Asian Window

Bollywood’s oomphiest, sexiest, vampiest vixen, Helen is making a comeback — but don’t expect her to be shaking a leg. The 1939-born Anglo-Burmese actress will be playing the role of a granny in debutant director Rajiv Sharma’s Bachpan (read the news report on NDTV here.)

Helen set the screen alight in the 1960s and 70s with such performances as Mera naam chin chin chu (Howrah Bridge) and Piya tu ab toh aa ja (Caravan) — not to forget, Yeh mera dil pyaar ka deewana (in the original Don). Then, a new era of sexy actresses who could play both vamp and heroine elbowed Helen the vamp out, reducing Helen the actress to the every heroine’s worst nightmare: character roles as an aunty, headmistress and, later, granny.

For a complete list of Helen’s films and the roles she played, click on the IMDB site here.

Finally, three questions for Helen trivia buffs:

1. What was Helen’s most common screen name?

2. In which dance-form did Helen initially train?

3. In which film did Helen play Zeenat Aman’s mother?

[please post answers as comments & feel free to post your own questions]

And, finally (again) here’s a clip from Helen Queen of the Nautch Girls by Merchant Ivory [via Bollywood Food Club]

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