In a recent interview, Helen discussed her 1970s romance with Salim Khan as well as her deep admiration for Salma, his first wife.
Veteran actress Helen hasn’t been on the big screen in more than ten years, and her fans are sorely missing her. In her personal life, Helen married Salim Khan, a scriptwriter who had been wed to Salma Khan in 1964, in 1980. Two daughters, Alvira Khan and Arpita Khan, and three sons, Salman Khan, Arbaaz Khan, and Sohail Khan, Salim, and Salma have a total of five children.
Helen remembers meeting Salim Khan for the first time.
Helen talked openly about her personal life and her relationship with Arbaaz’s father, Salim Khan, in the 1970s during an interview with Arbaaz Khan for his show, The Invincibles. She recalled their first encounter, saying she spotted Salim Khan while working on the 1963 movie Kabli Khan but failed to notice him on the set. Salim played a villain in the movie while Helen was the major actress. Helen said: “I have a reputation for treating people on the sets like furniture.”
“Salim Khan wasn’t noticed by me because he was famous, but rather because I kept to myself. He once enquired, “Yeh Madam, kisi ko dekhte bhi nahi, wish bhi nahi karte,” to Ajit Saab. He then uttered the words, “Pucho mat, that logo’s furniture is for sale.”
Helen didn’t discover Salim Khan until many years had passed while viewing their 1966 movie Teesri Manzil, which was released. The actress revealed that Salim wooed her when she saw the seasoned screenwriter playing the drums in one of the scenes.
Although Helen received criticism after she wed Salim,
she said in the same interview that she never intended to cut Salim off from his family. Helen spoke of her admiration for Salim’s first wife, Salma Khan, and how she tried to keep a distance from her in the early stages of their relationship.
Helen discusses her early days working in the film industry.
The veteran dancer-actor Helen had migrated with her family from Myanmar to India in 1943 and began working in movies when she was just an adolescent. On the sets of a number of the movies they co-starred in, she first met Salim Khan. She was going through a difficult time in her life at the time, and Salim gave her financial support, career advice, and a few acting opportunities. By the 1970s, when Salim was already married and had four children, the two became close. When Salma, Salim’s first wife, learned of her husband’s extramarital affair, she had to endure a lot.
Helen’s final significant acting role was in the 2012 movie Heroine, in which she played a seasoned performer.