Cuckoo was the queen of film dancing in the 1940s. Though an unfamiliar name, she was known as the "rubber girl" of Hindi cinema and her talent made "cabaret` an almost crucial part of films made between the 1950s and 1970s. Cuckoo made her screen debut in the year 1946 with the film Arab Ka Sitara. Very soon followed Stum Chandi, in which the mass audience and directors noticed her dancing abilities for the first time. The turning points in Cuckoo`s career were Melibmih Khan`s films. Her dance numbers in Anokhi Ada established her as the lead dancer of the era and Andaz, a romantic melodrama featuring Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, and Nargis, gave the dancer an opportunity to display her acting skills. Cuckoo remained the best dancer of Hindi films until dancers like Helen and Vyjayanthimala came in the scene. Ironically, it was Cuckoo who had introduced a 13-year-old Helen into films as a chorus dancer and they appeared together in Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi in a song and dance sequence. Cuckoo continued to dance until the beginning of the 1960s. She spent the last few years of her career as part of the chorus.
Filmography of Cucckoo
Year | Film | Year | Film |
1946 | Arab Ka Sitara, Sona Chandi | 1952 | Aan, Hangama, Sapna, Sheesha |
1947 | Mirza Sahiban | 1953 | Char Chand, Gohar, Rail Ka Dibba, Shahenshah |
1948 | Anokhi Ada, Kajal | 1954 | Mayurpankh, Shahted-e-Aziim Bhagat Singh, Pensioner |
1949 | Andaz, Bazaar, Dada, Namuna, Paras, Patanga | 1955 | Mr and Mrs 55 |
1950 | Aankhen, Arzoo, Ahiiti, Banu/re Nain, Bhai Bahen, Hamari Beth Khiladi, Pardes, Rajrani, Shaan, Wafa | 1958 | Chalti Ka Noam Gaadi, Yahudi |
1951 | Aivara, Afiana, Hidchid, Humlog, Kali Ghata, Naujaivan, Nazneen, Sagaai, Stage | 1961 | Warrant |