Be
it
playing
the
vamp
or
wooing
the
auidence
with
her
scintillating
dance
numbers,
Helen
was
a
darling
of
million
hearts.
Known
for
her
cabaret
numbers
in
films,
she
flirted
with
the
screen
like
no
one
else.
In
a
Quint
interview,
she
once
slipped
out
her
secret,
"Every
girl
should
flirt
with
the
man
who's
handling
the
camera.
And
not
with
the
hero,
producer
or
the
director.
If
she
makes
the
photographer
feel
wanted,
he'll
make
her
look
gorgeous,
giving
her
an
edge
over
the
leading
lady."
Hers
was
a
Cinderella
story.An
Anglo-Indian
refugee
from
Burma,
a
young
Helen,
accompanied
by
her
mother,
made
a
daunting
trek
to
India
to
escape
from
World
War
II.
She
recalled
in
a
throwback
interview,
"..we
trekked
alternately
through
wilderness
and
hundreds
of
villages,
surviving
on
the
generosity
of
people,
for
we
were
penniless,
with
no
food
and
few
clothes.
Occasionally,
we
met
British
soldiers
who
provided
us
with
transport,
found
us
refuge
and
treated
our
blistered
feet
and
bruised
bodies
and
fed
us.
By
the
time
we
reached
Dibrugarh
in
Assam,
our
group
had
been
reduced
to
half.
Some
had
fallen
ill
and
been
left
behind,
some
had
died
of
starvation
and
disease.
My
mother
miscarried
along
the
way.
The
survivors
were
admitted
to
the
Dibrugarh
hospital
for
treatment.
Mother
and
I
had
been
virtually
reduced
to
skeletons
and
my
brother's
condition
was
critical.
We
spent
two
months
in
hospital.
When
we
recovered,
we
moved
to
Calcutta,
and
sadly
my
brother
died
there
due
to
smallpox."
Soon
Helen
discovered
that
she
had
a
flair
for
dancing
when
she
was
learning
kathak
and
bagged
her
first
break
as
a
chorus
dancer
in
Shabistan
(1951).
This
was
followed
by
'Mr
John
ya
Baba
Khan'.
But,
it
was
Howrah
Bridge's
'Mera
Naam
Chin
Chin
Choo'
which
changed
the
game
for
her.
On
her
80th
birthday
today,
we
bring
you
some
of
her
most
iconic
songs-
Mera
Naam
Chin
Chin
Chu
(Howrah
Bridge)
Geetu
Dutt's
intoxicating
voice
coupled
with
O.P
Nayyar's
foot-tapping
composition
and
Helen
pretending
to
be
a
Chinese
dancer.
This
song
is
so
much
fun!
O
Haseena
Zulfonwali
(Teesri
Manzil)
Two
best
dancers-
Shammi
Kapoor
and
Helen
in
one
frame.
It
has
to
be
an
explosion,
for
sure!
Piya
Tu
Ab
To
Aaja
(Caravan)
The
song
had
Helen
waiting
for
her
man
of
dreams
to
show
up
and
getting
all
groovy
to
RD
Burman's
tunes.
Mehbooba
Mehbooba
(Sholay)
Every
thing
this
iconic
song
plays,
you
just
can't
help
yourself
from
hitting
the
dance
floor.
Yeh
Mera
Dil
Pyar
Ka
Deewana
(Don)
One
more
'seduction'
number
featuring
Helen
and
this
time,
it's
Big
B
on
the
other
side.
Mungda,
O
Mungda,
Main
Gud
Ki
Dali
(Inkaar)
For
a
change,
Helen
swapped
her
shimmery
cabaret
outfit
for
a bright
yellow
and
blue
koli-styled
sari,
but
her
'jhatkas' and
'matkas'
didn't
stop
the
men
from
going
all
crazy
over
her.