In a stunning revelation that exposes the dark underbelly of Bollywood's golden era, new details have emerged about how legendary dancer Helen faced domestic abuse and property theft at the hands of her ex-husband, ultimately requiring intervention from Mumbai's most feared underworld figure.
The Tragic Backstory of Bollywood's Dancing Queen
According to former Mumbai police commissioner Rakesh Maria's new book 'When It All Began: The Untold Stories of the Underworld', Helen, who turned 87 this November, endured significant personal trauma long before achieving cinematic immortality. Born in Rangoon in 1938, Helen arrived in Bombay after escaping wartime Burma and entered films due to financial struggles.
Helen's remarkable career included over 700 film roles, making her one of Bollywood's most prolific performers from the 1950s onward. However, behind the glamorous facade, she was trapped in an abusive relationship with filmmaker P N Arora, who was significantly older than her.
The situation deteriorated to the point where Arora took control of her properties and finances, then eventually threw her out of her own home in Delhi, leaving the iconic dancer homeless and desperate.
The Unlikely Rescue Mission
Facing complete destitution, Helen turned to two powerful friends within the film industry - veteran actor Dilip Kumar and writer-actor Salim Khan. Understanding the gravity of the situation and the limitations of legal recourse, Dilip Kumar decided to approach an unconventional solution.
When Dilip Kumar couldn't directly reach Karim Lala, he wrote a personal note addressed to the underworld don and instructed Helen to deliver it herself. This set in motion one of the most unusual rescue operations in Bollywood history.
Karim Lala, born Abdul Karim Sher Khan in Afghanistan, had risen from a worker in 1920s Bombay to become the head of the notorious 'Pathan Gang.' Despite controlling liquor, gambling, and extortion rackets through the 1960s and early 1980s, Lala was known for his strict personal code, particularly his respect for women.
The Dramatic Resolution
The book describes how Helen visited Lala's 'darbar' where she was received with unusual excitement by the gathering crowd who recognized the celebrity in their midst. Lala, who wasn't much of a film buff, initially didn't recognize her but quickly understood the seriousness of her situation after reading Dilip Kumar's note.
In a surprising display of chivalry, Lala asked his aide to take Helen to his wife, Fatima, and joined the ladies after some time. After hearing her plight and determining she was telling the truth, Lala made an immediate promise: she would get her house back.
The resolution was both swift and dramatic. Helen was instructed to reach her Delhi house after a couple of hours. When she arrived, she discovered that Arora had already vacated the premises, leaving all her goods behind and the keys with the guard. Karim Lala's influence had worked instantaneously.
Legacy of an Unusual Intervention
This incident, as documented by Rakesh Maria, highlights the complex social fabric of Mumbai during that era, where film celebrities, police, and underworld figures often interacted in unexpected ways. The book notes that this episode marked the addition of 'matter pataana' (resolving matters) to Lala's portfolio of criminal activities.
Karim Lala passed away in 2002, marking the end of an era in Mumbai's crime history. Meanwhile, Helen's career continued to flourish, eventually earning her the status of Bollywood's most iconic dancer, though this chapter of her life remained largely unknown until now.
The revelation provides crucial context about the vulnerabilities faced by women in the entertainment industry during that period and the extraordinary measures sometimes required to secure justice when conventional systems failed.
