When Salman Khan's stepmom Helen was allegedly thrown out of her house by ex-husband leading her to seek help from underworld

Before the cabaret queen received the love and admiration of the country, Helen went through a painful chapter with her first husband, filmmaker PN Arora.

Salman Khan’s stepmother Helen is celebrated as one of Bollywood’s greatest actresses and dancers, a true icon whose cabaret numbers changed the face of Hindi cinema. But long before her life became changed for the better with Salim Khan, her life was marked by deep personal trauma and immense struggle during the initial years.

Before the cabaret queen received the love and admiration of the country, Helen went through a painful chapter with her first husband, filmmaker PN Arora. At the peak of her career, the man she trusted threw her out of the house she had bought with her own hard-earned money. Humiliated and broken, Helen was left with no place to go and no one to turn to—except the unlikeliest source of help: the Mumbai underworld.

As reported by News18, former Mumbai police commissioner Rakesh Maria detailed this harrowing phase in his book When It All Began: The Untold Stories of the Underworld, shedding light on Helen’s suffering and the personal battles she fought behind the fame.

Helen’s rise in Bollywood

Helen, who was born in Rangoon in 1938, fled Burma during World War II and arrived in Mumbai. Poverty pushed her into films at a young age, and by 1958 she had landed her first major break. What followed was a legendary career—more than 700 films, unmatched popularity, and a style that became iconic. But behind the glamour was a turbulent personal life.

Helen and PN Arora's marriage was challenging from the start. Much older than her, Arora gradually took control of her finances and property. He became totally reliant on her income as his own career deteriorated, and eventually his actions became abusive and domineering.

He eventually kicked her out of the house she had bought with her own money. Helen became homeless, distressed, and desperate overnight. Then not knowing what to do, she then turned to her trusted friends in the film fraternity, including writer Salim Khan, whom she would later marry, and legendary actor Dilip Kumar.

Her brush with the underworld

Dilip Kumar attempted to reach out to notorious underworld don Karim Lala for help, after realising the severity of her situation. When he couldn’t get through, he wrote a letter explaining Helen’s ordeal and handed it to her, urging her to meet Karim Lala herself.

Karim Lala, who led Mumbai's "Pathan Gang" and oversaw the gambling, extortion, and alcohol industries, was a dreaded figure at the time. But he was also known for safeguarding women who approached him for protection.

When Helen walked into the room to meet him, the entire atmosphere shifted. Karim Lala barely knew who she was, but after reading Dilip Kumar’s letter, he immediately understood the seriousness of her plight.

He instructed his men to escort her respectfully to his wife Fatima and then sat down to speak with her himself. Helen broke down as she narrated the humiliation she had faced. Moved by her story, Karim Lala promised that her home would be returned to her.

True to his word, within just two hours, Helen returned to find that PN Arora had vacated the house, leaving the keys with the guard. No threats, no violence—just the weight of Karim Lala’s reputation ensuring justice.

Also read: Inside Salma and Salim Khan’s 61st anniversary bash: Salman Khan, Helen, Sonakshi-Zaheer and others join in the celebration; See here

A new life ahead

Helen later went on to marry Salim Khan, finding the stability and respect she had long been denied. The couple adopted daughter Arpita Khan, and Helen continued to remain one of Bollywood’s most cherished and graceful performers.

Even today, she is remembered not only for her unmatched screen presence and dance legacy across 750 films, but also for her extraordinary resilience—a woman who survived, rose, and reinvented herself despite the odds stacked against her.