Filmmaker Farah Khan shared that she is a great admirer of veteran actor and dancer Helen and said that she always inspired her.
Farah said, “When I was a young child, between the ages of five and six, I used to climb on the table of my house and dance to Helen’s songs, even when someone would come to my house, my parents would ask me to show them my dance to Helen’s songs.” She further shared her shooting experience with Helen on the sets of the 2000 musical romantic drama ‘Mohabbatein’ and said, “I remember when we were filming ‘Mohabbatein’ and Helen Ji was coming in to do a dance number and I asked for Geeta to teach her the routine, they were all rehearsing and I was standing in a corner and crying because I got the opportunity to work with my childhood Idol.”
Helen was introduced to Bollywood in 1953 by the famous dancer Cuckoo. She got her break in 1958 when she performed the song ‘Mera Naam Chin Chin Choo’ in the movie Howrah Bridge.
She was known for wearing different colours of wigs, contact lenses, and skimpy outfits in her movies. She was married to director Prem Narayan Arora from 1957 to 1972 and she divorced him and later married screenwriter Salim Khan in 1981.
Farah appeared as a celebrity guest on the dance reality show ‘India’s Best Dancer 3’ and she was left awestruck with the performance of the duo Shivam Wankhede and Sonali Kar on the timeless classics, ‘O Haseena Zulfonwale Jane Jahan’ from the movie ‘Teesri Manzil’.
She praised their dance moves and added, “You two were too good. if Helen Aunty and Shammi ji saw you today, they would tell you two have a long way to go.”
‘India’s Best Dancer 3’ judged by Terence Lewis, Geeta Kapur, and Sonali Bendre airs on Sony Entertainment Television.