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Created page with "{{Short description|Indian film actress and dancer of Anglo-Burmese descent}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2017}} {{Infobox person | name = Helen | image..."

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{{Short description|Indian film actress and dancer of Anglo-Burmese descent}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2017}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Helen
| image = Helen at Kallista Spa opening.jpg
| caption = Helen in 2013
| birthname = Helen Ann Richardson
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1938|11|21}}
| birth_place = [[Rangoon]], [[British rule in Burma|British Burma]] (present-day [[Yangon]], [[Myanmar]])
| death_date = 
| death_place =
| nationality = [[Indian people|Indian]]
| occupation = {{hlist|Actress|dancer}}
| yearsactive = 1951–present
| spouse = {{marriage | Prem Narayan Arora | 1957 | 1974 |reason=divorced}}<br>{{marriage|[[Salim Khan]]|1981}}
| awards = [[Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress]]<br/> [[Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award]]
| honours = [[Padma Shri]] (2009)
}}

'''Helen Ann Richardson Khan''' (born '''Helen Ann Richardson'''; 21 November 1938), known mononymously as '''Helen''', is an Indian actress and dancer. She has appeared in over 700 films,<ref name="Pinto2006" /> making her a prolific performer in [[Bollywood|Hindi cinema]]. She is known for her supporting, [[character roles]] and guest appearances in a career spanning seventy years.

Helen has received two [[Filmfare Awards]],<ref name="Pinto2006">{{cite book|author=Jerry Pinto|title=Helen: The Life and Times of an H-Bomb|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ng_vVIcq5yQC|access-date=5 January 2013|date=1 March 2006|publisher=Penguin Books India|isbn=978-0-14-303124-6}}</ref> and is often cited as one of the most popular [[nautch]] dancers of her time.<ref name="revamp">{{cite news|last=Mukherjee|first=Madhurita|title=Revamping Bollywood's sexy vamps|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2003-02-03/news-interviews/27281535_1_cinema-special-appearance-shamita-shetty|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103220911/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2003-02-03/news-interviews/27281535_1_cinema-special-appearance-shamita-shetty|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 November 2012|access-date=16 November 2010|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|date=3 February 2003}}</ref> In 2009, Helen was awarded with the [[Padma Shri]] by the [[Government of India]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/helen-ash-akshay-named-for-padma-shri/story-Sqi8cvlkTKRBriP85wt4QL.html|title=Helen, Ash, Akshay named for Padma Shri|date=2009-01-26|website=Hindustan Times|language=en|access-date=2019-09-26}}</ref> She was the inspiration for four films and a book.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?230972|title=Helen|publisher=OutlookIndia|date=17 April 2006|access-date=16 October 2011}}</ref>

==Early life and background==
Helen Ann Richardson was born on 21 November 1938 in [[Rangoon]], [[Burma]] to an Anglo Indian father and a Burmese mother.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.santabanta.com/bollywood/18638/ive-no-problems-with-the-item-no-helen-richardson-khan|title= I have no problems with the item no|publisher= santabanta.com|date=24 January 2008|access-date=12 July 2015}}</ref> Her father's name was George Desmier and her mother's name was Marlene. She has a brother named Roger and a sister named Jennifer. Their father died during [[World War II]]. The family then trekked to Dibrugarh of [[Assam]] in 1943 in order to escape from the Japanese occupation of Burma. Helen told ''Filmfare'' during an interview in 1964: <blockquote>...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".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.upperstall.com/people/helen|title=Helen Upperstall profile|publisher=Upperstall.com|date=8 March 2012|access-date=31 July 2016}}</ref> </blockquote>She quit her schooling to support her family because her mother's salary as a nurse was not enough to feed a family of four.<ref name="burma">{{cite web|url=http://www.liveindia.com/salmankhan/helen.html|title=Helen Richardson|date=18 July 2011|publisher=liveindia.com|access-date=1 May 2012}}</ref> In a documentary called ''Queen of the Nautch girls'', Helen said she was 19 years old in 1957 when she got her first big break in ''[[Howrah Bridge (film)|Howrah Bridge]]''.

==Career==
Helen was introduced to Bollywood when a family friend, an actress known as [[Cuckoo Moray|Cuckoo]], helped her find jobs as a group dancer in the films ''Shabistan'' (1951) and ''[[Awaara]]'' (1951). She was soon working regularly and was featured as a solo dancer in films such as ''Alif Laila'' (1954) and ''Hoor-e-Arab'' (1955). She also featured as Street singer in film ''Mayurpankh'' (1954).

She got her major break in 1958, aged 19, when she performed on the song "[[Mera Naam Chin Chin Chu]]" in [[Shakti Samanta]]'s film, ''[[Howrah Bridge (film)|Howrah Bridge]]'', which was sung by [[Geeta Dutt]]. After that, offers started pouring in throughout the 1960s and 1970s. During her initial career, [[Geeta Dutt]] sang many songs for her. In the plot of many of the films of this period, Helen performs a song or dance then is killed, leaving the film's "good woman" available for the hero.<ref>{{Citation |first=Anustup |last=Basu |author-link= |editor-last=Sen |editor-first=Meheli |editor2-last=Basu |editor2-first=Anustup |title = Figurations in Indian Film |contribution =“The Face that Launched a Thousand Ships”: Helen and Public Femininity in Hindi Film |contribution-url= |year=2013 |pages=139–157 |place=New York City |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |url=https://www.academia.edu/8204760 |url-access=registration |isbn=978-1-349-33209-0}}</ref>
[[File:Helen from Filmfare Magazine, 1969.jpg|thumb|Helen in 1969, posing for ''[[Filmfare Magazine]]''|204x204px]]

The Bollywood playback singer [[Asha Bhosle]] also frequently sang for Helen, particularly during the 1960s and the early 1970s. She was nominated for the ''[[Filmfare]]'' Best Supporting Actress Award in 1965 for her role in ''[[Gumnaam]]''. She played dramatic roles in films like ''China Town'' and ''Sachaai'' starring Shammi Kapoor which went on to be very successful at the box office. She also played a sensitive character in the film ''Chhote Sarkar'' (1974) starring Shammi Kapoor and Sadhana. With Shammi Kapoor she did many hit dance numbers like 'Suku suku' in ''Junglee'', ' Yamma yamma' in ''Chinatown'', 'O haseena zulfonwali' in ''Teesri Manzil'', 'Hai pyar ka hi naam' in ''Singapore'', and 'Muqabla humse na karo' in ''Prince''.

She performed onstage in London, Paris, and Hong Kong. In 1973, ''Helen, Queen of the Nautch Girls'', a 30-minute documentary film from [[Merchant Ivory Productions|Merchant Ivory Films]], was released. Anthony Korner directed and narrated the film. A book about Helen was published by [[Jerry Pinto]] in 2006, titled ''The Life and Times of an H-Bomb'',<ref>[http://www.daijiworld.com/news/news_disp.asp?n_id=19921&n_tit=%27You+Cannot+Think+of+Another+Helen...%27+-+Writer+Jerry+Pinto Rediff Interview with Jerry Pinto], daijiworld.com, 29 March 2006.</ref> which went on to win the [[National Film Award for Best Book on Cinema]] in 2007. Writer [[Salim Khan]] helped her get roles in some of the films he was co-scripting with [[Javed Akhtar]]: ''[[Imaan Dharam]]'', ''[[Don (1978 film)|Don]]'', ''[[Dostana (1980 film)|Dostana]]'', and ''[[Sholay]]''. This was followed by a role in [[Mahesh Bhatt]]'s film ''[[Lahu Ke Do Rang (1979 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|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]]. She appeared as a judge in the semifinals and finals of India's 2009 ''[[Dancing Queen (Indian TV series)|Dancing Queen]]'' television series.

==Personal life==
[[File:Helen-SalimKhan.jpg|thumb|Helen standing with [[Salim Khan]] in 2012|link=Special:FilePath/File:Helen-SalimKhan.jpg]]
Helen's first marriage was in 1957 to film director Prem Narayan Arora of [[Dil Daulat Duniya]] fame, who was 27 years older than her. She divorced him in 1974.<ref>https://m.imdb.com/name/nm0374974/trivia</ref> In 1981, Helen married [[Salim Khan]], a prominent Bollywood screenplay writer. Khan was already married and the father of four children; Helen joined the Khan family and had a large role (along with Khan and his first wife Salma) in keeping the family united. All of Helen's step-children have bonded closely with her, and Helen is almost invariably accompanied in public appearances by Salma Khan, Salim's first wife. Helen is a [[Christians|Christian]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Salman Khan's heart-warming family story|url=http://www.emirates247.com/entertainment/films-music/salman-khan-s-heart-warming-family-story-2015-07-25-1.597922|work=[[Emirates 24/7]]|date=25 July 2015}}</ref>

==Awards and honors==
* [[Padma Shri]], a civilian honour from the Indian government (2009)<ref name="Padma Awards">{{cite web |url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |title=Padma Awards |publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India |date=2015 |access-date=21 July 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6U68ulwpb?url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |archive-date=15 November 2014 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
* Nominated – [[Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress]] – ''[[Gumnaam]]'' (1966)
* Nominated – [[Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress]] – ''[[Shikar (1968 film)|Shikaar]]'' (1969)
* Nominated – [[Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress]] – ''[[Elaan (1971 film)|Elaan]]'' (1972)
* Won – [[Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress]] – ''[[Lahu Ke Do Rang (1979 film)|Lahu Ke Do Rang]]'' (1980)
* Nominated – [[Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress]] – ''[[Khamoshi: The Musical]]'' (1997)
* 1999 – [[Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award]]

==Selected filmography==
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* ''[[Awara (1951 film)|Awara]]'' (1951, as background dancer)
* ''[[Alif Laila]]'' (1952, as background dancer)
* ''[[Santosham (1955 film)|Santosham]]'' (1955, Telugu)
* ''[[Halaku (film)|Halaku]]'' (1956)
* ''[[Mr. Lambu]]'' (1956)
* ''[[Yahudi Ki Ladki (1957 film)|Yahudi Ki Ladki]]'' (1957)
* ''[[Dongallo Dora]]'' (1957, Telugu)
* ''[[Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi]]'' (1958)
* ''[[Howrah Bridge (film)|Howrah Bridge]]'' (1958)
* ''[[Yahudi]]'' (1958)
* ''[[Bhookailas (1958 Telugu film)|Bhookailas]]'' (1958, Telugu)
* ''[[Uthama Puthiran (1958 film)|Uthama Puthiran]]'' (1958)
* ''[[Sawan]]'' (1959)
* ''[[Anari]]'' (1959)
* ''[[Hum Hindustani]]'' (1960)
* ''[[Abdulla (1960 film)|Abdulla]]'' (1960)
* ''[[Return of Mr. Superman (Mr. Superman ki Wapsi)|Return of Mr. Superman]]'' (1960)
* ''[[Ek Phool Char Kaante]]'' (1960)
* ''[[Bahana (1960 film)|Bahana]]'' (1960)
* ''[[Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai]]'' (1960)
* ''[[Baghdad Thirudan]]'' (1960) ([[Tamil language|Tamil]] film)
* ''[[Gunga Jumna]]'' (1961)
* ''[[Umar Qaid]]'' (1961)
* ''[[Mr. India (1961 film)|Mr. India]]'' (1961)
* ''[[Sampoorna Ramayana]]'' (1961)
* ''[[Half Ticket]]'' (1962)
* ''[[Chinatown (1962 film)|China Town]]'' (1962)
* ''[[Sunheri Nagin]]'' (1963)
* ''[[Shikari (1963 film)|Shikari]]'' (1963)
* ''[[Mulzim (1963 film)|Mulzim]]'' (1963)
* ''[[Aaya Toofan]]'' (1964)
* ''[[Cha Cha Cha (1964 film)|Cha Cha Cha]]'' (1964)
* ''[[Woh Kaun Thi?]]'' (1964)
* ''[[Zindagi (1964 film)|Zindagi]]'' (1964)
* ''[[Mohabbat Isko Kahete Hain]]'' (1965)
* ''[[Gumnaam]]'' (1965)
* ''[[Khandan (1965 film)|Khandan]]'' (1965)
* ''[[Kaajal]]'' (1965)
*''[[Love And Murder]]'' (1966)
* ''[[Yeh Raat Phir Na Aayegi (1966 film)|Yeh Raat Phir Na Aayegi]]'' (1966)
* ''[[Teesri Manzil]]'' (1966)
* ''[[Dus Lakh]]'' (1966)
* ''[[Chaddian Di Doli]]'' (1966) [Punjabi film]
* ''[[C.I.D. 909]]'' (1967)
* ''[[Hare Kaanch Ki Chooriyan]]'' (1967)
* ''[[Jaal (1967 film)|Jaal]]'' (1967)
* ''[[Jewel Thief]]'' (1967)
* ''[[Shikar (1968 film)|Shikar]]'' (1968)
* ''[[Talaash (1969 film)|Talaash]]'' (1969)
* ''[[Prince (1969 film)|Prince]]'' (1969)
* ''[[Bikhre Moti]]'' (1969)
* ''[[Bhai Bahen (1969 film)|Bhai Bahen]]'' (1969)
* ''[[Inteqam]]'' (1969)
* ''[[Aansoo Ban Gaye Phool]]'' (1969)
* ''[[Pyar Ka Sapna]]'' (1969)
* ''[[Pagla Kahin Ka]]'' (1970)
* ''[[The Train (1970 film)|The Train]]'' (1970)
* ''[[Tum Haseen Main Jawaan]]'' (1970)
* ''[[Bombay Talkie]]'' (1970)
* ''[[Puraskar]]'' (1970)
* ''[[Caravan (1971 film)|Caravan]]'' (1971)
* ''[[Hulchul (1971 film)|Hulchul]]'' (1971)
* ''[[Hungama (1971 film)|Hungama]]'' (1971)
* ''[[Adhikar (1971 film)|Adhikar]]'' (1971)
* ''[[Upaasna]]'' (1971)
* ''[[Man Mandir]]'' (1971)
* ''[[Parwana (1971 film)|Parwana]]'' (1971)
* ''[[Sange Muzhangu]]'' (1972, Tamil film)
* ''[[Mere Jeevan Saathi (1972 film)|Mere Jeevan Saathi]]'' (1972)
* ''[[Rakhi Aur Hathkadi]]'' (1972)
* ''[[Dil Daulat Duniya]]'' (1972)
* ''[[Apradh]]'' (1972)
* ''[[Bhale Huchcha]]'' (1972, Kannada)
* ''[[Do Gaz Zameen Ke Neeche]]'' (1972)
* ''[[Dharkan]]'' (1972)
* ''[[Anamika (1973 film)|Anamika]]'' (1973)
* ''[[Aaj Ki Taaza Khabar]]'' (1973)
* ''[[Chhote Sarkar (1974 film)|Chhote Sarkaar]]'' (1974)
* ''[[Geeta Mera Naam]]'' (1974)
* ''[[Benaam (1974 film)|Benaam]]'' (1974)
* ''[[Madhosh (1974 film)|Madhosh]]'' (1974)
* ''[[Sholay]]'' (1975)
* ''[[Zakhmee]]'' (1975)
* ''[[Kaala Sona]]'' (1975)
* ''[[Saazish (1975 film)|Saazish]]'' (1975)
* ''[[Aaj Ka Ye Ghar]]'' (1976)
* ''[[Bairaag]]'' (1976)
* ''[[Ginny Aur Johnny]]'' (1976)
*''[[Raees (1976 film)|Raees]]'' (1976)
* ''[[Imaan Dharam]]'' (1977)
* ''[[Inkaar (1977 film)|Inkaar]]'' (1977)
* ''[[Khoon Pasina]]'' (1977)
* ''[[Amar Akbar Anthony]]'' (1977)
* ''[[Chala Murari Hero Banne]]'' (1977)
* ''[[Don (1978 film)|Don]]'' (1978)
* ''[[Besharam (1978 film)|Besharam]]'' (1978)
* ''[[Swarg Narak|Swarag Narak]]'' (1978)
* ''[[Phandebaaz]]'' (1978)
* ''[[Lahu Ke Do Rang (1979 film)|Lahu Ke Do Rang]]'' (1979)
* ''[[The Great Gambler]]'' (1979)
* ''[[Hema Hemeelu]]'' (1979, Telugu)
* ''[[Allauddinum Albhutha Vilakkum]]'' (1979, Tamil-Malayalam)
* ''[[Billa (1980 film)|Billa]]'' (1980, Tamil)
* ''[[Abdullah (film)|Abdullah]]'' (1980)
* ''[[Dostana (1980 film)|Dostana]]'' (1980)
* ''[[Ram Balram]]'' (1980)
* ''[[Shaan (1980 film)|Shaan]]'' (1980)
* ''[[Bulundi]]'' (1981)
* ''[[Josh (1981 film)|Josh]]'' (1981)
* ''[[Heeron Ka Chor]]'' (1982)
* ''[[Sawaal (film)|Sawaal]]'' (1982)
* ''[[Aladin dan Lampu Wasiat]]'' (1982, Indonesian Movie)
* ''[[Haadsa]]a'' (1983)
* ''[[Bond 303]]'' (1985)
* ''[[Akayla]]'' (1991)
* ''[[Khamoshi: The Musical]]'' (1996)
* ''[[Saazish (1998 film)|Saazish]]'' (1998)
* ''[[Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam]]'' (1999)
* ''[[Mohabbatein]]'' (2000)
* ''[[Shararat (2002 film)|Shararat]]'' (2002)
* ''[[Dil Ne Jise Apna Kahaa]]'' (2004)
* ''[[Anjaane: The Unknown]]'' (2005)
* ''[[Humko Deewana Kar Gaye]]'' (2006)
* ''[[Marigold (2007 film)|Marigold]]'' (2007)
* ''[[Dunno Y... Na Jaane Kyon]]'' (2010)
* ''[[One Room Kitchen]]'' (2011) ([[Marathi film]]) ..... Rosy Aunty
* ''[[Jodi Breakers]]'' (2012)
* ''[[Heroine (2012 film)|Heroine]]'' (2012)
* ''Pagli Shaadi Go Dadi'' (2021){{div col end}}

==See also==
* ''[[Desperately Seeking Helen]]''

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

== Sources ==
* {{cite book|author=Jerry Pinto|author-link=Jerry Pinto|title=[[Helen: The Life and Times of an H-Bomb]]|year=2006|publisher=Penguin Books India|isbn=978-0-14-303124-6}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Helen (actress)}}
* {{IMDb name|0374974}}
* {{Bollywood Hungama person|helen}}
* [http://www.rediff.com/entertai/2002/dec/24dinesh.htm Rediff profile], rediff.com; accessed 11 December 2014.
* [http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/ben-mirza/helen-bollywoods-queen-of_b_2213570.html Huffington Post profile]; accessed 11 December 2014.

{{Padma Shri Award Recipients in Art}}
{{FilmfareBestSupportingActressAward}}
{{FilmfareLifetimeAchievementAward}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Helen (Actress)}}
[[Category:Indian film actresses]]
[[Category:Indian television actresses]]
[[Category:1938 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award winners]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts]]
[[Category:Actresses in Hindi cinema]]
[[Category:Actresses from Mumbai]]
[[Category:Anglo-Burmese people]]
[[Category:Anglo-Indian people]]
[[Category:Burmese emigrants to India]]
[[Category:Indian people of Anglo-Burmese descent]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian actresses]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian actresses]]
[[Category:Indian Christians]]
[[Category:Salim Khan family]]
[[Category:People from Yangon]]
[[Category:Actresses in Malayalam cinema]]
[[Category:Actresses in Tamil cinema]]
[[Category:Actresses in Kannada cinema]]
[[Category:Actresses in Telugu cinema]]

Helen (actress) - Revision history

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