10-year-old Salman Khan watched mom Salma hurt due to Salim Khan-Helen’s closeness, their romance blossomed over daily drinks with…

Salman Khan, Salim Khan and Helen

Salim Khan and Salma Khan recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. The duo has been through every good and bad phase of their lives. One of the biggest setbacks in their married life was when Salman Khan’s father Salim Khan married Helen. ‘India’s Cabaret Queen’ Helen had a troubled childhood. He and his family fled Myanmar during the Japanese occupation. They survived in India because his mother worked as a nurse to make ends meet. Helen had to leave school to support her family and began working as a chorus dancer in films. He bagged his first solo dance number, Mera Naam Chin Chin Chu, in the 1958 film Howrah Bridge, which made him an overnight sensation.

How did Salim and Helen become close?

After Howrah Bridge, Helen started getting important roles in films like Ginny aur Johnny, Gumnaam, China Town, Sachaai, Chhote Sarkar and Don. Salim and Helen became close during the shooting of the Amitabh Bachchan starrer. In the iconic action drama, Helen played the role of Kamini and also danced to the iconic tune of Yeh Mera Dil.

Even before Don, Salim and Helen’s paths crossed. They had worked on Kabli Khan, in which Helen played the hero and Salim Khan acted as the villain. Helen recalled the documentary series Angry Young Men and said: “We were shooting for the film Kabul Khan. He was the villain and I was the hero. I can’t imagine Salim Sahab as the villain.” Helen admitted that although they worked closely on the film, they had little interaction. During the shooting of Don, Salim and Helen were spending time together and that’s when romance blossomed.

In the documentary series, Salim recalled how they met every evening after packing their belongings, sharing conversations and drinks that brought them closer and closer. “After the day of filming was over, Helen would come over, we’d have a drink together and then she’d leave.” When asked how he fell in love with her, he said, “Pyaar toh apne agar kiya hoga toh pata lagega.”

When Salim decides to marry Helen

Salim Khan was already married to Salma and had four children: Salman, Arbaaz, Sohail and Alvira. In an old Filmfare interview, Helen recalled Salim’s decision to marry her: “The fact that Salim was a married man bothered me and I felt guilty initially. Something about Salim set him apart from the rest of the men in the industry. I respected him immensely because he tried to help me without exploiting me.”

When Salman confessed to watching his mother get hurt

Finally, Salim and Helen got married in 1981. It took years, but Helen gained acceptance and respect from the Khan family. Salman was 10 years old when Salim and Helen got married. In a 1990 Filmfare interview, Salman talked about how difficult it was to watch his mother get hurt at such a young age. Salman said, “I am a mother’s child. I can’t stand to see her unhappy. She was very upset when my father remarried. I would hate for her to wait for him to come home.” However, even though all children today see Helen as their mother, they still address her as Aunt Helen.