Cuckoo Moray, also credited as Cuckoo or Cukoo (1928 – 30 September 1981), was an

Anglo-Indian Anglo-Indian people are a distinct minority group, minority community of mixed-race British and Indian ancestry. During the colonial period, their ancestry was defined as British paternal and Indian maternal heritage; post-independence, "Angl ...

dancer and

actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

Indian cinema The cinema of India, consisting of motion pictures made by the Indian film industry, has had a large effect on world cinema since the second half of the 20th century. Indian cinema is made up of various film industries, each focused on p ...

. 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 Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

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.

Early career

Born during the late

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

, 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 Mehboob Khan Ramzan Khan (9 September 1907
at filmreference.com. – 28 May 1964) was a pr ...

'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 Nargis Dutt (born Fatima Rashid, also known as Nirmala Dutt; 1 June 1929 – 3 May 1981) known mononyomusly as Nargis was an Indian actress and politician who worked in Hindi cinema. Regarded as one of the greatest and finest actresses in the ...

Dilip Kumar Dilip Kumar (born Muhammad Yusuf Khan; 11 December 1922 – 7 July 2021) was an Indian actor and film producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. Credited with pioneering method acting in cinema, he dominated Hindi cinema from the 1950s throughout t ...

, and

Raj Kapoor Raj Kapoor (; born as Shrishti Nath Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influen ...

, gave the dancing star an opportunity to display her acting skills. In Mehboob Khan's 1952

technicolor Technicolor is a family of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes. The first version, Process 1, was introduced in 1916, and improved versions followed over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black-and ...

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.

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 Cuckoo 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 Helen. She owned several apartments and a lot of jewelry but it is said that all her property was confiscated for violating income tax. Because of this, she had no money left. As her fortunes dwindled, she battled terminal cancer, dying at the age of 52. 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 her in oblivion. There was no money even to buy medicines, due to which Cuckoo 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.

Filmography

'' Shabnam'' , , 1964

References

External links

*
Full filmography and biography of Cuckoo (in French)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moray, Cuckoo 1981 deaths Indian film actresses Actresses in Hindi cinema 1929 births Anglo-Indian people Actresses from British India Indian female dancers 20th-century Indian actresses