With the actress who had been hiking from Myanmar to India for 9 months during World War II, no clothes. Now the mother of a superstar, worth Rs 29 billion
The actress lost her father in World War II and had to quit her job to support her family financially. She lived for a few days without food, but later became one of Bollywood’s highest-paid dancers, leaving an unforgettable mark in the industry.
Before Nora Fatehi, Sunny Leone and Jacqueline Fernandez, another actress from foreign land was fascinated by Bollywood with her dance moves and had a lasting impact on the industry.
The actress in question is Helen. She lost her father in World War II and had to quit to support her family financially. She lived for a few days without food, but later became one of Bollywood’s highest-paid dancers, leaving an unforgettable mark in the industry.
Born in Yangon, Myanmar, Helen is an Anglo-Indian father and Burmese mother. She lost her father during World War II and hiked to Dibrugarh, Assam in 1943 to escape Japanese occupation of Myanmar. It was one of the most challenging times of her life as she and her family were penniless and struggled to find food.
In an interview with film financing, she said: “We alternately trek through the wilderness and hundreds of villages, surviving the generosity of people because we are everywhere, without food and very little clothing. Occasionally, we meet British soldiers, we meet transportation, we find our feet, footsteps, half of the people, we have met half of the people, and we have already got some groups. Being in trouble, some people die of hunger and disease.
Helen revealed that because her mother didn’t earn enough as a nurse, she left school and worked in a strange job to support her family. She was introduced to Bollywood when her family friend, Duckjoo, helped her find group dancers in movies such as Shabistan and Awaara.
At 19, Helen made a real-time hit single during the Howrah Bridge big break, and the song Mera Naam Chin Chu became a hit. After that, no look back. She starred in successful films such as “China Town” and “Sacha Jhutha” with Shammi Kapoor. Some of her iconic dance numbers include Suku Suku (Junglee), Yamma Yamma (Chinese town), O Haseena Zulfonwali (Teesri Manzil), Hai Pyar ka hi naam (Singapore) and Muqabla Humse Humse Na Karo. At that time, she was crowned the queen of dance in Bollywood and became the highest-paid project girl at the time.
Helen has teamed up with many superstars including Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra. Salim Khan helped her play movies like Immaan Dharam, Don, Dostana and Sholay in the movies. She retired from the movie in 1983 and has only appeared since then.
Helen first married film director Prem Narayan Arora in 1957, 27 years older than her. They divorced in 1974. In 1981, she married Salim Khan, a writer who was already married and had four children. Salim Khan reportedly has a net worth of Rs 1,000 crore. Helen is the stepmother of Salman Khan, Sohail Khan, Arbaaz Khan and Arpita Khan.
