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[when?] confirmed that Cuckoo's real name was Cuckoo Moray.[2]
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[3] for a dance number, an enviable fee in the 50s.[4]
Later lifeedit
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.
Cuckoo died on 30 September 1981 due to cancer[3] at the age of 53. She was forgotten and unattended by the film industry at the time of her death.
Full filmography and biography of Cuckoo (in French)
April 12, 2024
cuckoo, moray, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, february, 20. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Cuckoo Moray news newspapers books scholar JSTOR February 2013 Learn how and when to remove this template message 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 when confirmed that Cuckoo s real name was Cuckoo Moray 2 Cuckoo MorayCuckoo in the film Singaar 1949 Born1928Died30 September 1981 aged 52 53 Occupation s Actress dancerYears active1946 1963 Contents 1 Early career 2 Later life 3 Selected filmography 4 References 5 External linksEarly career editCuckoo 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 amp Mayurpankh She would charge Rs 6 000 3 for a dance number an enviable fee in the 50s 4 Later life editCuckoo 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 Cuckoo died on 30 September 1981 due to cancer 3 at the age of 53 She was forgotten and unattended by the film industry at the time of her death Selected filmography editFilm Year RoleMirza Saheban 1947Anokhi Ada 1948 Stage DancerVidya 1948 DancerAndaz 1949 SheilaShair 1949Barsaat 1949 RubyEk Thi Nishani 1949Patanga 1949 DancerSingaar 1949Bazar 1949Paras 1949 DancerDilruba 1950 DancerArzoo 1950 DancerBebas 1950Pardes 1950 Dancer SingerHanste Aansoo 1950Hulchul 1951Awaara 1951 Bar DancerAan 1952Laila Majnu 1953Mr and Mrs 55 1955 SingerChalti Ka Naam Gaadi 1958Yahudi 1958Bus Conductor 1959Girls Hostel 1962Mujhe Jeene Do 1963References edit Rishi Tilak 2012 Bless You Bollywood A tribute to Hindi Cinema on completing 100 years Trafford Publishing p 240 ISBN 978 1 466 93962 2 Cuckoo s cineplot profile Archived from the original on 22 September 2012 Retrieved 14 August 2012 a b The Tragic ending of Cuckoo Moore Helen remembers Cuckoo CinePlot archived from the original on 8 December 2015 retrieved 14 January 2016 Sandip Pal 20 August 2015 Forgotten gems of Bollywood The Times of India The Times of India Retrieved 3 September 2016 External links editCuckoo Moray at IMDb Full filmography and biography of Cuckoo in French Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Cuckoo Moray amp oldid 1183176446, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
