Cuckoo Moray

QAMYAB – THE FORGOTTEN GEMS OF BOLLYWOOD

Qamyab is our humble tribute to all those lesser-known actors, one hit wonders and junior artists who we see umpteen times but don’t know about; beyond their faces. These actors have been an integral part of Bollywood but didn’t get their due. This series is our sincere attempt to put a name to these faces, familiarize them to our readers and celebrate their achievements in life – however big or small. We believe that every artist contributes in his/her own way to the cinema’s success. Qamyab will explore the unknown lives of such actors and artists as we believe even these forgotten gems of Bollywood deserve their due recognition today.

Invariably referred as the dancing queen of Bollywood, Helen has inspired generations to step in to the field of dancing, particularly at a time when the profession was not looked upon with respect. The graceful beauty captured the hearts of millions when she performed various forms of dance over her career spanning thirty years. Top choreographer Saroj Khan considered Helen as her idol. So did many male choreographers like Ganesh Acharya and Remo, who were hugely inspired by her.

While Helen is known to everyone, today’s generation does not know that this dancing diva also had her idol cum mentor, who not only brought her into films but also shared a family bond with her. That lady was Cuckoo Moray, known for her eclectic grooves to cabaret and club music in the ’40s and ’50s Bollywood.

Her English sounding name was quite difficult to pronounce for the common Indian then and so, she used only her first name Cuckoo. It was only in recent years that people got to know that her full name was Cuckoo Moray.

Cuckoo was born in 1928 to an Anglo- Indian family in British India. She was fond of dancing since childhood and dreamt of becoming a top dancer. By 1944, Bombay Talkies was an established studio and its actresses like Devika Rani and Shobhana Samarth had already made their mark. But still, there remained a void on the glamour front and it was Cuckoo who filled it up with her westernized features.

Her dream came true in 1944 at the age of just sixteen years when Cuckoo got a break in Mujrim starring the noted actor Motilal. She made a solid impression in this debut film by showcasing her dance moves. Offers started raining on Cuckoo after Mujrim and cabaret dance became an integral part of Hindi films. Cuckoo performed both cabaret as well as Indian classical dances wonderfully.

In the next five years, Cuckoo appeared in close to fifty big films working with stalwarts like Raj Kapoor, Mehboob Khan, H.S. Rawail and Devendra Goel. The only legend she couldn’t work with in her illustrious career was veteran V. Shantaram.

Cuckoo was restricted to songs and dance but she was so graceful and electrifying on screen that it left a deep impact on everyone. She had an inseparable combination with singer Shamshad Begum just like Helen and Asha Bhosale had in the coming years.

A major turning point in Cuckoo’s career was with Mehboob Khan’s Anokhi Ada (1949) which established her as the leading dancer. The blockbuster Andaz (1949) starring top stars like Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar and Nargis also gave her a chance to prove her acting skills.

Cuckoo featured in numerous films notably Pehli Nazar (1945), Arab Ka Sitara (1948), Anokhi Ada (1949), Barsaat (1949), Patanga (1949), Paras (1949), Arzoo (1950), Pardes (1950), Awaara (1951), Hulchul (1951), Aan (1952), Mayurpankh (1954), Mr and Mrs. 55 (1955), Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958), Yahudi (1958), etc.

Those days, the term “item number” was unknown but nevertheless, dancing wasn’t considered a respectable profession. It was Cuckoo, who got respectability for her dance performances and at one point of time, charged a princely sum of six thousand rupees per song.

During the peak of her career, Cuckoo introduced a thirteen-year-old daughter of her family friend to the world of dancing. This talented girl was Helen, who became the dancing icon of Bollywood later. Cuckoo and Helen also performed together in three films – Yahudi (1958), Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958) and Heera Moti (1959). Another actor, whom Cuckoo helped get his first film titled Ziddi (1948), became a legendary name later. He was actor Pran.

Cuckoo lived westernized life both on screen as well as in the real world. She resided in a lavish bungalow at Khar, a posh Mumbai suburb. Being an Anglo-Indian, she mostly spoke English with her close ones. She would often be spotted outside her bungalow in long skirts or gowns, with a pack of 555 cigarettes in hand. Her life style was so extravagant that she had five thousand pairs of footwear, eight thousand exquisite dresses and owned three premium cars; one for herself, the second one for her family and friends and third for her pet dogs!!

Besides being extravagant, Cuckoo was also known to be golden hearted person, who believed in sharing her fortunes with her friends. She never believed in saving for the future and lived each day to the fullest. There was a time when she would throw lavish parties and order food from five-star hotels of Mumbai.

Gradually, Cuckoo’s career started declining as young dancers like Helen and Vyjayanthimala took over. Offers started drying up and a time came when they stopped completely. Cuckoo’s last movie was Mujhe Jeene Do (1963).

As years passed by, Cuckoo lost all her fortunes and saw poverty at its worst. It is said that an income tax raid was also responsible for her bad times as most of her assets were found to be undeclared and confiscated by the tax authorities.

From living a life of queen in a palatial bungalow, Cuckoo was left with nothing. Her family and friends also deserted her in this time of need. She was left all alone in the world. She would do her household chores herself. Things were so bad that she didn’t even have money to buy food.

Cuckoo would go to the market and pick up waste or leftover vegetables thrown away by the vendors on the street. She would bring these leftovers home, clean them and cook a meal for herself. Cuckoo lamented wasting food in her hey days as today, she was left starving for the same. Quite ironic indeed!!

Her final days were even more painful as Cuckoo was diagnosed with cancer. She had no money to buy even a pain killer for herself. Finally, Cuckoo’s agony ended on 30th September, 1981 when she passed away with nobody around. She was already forgotten and remained unattended by the film industry at the time of her death.

Cuckoo’s life story teaches us two valuable lessons – To save for the future and beware of fair-weather friends!!