Helen - The Original Dancing Diva of Bollywood

Started her career as a Chorus Dancer Helen became the first Dancing Diva of Bollywood. It was the dance song Mera Naam Chin Chin Chu from the film Howrah Bridge in 1958 made her the Cabaret Queen of Bollywood. She changed the entire scenario of dance in Hindi cinema from the early 50s to the late 70s to emerge many years later as a character actress in a few chosen films. 
She was born in Burma (21 Nov), now Myanmar, to a Burmese mother and Anglo-Indian father. The famous dancing star Cuckoo was a family friend. She introduced her as a dancer in the chorus in Shabista in 1951.  She got  her first hit song-and-dance number in Baarish (1957), Mr John, Baba Khan ya Lala Roshandaan Jo Bhi Dekhe Mera Jalwa Ho Jaaye Qurbaan. 

She was initially trained in the Manipuri style. Then she learnt Bharat Natyam from P.L. Raj, one of the leading choreographers of the time. Kathak followed this. She was the one who introduced the cabaret and the belly dance in Indian films.  
Helen vamped three generations of men, Prithviraj Kapoor (Harishchandra Taramati), Raj Kapoor (Anari (1959)) and Rishi Kapoor (Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan (1977)).
Hindi cinema found many uses for Helen. Since she was an outsider in almost every sense – by name, by national origin, by heredity – she could be anyone. And so a million fantasies were pinned on to one single form. She could be an Italian countess (Prince (1969)) or a German one (Ek Se Badhkar Ek (1976)) or an Anglo-Indian gold-digger (Gumnaam (1965)) or a tribal (Baadal) or an aboriginal Maharashtrian Koli fisherwoman (Inkaar (1977)) or a Chinese woman (Howrah Bridge (1958)) or a Roman Catholic Jenny (Imaan Dharam (1977)).

 She was nominated for the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award in 1965 for her role in Gumnaam. She played dramatic roles such as the rape victim in Shakti Samanta's Pagla Kahin Ka (1970).It was  a role in Mahesh Bhatt's film Lahu Ke Do Rang (1979), for which she won a Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award. In 1999 Helen was given India's Filmfare lifetime achievement award.
Helen officially retired from movies in 1983, but she has since then appeared in a few guest roles such as Khamoshi: The Musical (1996) and Mohabbatein (2000). She also made a special appearance as the mother of real-life step-son Salman Khan's character in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam.. She also appeared in Humko Deewana Kar Gaye in 2006.

Helen was selected for the Padma Shri awards of 2009 along with Aishwarya Rai and Akshay Kumar.

Song of Baarish 1957

Song of Howrah Bridge 1958

Song of China Town (1962)

Song of Gumnaam (1965)

Song of Teesri Manzil (1966)

Song of Talaash (1969)

Song of Intaquam (1969)

Song of The Train (1970)

Song of Caravan (1970)

Song of Sholay (1975)

Song of Don 1978

Cabaret in Bollywood

1960s was the era when cabaret songs were the real life of the movies. It was so much popular that they pulled the audience towards the theatres.These Cabaret were the part of the story unlike today's Item Numbers.Cuckko was the first Cabaret Dancer of bollywood,then came Helen.
In the Late 60s and early part of the 1970s actresses Fariyal,Aruna Irani, Bindu, Jayshree T and Padma Khanna entered into what was Helen's monopoly. In fact there is a cabaret in Dharma 1973 movie where the Top 5 Cabaret Dancers of Bollywood appeared in one song.
 The range extended from the likes of the  sexy Asha Sachdev and Prema Narayan, to out-and-out garish Kalpana Iyer and Jayshree T. Between them, these beauties had the item song market cornered, and many a famous tracks were picturized on them. If Jayshree T had songs like ‘Naach Meri Jaan’ with Mehmood from Main Sunder Hoon, then Asha Sachdev had the suggestive ‘Jis Kaam Ko Dono Aaye Hain’, from the Jitendra-starrer ‘Ek Hi Rasta’, while Kalpana Iyer had the disco genre cornered through the ‘80s and Prema Narayan sizzled her swimming costume with a host of other beauties in ‘Mausam Mastana’ from Satte Pe Satta… 
 Cuckoo, was the first major dancing star  who ruled the cabaret scene in the Forties and Fifties.Her talent made cabaret a must in the Bollywood films. Her dance numbers in the film Anokhi Ada established her as the lead dancer of that era.She introduced a 13-year-old Helen into films as a chorus dancer in the films like Shabistan and Awaara(1951).Cukoo and Helen most notably appeared in song and dance sequences together like in Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi(1958) and Yahudi (1958). Her last film appearance was in Mujhe Jeene Do in 1963 after which she had disappeared from the film industry.

Song from Anokhi Ada 1948

Song from Awara 1951

Song from Aan 1952

Helen-Known as "Queen Of Cabaret",who started as a chorus dancer in films like Shabistan and Awaara (1951) later became the queen of cabaret.Her seductive dancing made her a star and is still respected today for her contribution to cinema. She remained for more than three decades an essential part of almost all first-rate movies, with at least one hot dance and song scene,  that was invariably the star attraction of the movie.

Song from Howrah Bridge 1958

Song from Intaquam (1969)

Song from Caravan (1971)

Bindu-her success story started with Shakti Samanta's Kati Patang (1970), where she had a sizzling cabaret dance, "Mera Naam Shabnam" to her credit; a number which is even today remembered as one of the highlights of the film.She  gave tough competition to the Queen of Cabaret, Helen. She was definitely the strongest contender for this particular crown.Her mesmerising performances in 1974 as a seductress in Imtihan, and as a nymphomaniac in Hawas, left audiences asking for more. 

Song from Kati Patang (1970)

Song from Zanjeer (1973)

Song from Anhonee 1973

Faryal-was born in the Damascus area of Syria to an Indian father and a Syrian mother.She  worked for a while as an air hostess in Air India before joining films.She was noted for her role as a cabaret dancer in the movie Jewel Thief released in 1967. One of her very popular cabaret number is Yeh Duniya To Hai Bas Paise Ki from the movie Do Thug.

Dance from Jewel Thief 1967

Dance from Puruskaar 1970

Dance from Insaan Aur Shaitan 1970

Aruna Irani-she made her debut in the movie Ganga Jamuna (1961) playing childhood Azra's character.She did small roles,comic roles and character roles also.She was heroine with Amitabh Bachchan in Bombay to Goa.Besides excellent acting she has is par excellent when it comes to dancing. She had many hit item numbers in many movies to her credit and one amongst them is the Cabaret song – Sapna Mera Tut Gaya from the movie Khel khel mein. 

Dance from Humshakal 1974

Dance from Fakira 1976

Song from Khel Khel Mein 1975

Jayshree T-trained as Kathak.Dancer but  gained popularity when she started performing item dances in films,She has done few very successful Cabaret dances in the Bollywood films. She had an oomph factor and her dancing was full of energy. One of her very popular cabaret song is Reshmi Ujala hai from the movie Sharmillee in 1971.

Song from Sharmillee 1971

Song from Anokhi Pehchaan 1972

Song from Rani Mera Naam 1972

Padma Khanna-Like JayshreeT she was also a trained Kathak Dancer under Pt Birju Maharaj. She came into limelight with Johny Mera Naam dance "Husn Ke Lakhon Rang"She is most remembered for her role in the film Saudagar with Amitabh Bachchan

Dance from Johny Mere Naam 1970

Dance from Paise Ki Gudiya 1974

Song from Jaandar 1979

Kalpana Iyer-She is best known for the song from Disco Dancer, 'Koi Yahan Nache Nache'.She was the Dancing Queen of 80s.She was a former Miss India.Some of her famous dance numbers were to the songs "Hari om Hari" in Pyaara Dushman (1980), "Tu Mujhe Jaan" in Wardaat (1981) and "Rambha Ho" in Armaan (1982 film).

Song from Disco Dancer 1982

Dance from Pyara Dushman

Dance from Armaan 1981

Beside these specialized Dancers many Heroines have also given Cabaret songs in Bollywood Rekha,Mumtaz,Zeenat Aman and Parveen Babi are few such Heroines.

Mumtaz in a Song from Humjoli 1970

Rekha in a song from Parineeta 2005

Zeenat Amaan in Qurbani 1980

Parveen Babi in Namak Halal 1982

Here is a Rare Song From DHARMA 1973 in which 5 famous Cabaret Dancer Of Bollywood(HELEN,FARIYAL,Sonia Sahni,JayshreeT and Bindu) are dancing in one Song

Song from Dharma 1973