Early career
Cuckoo made her screen debut in the film ''Arab Ka Sitara'' in 1946. Soon after in ''Stum Chandi'', directors and greater audiences noticed her dancing abilities for the first time. Then, the turning point in Cuckoo's career was in Mehboob Khan's films. Her dance number in his film ''Anokhi Ada (1948 film), Anokhi Ada'' (1948) established her as the lead dancer of the era and in ''Andaz (1949 film), Andaz'' (1949), a romantic drama starring Nargis, Dilip Kumar, and Raj Kapoor, gave the dancing star an opportunity to display her acting skills. In Mehboob Khan's 1952 technicolor film ''Aan (1952 film), Aan'', which was her first colour film, she had a brief cameo in a dance sequence. She only appeared in 2 colour films in her career ''Aan (1952 film), Aan'' & ''Mayurpankh''. She would charge Rs 6,000 for a dance number, an enviable fee in the 50s.Later life
Cuckoo remained the best dancer in Hindi films until dancers such as Helen (actress), Helen and Vyjayanthimala came into the industry. Cuckoo was a family friend of the Anglo-Burmese dancer and actress Helen (actress), Helen. She was also known for helping unknown actors get their break in Bollywood, such as Pran (actor), Pran in ''Ziddi (1948 film), Ziddi''. Cuckoo had introduced a 13-year-old Helen (actress), Helen into films as a chorus dancer in films such as ''Shabistan (film), Shabistan'' and ''Awaara'' (both 1951). Cuckoo and Helen most notably appeared in song and dance sequences together, such as in ''Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi'' (1958) and ''Yahudi'' (1958). Her last film appearance was in ''Mujhe Jeene Do'' in 1963 after which, she had disappeared from the film industry. Cuckoo died on 30 September 1981 due to cancer at the age of 53. She was forgotten and unattended by the film industry at the time of her death.Selected filmography
References
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