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Bollywood Hungama

Mumbai, Jul 31: Bollywood's original 'Dancing Diva' Helen will be seen making her comeback in Bollywood with a film titled Bachpan. The film is directed by debutante director Rajiv Sharma who has in the past assisted filmmakers like Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Satish Kaushik.

Taking on from where last year's smash hit Taare Zameen Par left, Bachpan is a musical family saga, laced with emotions, seen from the perspective of children. In fact, when Rajiv Sharma decided to debut as a director, he zeroed in on this project which reflects the sensibilities of children.

As for Helen's character, she plays the role of a grandmother in Bachpan. An elated Helen says, "The script was simply amazing. And when I read it, I was so overwhelmed, that I decided I had to do it. I have recently seen the rushes of the film and liked the way it has shaped up immensely."

Apart from Helen, the film will also star another veteran actress Padmini Kolhapure along with four talented children.


dhall

am i mistaken or didnt helen make a comeback of sorts in hum dil de chuke sanam & im sure i saw her in something else as well. i know helen has alot of fans but for me i didnt "get" helen & her appeal.

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.

Contents [hide]
1 Career
2 Selected filmography
3 Awards and nominations
4 References
5 External links



[edit] 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.[1] 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.


[edit] 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)
Khamoshi: The Musical (1996)
Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999)
Mohabbatein (2000)
Shararat (2002)
Dil Ne Jise Apna Kahaa (2004)
Anjaane: The Unknown (2006)
Humko Deewana Kar Gaye (2006)
Marigold (2007 film) (2007)

[edit] 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 Khamoshi: The Musical (1996)
Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award (1998)[2]

Helen's Ten Best Dance Numbers of All Time


The merit of any artist lies in their ability to create extraordinary. Helen, a performer par excellence, encompassed this unique quality in heaps.
A potent blend of elfin charm and seductive moves, the smile in her eyes and litheness in her steps were far more intoxicating than the numerous whisky bottles she pranced around.

Every performance of hers in any movie, big or small, was, perhaps, the most-awaited segment -- a magnificent, lavish show guaranteed to thrill the audience and reaffirm their faith in the iconic dancing queen.

Time hasn't dulled the memory of Helen's shimmering sexiness, whose memories continue to beguile the viewer. A picture of refined elegance and gentle grace, Bollywood's beloved Ms Chin Chin Choo turns 69 today.

On her birthday, rediff.com showcases the legendary performer's Ten Best Dance Numbers of All Time, in no particular order:


Piya tu ab to aaja, Caravan

Sensuality dripped in every moment as Helen played the unforgettable Monica to Caravan's memorable cabaret ditty, Piya tu ab to aaja in Caravan.

No one quite winked as she meaningfully ran her slender fingers around those long, fish-stocking clad legs, breathing heavily and super sexily only to promptly free herself off a frilly red- black skirt and top and sashay in a glittering gold number.

It's unusual to utter striptease and tasteful in the same breath. Helen, of course, wouldn't have it any other way.


Mera naam chin chin choo, Howrah Bridge


While we can never get enough of Madhubala's smoldering temptress in Aaiye meherbaan, Shakti Samanta's black and white whodunit also featured a cute as button Helen introducing herself to us as the perfectly adorable Miss Chin Chin Choo.
In that pretty get-up --oriental dress, slanted eyes, a paper fan, Helen resembled a Chinese porcelain doll. Ditto for her spectacular dance, high on vivacity and joie de vivre

O haseena zulfonwali, Teesri Manzil


The original style diva, Helen adventurously experimented with her feather-friendly wigs, make-up, hats, baubles and outfits, mixing and matching different forms of dance and the attire associated with it.
One could witness this characteristic in her feverish on-the-floor duet, O haseena zulfonwali with the eternally effervescent Shammi Kapoor.

R D Burman's zingy creation looked every bit of a dream as Helen, in the middle of a frantic wardrobe changes, oozed flamboyance and charisma.


Yeh mera dil, Don


There's little left to imagine in Helen's slinky white dress. After all, she's dressed to kill the Big B in 1978's racy caper, Don.
And so, she pouts, preens, growls and purrs, employing her fire-breathing eyes to explosive results making wild suggestions to an unrelenting Amitabh Bachchan whilst gyrating steamily against partner-in-crime Asha Bhosle's equally stirring rendition of Yeh mera dil.

Almost two decades later, a hot Kareena Kapoor's attempt to re-write history in Don's remake failed to match the legend's flair for seduction


Mungda, Inkaar


Helen could make singing to an ant look sexy. And she does, with tremendous poise, in the clearly suggestive number like Mungda.
Dressed in a bright yellow and blue koli-styled sari, the accomplished dancer shows off her perfect curves and filmi jhatkas with aplomb even as a bunch of salacious extras gawk and gape.

Not too surprisingly, Helen's song 'n' dance session is the only memorable factor about this otherwise long-forgotten Vinod Khanna-Vidya Sinha starrer.

Mehbooba, Sholay


A song of Mehbooba's stature could not have possibly made the same impact without Helen's high-voltage jig.
In true showgirl style, the stunner in her gypsy-themed avatar wiggles her belly and swivels with marvelous verve and compelling tenacity.

An addictive song, an electrifying sight -- that's the show-stopping magic of Mehbooba for you.


Tora mann bada paapi, Ganga Jumna


Though her nightclub acts became hugely popular, the versatile Helen didn't shy away from slipping into the classical mode either.
Her mesmerising display of Kathak, detailed with nuances and adas in Ganga Jumna's Tora mann bada paapi, is a case in the point.

It bears no resemblance to the larger-than-life showiness associated with her usual stuff. And for a true-blue Helen admirer, all her on-screen facets are more than welcome.


Aa jaane jaan, Inteqam


It is rather mandatory to expect a whole lot of gimmickry, showmanship, props, and the works in a typical Helen act.
True to these elements, Helen performs to the hilt, doing her own brand of ballet in a slow and sensual fashion with breathtaking perfection for Inteqam's winning composition, Aa jaane jaan.

Sophisticated and sexy as always, her inventive make-up and bizarre clothes contribute to the surreal aura she carefully builds around her dances.


Aiyay ya Suku, Suku, Junglee


Adding more visual appeal to the palette-themed set-design of Aiyay ya Suku Suku, Helen breaks into a delectably- inspired version of flamenco.
Infected by her foot-fancy revelry, Shammi Kapoor too joins in to pay a fun-filled tribute to Ms Suku [Helen's name in the film].

Together, as expected, the swinging duo burn the dance floor and give the Hindi film industry another terrific act to rave about for years to come.


Aao na, Mere Jeevan Saathi


Helen turns on the heat yet again. This time, in a body-fitting, slit-happy red gown and elaborate hairdo, to take complete charge of a visually-challenged Rajesh Khanna's senses in the delicate yet provocative, Aao naa.
Carefree and cheerfully unmoved by the medical condition of her object of affection, Helen dances in gay abandon, showering lust-heavy attention, more than once, on the hapless hero.

Going by the wide-mouth expression of Kaka alone, we can safely tell the seductress it's a job well-done.

Jerry Pinto spent three years chronicling the rise of Bollywood screen icon Helen. In conversation with Senior Features Editor Lindsay Pereira, he talks about her career-defining moments and what gave her longevity when so many other stars faded away.

Part I: Making sense of Helen

Of the 500-odd films Helen played a part in, is there any one you could call career-defining?

I think there would be at least five. There's Howrah Bridge, where Helen was invented with her Mera Naam Chin-Chin-Choo number, though she had been dancing for years before it.

There's Cha Cha Cha, her only hit as a lead, in which one of our finest dancers played a dancer who is crippled.

There's Prince, where she dances with Vyjayanthimala [Images], presenting a series of Western moves against Vyjayanthimala's classicism and so defining her role as the Other Woman.

There's Inteqaam's Mera Yeh Husn Jawaan, which is still breathtaking in its sexual audacity, and which retains the power to shock even today.

And there's Khamoshi: The Musical, where, as Mariamma, she becomes a legend and a grandmother and every critic sits up, takes note, and laments the shortness of her role.

Chetan Bhagat: 'I could be working in a call centre'

If you were to try and gauge the impact Helen had on the way the Hindi film industry evolved, into what it is today, what would you credit her most for?

I believe that the best of Hindi commercial cinema uses melodrama as its central theme, playing with it in different ways. For melodrama to work, you must pit opposites against each other. You must have the good guy and the black-hearted villain. You must have the virginal heroine and the dangerous woman.

Helen offered a range of dangerous women, effortlessly reinventing herself as dancer, gang moll, faithless lover, Chinese spy, Spanish countess.

If there were no Helen, we would have had to invent her.

She was pretty and she could dance, but so could so many others. Have you managed to figure out what gave her longevity when so many have been forgotten?

Just to continue from where I left off�if we were to try and invent her, we would have failed because there are some people who are irreplaceable. You cannot think of another Dilip Kumar [Images], another Madhubala, another Amitabh Bachchan [Images]. And you cannot think of another Helen. She herself has attributed her success to a combination of good genes (French father, Burmese mother, Spanish grandfather) and discipline.

I think it goes beyond that. I think the reason can only be sought (and therefore never found) in the peculiar alchemy of the interaction between audience and actor that turns some into stars and allows others to fade.

Terrorists, riots, and No God in Sight

Is there anyone among the current crop of actors capable of playing Helen, if her story were to make it to film?

No. It takes an actor to play convincingly in a biopic and I can't think of a single actor who can dance. And as for the stars, I don't think they're ever very good at playing anyone other than themselves.

What I get from your book, above all, is the sense that Helen played a far more important part in the film industry. Without her as a foil, and without her fall from grace in a majority of her films, the hero's victory wouldn't be half as convincing. Would you agree?

Yes, indeed. There's that old saw: You can't have light if you don't have darkness. Melodrama is chiaroscuro; the darker the blacks and greys, the whiter the whites. The hero's refusal to be seduced, the villain's willingness to go along with Helen's call to pleasure made the dichotomy clearer. And even when the comic comes courting -- and Helen was wooed on screen by every joker from Rajendranath to Mehmood -- his questionable masculinity throws the hero's virility into clearer focus.

Helen was needed to show that the heroine was pure; and she was needed to show that the hero was good.

Kiran Desai: 'Human warmth is an innate part of India'

The funny thing is, despite her years in the industry, Helen is still to be looked at as a legend. Far lesser performers and bit players -- from cinematographers to music directors -- have succeeded, but people are still wary of giving her that tag. Why do you think that is?

If Helen is not seen as a legend, then that can only be the myopia of the film industry and society. In no other cinema anywhere in the world has a dancer worked for 30 years, vamping three generations of Hindi film stars. In general, it is the men who last long and the women who fade.

Here is the first woman who reversed that trend, who defied the gender bias and was still rocking us back on our heels in the 1970s with Mehbooba Mehbooba in Sholay [Images] and Mungda Mungda in Inkaar.

I believe that Helen has withdrawn a little from the world of cinema, just as she was once always to be found behind the barrier of a book on the sets. I believe that the process of iconisation that I speak of in the last couple of chapters has happened without her consent or her connivance. She just did what she did and left it to everyone else to figure it out.

What is the most surprising thing you found out about her that you didn't know before you began working on the book?

I had no idea that the cult of Helen was so wide, so far-ranging and that so many people found so many different ways in which to relate to her. I thought, for instance, that Helen would appeal to men primarily, but she seems to have a huge fan following among women who find her as charming as men did.

Of course Helen is a Legendary figure of the Bollywood film industry.

And you know what? Even after so many years, say in today's 2008, we find no single dancer who has the agility, the rhythm, the charm, the seductiveness and energy that Helen had.

Now simply the questions regarding Helen are:

1. Which movie does she look the youngest?
2. Which movie does she look the most seductive?
3. Which movie does she look the most beautiful?
4. Which movie does she strike a chord of sympathy with the audience?
5. Which movie does she have a most graceful dance?
6. Which movie has the best song for her?


And so on.....

Right now, answering Q.No.2, I found Helen most seductive in INTEQAAM: AA JAANE JAA.N.....

All the best,