila (1954) andHoor-e-Arab (1955). She also featured as Street singer in filmMayurpankh (1954).
Helen got her major break in 1958, aged 19, when she performed on the song "Mera Naam Chin Chin Chu" inShakti Samanta's film,Howrah Bridge, which was sung byGeeta Dutt. After that, offers started pouring in throughout the 1960s and 1970s. During her initial career,Geeta Dutt sang many songs for her. In the plot of many of the films of this period, Helen performs a song or dance then is killed, leaving the film's "good woman" available for the hero.[8]The Bollywood playback singerAsha Bhosle also frequently sang for Helen, particularly during the 1960s and the early 1970s. She was nominated for theFilmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1965 for her role as Kitty Kelly inGumnaam. She played dramatic roles in films likeChina Town andSachaai (1969) starring Shammi Kapoor which went on to be very successful at the box office. She also played a sensitive character in the filmChhote Sarkar (1974) starring Shammi Kapoor and Sadhana. With Shammi Kapoor, she did many hit dance numbers like 'Suku Suku' inJunglee, ' Yamma Yamma' inChina Town, 'O Haseena Zulfonwali' inTeesri Manzil (1966), 'Hai Pyar Ka Hi Naam' inSingapore, and 'Muqabla Humse Na Karo' inPrince (1969).
Helen performed onstage in London, Paris, and Hong Kong. In 1972, she appeared in the Kannada movieBhale Huchcha.[9] In 1973,Helen, Queen of the Nautch Girls, a 30-minute documentary film fromMerchant Ivory Films, was released. Anthony Korner directed and narrated the film. A book about Helen was published byJerry Pinto in 2006, titledThe Life and Times of an H-Bomb,[10] which went on to win theNational Film Award for Best Book on Cinema in 2007. WriterSalim Khan helped her get roles in some of the films he was co-scripting withJaved Akhtar:Immaan Dharam,Don,Dostana, andSholay. This was followed by a role inMahesh Bhatt's filmLahu Ke Do Rang (1979), for which she won theFilmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. In 1999, Helen was awarded theFilmfare Lifetime Achievement Award.
Helen officially retired from movies in 1983, but she has since then appeared in a few guest roles such asKhamoshi: The Musical (1996) andMohabbatein (2000). She also made a special appearance as the mother of real-life step-sonSalman Khan's character inHum Dil De Chuke Sanam. She also appeared inHumko Deewana Kar Gaye (2006).
Helen was selected for thePadma Shri awards of 2009 along withAishwarya Rai andAkshay Kumar. She appeared as a judge in the semifinals and finals of India's 2009Dancing Queen television series.
Helen's first marriage was in 1957 to film director Prem Narayan Arora ofDil Daulat Duniya fame, who was 27 years older than her. She divorced him in 1974.[citation needed] In 1981, Helen marriedSalim Khan, a prominent Bollywood screenplay writer. Khan was already married and the father of four children; Helen joined the Khan family and had a large role (along with Khan and his first wife Salma) in keeping the family united. All of Helen's step-children have bonded closely with her, and Helen is almost invariably accompanied in public appearances by Salma Khan, Salim's first wife. She has adopted a daughter, Arpita Khan. Helen is aChristian.[11]
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