Cuckoo Moray

Cuckoo Moray Biography

Cuckoo Moray is the legendary cabaret queen and item girl of the Bollywood during its earliest phase. She was an Anglo Indian. She is one of those stars of Bollywood who lived luxuriously but life ended penniless. Legendary actress Helen has played her sister’s roles in his earliest movies. In the 1950s she used to charge rupees 6000 for a single item song which was a huge amount in those days. Cuckoo died of cancer at the age of 52 and in her last days she couldn’t even afford the price of painkillers. Cuckoo was perhaps the first of the most well-known dancing queens of Indian Cinema and many dancers later have been inspired from her work. She was associated with Bollywood in the 1940s and had a glorious career in the 1950s. But as time passed by she got less roles and she lost everything she earned as well.

She was born in 1928. Arab Ka Sitara in 1946 was her first movie. Her first noted performance was for the film, Stum Chandi, and she stunned everyone through her acting talent. It took less time for her to reach the no. 1 slot of item girls and she heavily charged for a single song as well. Anokhi Ada (1948) established her as the lead dancer of the era. She also played a supporting role in Andaz.

It was a time when she had three cars – one for herself, one for her dogs and one to summon protégée Helen. In an income tax raid she lost everything including her flats and jewellery. In her last days, a few actors of industry helped her too, though it was not enough.

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Updated: July 17, 2014