Veteran actor Helen‘s return to the screen with Brown has brought back a flood of memories for her co-stars. While Soni Razdan recalled spending time with Helen and her husband Salim Khan during the early days of her relationship with Mahesh Bhatt, Karisma Kapoor shared childhood stories she heard from her mother, Babita Kapoor, about the iconic dancer’s remarkable talent.Speaking to SCREEN, Soni revealed that she first met Helen decades ago when she was dating filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt. The actor fondly remembered occasional outings with Helen and Salim Khan during the mid-1980s.“I actually met Helen many years ago, when I was dating my husband. We used to go on double dates — Helen and Salim sahab, and Mahesh and me,” Soni said with a laugh.The actor explained that Mahesh Bhatt and Salim Khan were collaborating on the 1986 film Naam at the time. While the couples often met socially, Soni noted that such outings were not very frequent.“We used to go to his house very often, and go to Helen’s house once in a while. I’m saying double dates, but that didn’t happen very often either. We were all very young. It was a different equation and a different time,” she recalled.
Karisma Kapoor remembers hearing stories about Helen from her mother
For Karisma Kapoor, Brown marked her first opportunity to work with Helen, despite the veteran actor having collaborated with several members of the Kapoor family over the years.Reflecting on Helen’s influence, Karisma said she grew up watching the star’s songs and listening to stories from her mother, Babita Kapoor, who had worked with her in multiple films.“Being a dancer, growing up around dancers, and learning to dance meant watching her films and seeing her songs. My mother would tell me stories about what a perfect dancer she was,” Karisma shared.She went on to recall one particular anecdote that always stayed with her. “I clearly remember my mom telling me she’d come on set, just look at the assistant choreographer doing the step, and just do it bang on! I think that’s just an art.”
‘Just having her on set was inspiring’
Helen, now 87, returned to acting for Brown after a long gap from the screen. The series was filmed in 2022, when she was 83 years old.Praising the veteran actor’s energy and dedication, Karisma said, “Helen aunty is just amazing. Such a big fan of hers! Just having her on set at her grand age and being so active and involved, was just so inspiring.”
