Veteran actress, Helen has been missing from the big screen for over a decade, and her fans are terribly missing her presence. On the personal front, Helen tied the knot with screenwriter, Salim Khan in 1980, who was already married to Salma Khan since 1964. Salim and Salma are also blessed with five children, three sons, Salman Khan, Arbaaz Khan and Sohail Khan, and two daughters, Alvira Khan and Arpita Khan.
Helen recalls her first meeting with Salim Khan
In the interview with Arbaaz Khan on his show, The Invincibles, Helen opened up about her personal life and her relationship with Arbaaz’s father, Salim Khan, during the 1970s. Recalling her first meeting with Salim Khan, she shared that she saw him while working on the 1963 film, Kabli Khan, but she did not notice him on the sets. While Helen was the lead actress, Salim played the role of a villain in the film. Revealing that she had a reputation for treating people like furniture on the sets, Helen said:
“I didn’t notice Salim Khan, not because of being a star, but because I was very to myself. One day, he asked Ajit saab ‘yeh madam kisi ko dekhte bhi nahi, wish bhi nahi karte. So he said ‘pucho mat, yeh sab logo ko furniture ke jaise dikhti hain.”
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However, it was many years later when Helen finally noticed Salim Khan while watching their film, Teesri Manzil, which got released in 1966. Talking about the same, the actress shared that she was wooed by Salim when the veteran screenwriter was seen playing the drums in one of the scenes. In her words:
“That drum scene was taken separately, I wasn’t even on the set when it was taken. So when I saw it on the big screen, I saw him. And he was looking very good then.”
Helen talks about the tremendous respect she had for Salma
Though Helen was criticised after tying the knot with Salim, in the same interview, she stated that she never wanted to separate Salim from his family. Talking about how she had tremendous respect for Salim’s first wife, Salma Khan, Helen shared that she did her best to keep a distance from her during the initial days of their relationship. She added:
“In the beginning, what I used to do, you know when I used to pass Bandstand, and I would know sometimes Mummy [Salma] is standing in the balcony, I would duck right down so she would not see me and think that the car would be empty near your house. I used to keep her respect so much.”
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Helen talks about her initial days in the film industry
The veteran actor-dancer, Helen had fled from Myanmar to India in 1943 with her family and joined films as a teenager. She met Salim Khan on the sets of a few films that they worked together on. She was going through a tough phase in her life back then, and Salim helped her financially and career-wise and also provided her with a few acting opportunities. The two grew close during the 1970s, while Salim was already married with four children. Salim’s first wife, Salma, had gone through a lot when she found out about her husband’s extra-marital affair.
Helen’s last big role as an actor was in the film, Heroine (2012), in which she portrayed the role of a veteran artiste.
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