Cuckoo Moray Explained

Cuckoo Moray
Birth Date:1928
Birth Place:British Raj
Death Date:30
Occupation:Actress, dancer
Yearsactive:1946–1963

Cuckoo Moray, also credited as Cuckoo or Cukoo (1928 – 30 September 1981), was an Anglo-Indian dancer and actress in Indian cinema.[1] Cuckoo was the queen of film dancing in Hindi cinema of the 1940s and 1950s. Though unfamiliar in name, she was known as the "rubber girl" of Hindi cinema and her talent made cabaret dancing a must in the Bollywood films during the 1940s and 1950s. It has been recently confirmed that Cuckoo's real name was Cuckoo Moray.[2]

Early career

Born during the late British Raj, 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) established her as the lead dancer of the era and in 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, 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 & Mayurpankh. She would charge Rs 6,000 for a dance number, an enviable fee in the 50s.[3]

Later life

Cuckoo remained the best dancer in Hindi films until dancers such as Helen and Vyjayanthimala came into the industry. Cuckoo was a family friend of the Anglo-Burmese dancer and actress Helen. She was also known for helping unknown actors get their break in Bollywood, such as Pran in Ziddi. Cuckoo had introduced a 13-year-old Helen into films as a chorus dancer in films such as 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.

How much Kuku was fond of luxury can be easily estimated from the fact that she had three luxury cars, out of which one car was for her use, one for her dog and one car was for her special Helen. She had several flats and a lot of jewelry but it is said that all her property was confiscated for violating income tax[4] . Because of this she had no money left . As her fortunes dwindled, she battled terminal cancer, passing away at the age of 52.[5] Cuckoo died on 30 September 1981 due to cancer at the age of 53. At the last moment, the situation became such that the film industry left him in oblivion. There was no money even to buy medicines, due to which Kuku could not get herself treated and no one from the film industry came forward to help her. She was forgotten and unattended by the film industry at the time of her death.

Selected filmography

Film Year Role
Mirza Saheban 1947
Anokhi Ada 1948 Stage Dancer
Vidya 1948 Dancer
Andaz 1949 Sheila
Shair 1949
Barsaat 1949 Ruby
Ek Thi Nishani 1949
Patanga 1949 Dancer
Singaar1949
Bazar 1949
Paras 1949 Dancer
Dilruba 1950 Dancer
Arzoo 1950 Dancer
Bebas 1950
Pardes 1950 Dancer/Singer
Hanste Aansoo1950
Hulchul 1951
Awaara 1951 Bar Dancer
Aan 1952
Laila Majnu 1953
Mr. and Mrs. 55 1955 Singer
Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi 1958
Yahudi 1958
Bus Conductor1959
Raja Malaya Simha1959
Girls' Hostel 1962
Mujhe Jeene Do 1963

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Rishi, Tilak . Bless You Bollywood!: A tribute to Hindi Cinema on completing 100 years . Trafford Publishing . 2012 . 978-1-466-93962-2 . 240 .
  2. Web site: Cuckoo's cineplot profile . 14 August 2012 . 22 September 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120922152522/http://cineplot.com/cuckoo/ . dead .
  3. Web site: Forgotten gems of Bollywood - The Times of India . Sandip Pal . The Times of India . 20 August 2015 . 3 September 2016 .
  4. Web site: इस हीरोइन के कुत्ते भी अलग गाड़ी में घूमते थे, आखिरी वक्त में दवा को भी नहीं थे पैसे . 2024-07-26 . Amar Ujala . hi.
  5. Web site: 2023-08-08 . Cuckoo Moray To Parveen Babi, Bollywood Stars Who Faced Financial Hardships In Last Days . 2024-07-26 . News18 . en.