Helen (actress)

Helen Jairag Richardson Khan (born October 21 1939) is a Hindi dancer and actress of Anglo-Burmese extraction, best known for playing vamps and vixens in Bollywood movies of the 1960s and 70s. She was famous for her performances in flamboyant dance sequences and cabaret numbers. The Bollywood playback singer Asha Bhosle frequently sang for Helen.

Career

Helen Jairag Richardson was born on October 21, 1939 in Burma to an Anglo-Indian father and Burmese mother. The family migrated to Mumbai, but her mother's salary as a nurse wasn't enough, and Helen had to quit her schooling to support the family. Helen had a brother Roger and sister Jennifer. [ [http://www.santabanta.com/cinema.asp?pid=18638 I've no problems with the item no.: Helen Richardson : Star Talk ] ] A family friend, an actress known as Cukoo, helped her find jobs as a chorus dancer in the films "Shabistan" and "Awaara" (1951). Helen was soon working regularly, and was featured as a solo dancer in films like "Alif Laila" (1952) and "Hoor-e-Arab" (1953).

In 1958, she had her first major hit with her performance in the song "Mera Naam Chin Chin Chu" in Shakti Samanta's hit film, Howrah Bridge. She was in great demand after this, performing as a cabaret dancer and vamp in film after film. She was known as the Cabaret Queen. She was never a great success in the few films in which she played the heroine or when she played dramatic roles such as the rape victim in Shakti Samanta's Pagla Kahin Ka (1970), but vamp roles and "item numbers" kept her busy through the 1960s. Her luck took a turn for the worse in the 1970s. Younger actresses were taking the vamp roles. Also, changing rules for Bollywood heroines made it possible for sexy young things in go-go boots to do the cabaret numbers "and" play the heroine. Helen fell into financial difficulties.

In 1973, "Helen, Queen of the Nautch Girls" was released. A 30-minute documentary film from Merchant Ivory films, the idea for the documentary came from Anthony Korner, an associate of Merchant Ivory's in the period, and now the publisher of Art Forum. It was directed and narrated by him, but the scenario was devised by Ivory. The subject of the film, which cost a modest $17,000 to make, is the most popular dancer in Bombay musical films -- and which presented Helen to the west as the undisputed star of Bollywood film, including her famous typewriter dance scene from "Bombay Talkie" the acclaimed Merchant Ivory film.

Writer Salim Khan came to her rescue. He helped her get good roles in some of the movies he was co-scripting with Javed Akhtar: "Imaam Dharam"," Don", "Dostana," and the all-time hit "Sholay." This led to a demanding role in Mahesh Bhatt's film "Lahu Ke Do Rang" (1979), for which she won a Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award. Soon afterwards, she married Salim Khan, as his second wife. The arrangement was said to have been tense at first, but Salim's children by his first wife (including current Bollywood actors Salman, Arbaaz, and Sohail Khan) are now said to be on good terms with their stepmother.

Helen and Salim Khan have an adopted daughter named Arpita.

Helen's brother Roger passed away in the 80's and her sister Jennifer is settled in New Delhi and is married to an Air Marshal of the Indian Air Force.

Helen retired from the screen for a number of years, but made a few "guest star" appearances in 1999 and 2000. In "Mohabbatein", she plays the prim and proper head of a girls' school, who is pulled out onto a dance floor and surprises everyone with her lively dancing. She also made a special appearance as Salman Khan's mother in the movie "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam".

Selected filmography

* "Awaara" (1951)
* " Howrah Bridge" (1958)
* "Hum Hindustani" (1960)
* "China Town" (1962)
* "Aaya Toofan" (1964)
* "Cha Cha Cha" (1964)
* "Woh Kaun Thi?" (1964)
* "Gumnaam" (1965)
* "Teesri Manzil" (1966)
* "Jaal" (1967)
* "Pagla Kahin Ka" (1970)
* "The Train" (1970)
* "Bombay Talkie" (1970)
* "Caravan" (1971)
* " Mere Jeevan Saathi" (1972)
* "Anamika" (1973)
* "Geeta Mera Naam" (1974)
* "Madhosh" (1974)
* "Sholay" (1975)
* "Bairaag" (1976)
* "Imaan Dharam" (1977)
* "Khoon Pasina" (1977)
* "Amar Akbar Anthony" (1977)
* "Don" (1978)
* "Lahu Ke Do Rang" (1979)
* "The Great Gambler" (1979)
* "Ram Balram" (1980)
* "Akayla" (1991)
* "" (1996)
* "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam" (1999)
* "Mohabbatein" (2000)
* "Shararat" (2002)
* "Dil Ne Jise Apna Kahaa" (2004)
* "" (2006)
* "Humko Deewana Kar Gaye" (2006)
* "Marigold (2007 film)" (2007)

Awards and Nominations

*Filmfare Nomination as Best Supporting Actress for Gumnaam (1965)
*Filmfare Nomination as Best Supporting Actress for Shikar (1968)
*Filmfare Nomination as Best Supporting Actress for Elan (1971)
*Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for Lahu Ke Do Rang (1979)
*Filmfare Nomination as Best Supporting Actress for (1996)
*Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award (1998) [ [http://deep750.googlepages.com/FilmfareAwards.pdf 1st Filmfare Awards 1953 ] ]

References

* Jerry Pinto -- "Helen; The Life and Times of an H Bomb", Penguin India, 2006

External links

* [http://www.rediff.com/entertai/2002/dec/24dinesh.htm Rediff magazine profile of Helen]
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