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

Anglo-Indian Anglo-Indian people fall into two different groups: those with mixed Indian and British ancestry, and people of British descent born or residing in India. The latter sense is now mainly historical, but confusions can arise. The '' Oxford English ...

dancer and

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

Indian cinema The Cinema of India consists of motion pictures produced in India, which had a large effect on world cinema since the late 20th century. Major centers of film production across the country include Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, ...

. 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, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining o ...

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

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 (born Mehboob Khan Ramzan Khan; 9 September 1907
at filmreference.com. – 28 ...

'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; 1 June 1929 – 3 May 1981) was an Indian actress and politician who worked in Hindi cinema. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses in the history of Indian cinema, she made her screen debut in a minor role ...

Dilip Kumar Mohammed Yusuf Khan (; 11 December 1922 – 7 July 2021), better known by his stage name Dilip Kumar, was an Indian actor who worked in Hindi cinema. Credited with pioneering method acting in cinema, he dominated the Indian movie scene from ...

, and

Raj Kapoor Raj Kapoor (pronunciation: �aːd͡ʒ kəpuːɾ born Shrishti Nath Kapoor; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered one of th ...

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

technicolor Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...

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 Vyjayanthimala (born 13 August 1936) is a former Indian actress, dancer and parliamentarian. She is the recipient of several accolades, including two BFJA Awards and five Filmfare Awards. She made her screen debut at the age of thirteen wit ...

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 ''Ziddi'' may refer to: * ''Ziddi'' (1948 film), a Hindi film * ''Ziddi'' (1964 film), a film by Pramod Chakravorty * ''Ziddi'' (1973 film), a Pakistani film in Punjabi language * ''Ziddi'' (1997 film), an Indian action film starring Sunny Deol and ...

''. Cuckoo had introduced a 13-year-old Helen into films as a chorus dancer in films such as '' Shabistan'' and ''

Awaara ''Awaara'', also written ''Awāra'', ur, , Āvārā, group=n, name=HindiUrdu and known overseas as ''The Vagabond'', is a 1951 Indian Hindi crime drama film, produced and directed by Raj Kapoor, and written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas. It stars R ...

'' (both 1951). Cuckoo and Helen most notably appeared in song and dance sequences together, such as in ''

Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi ''Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi'' () is a 1 January 1958 Indian musical comedy film directed by Satyen Bose. Starring Madhubala with the Ganguly brothers —Ashok Kumar, Anoop Kumar, and Kishore Kumar— the film revolves around a middle-aged man wh ...

'' (1958) and ''

Yahudi ''Yahudi'' (), is a 1958 Hindi-language action drama film directed by Bimal Roy. It starred Dilip Kumar, Meena Kumari, Sohrab Modi, Nazir Hussain, Nigar Sultana and others. It was based on the play ''Yahudi Ki Ladki'' by Agha Hashar Kashmi ...

'' (1958). Her last film appearance was in ''

Mujhe Jeene Do ''Mujhe Jeene Do'' () is a 1963 Hindi film, directed by Moni Bhattacharjee and written by Aghajani Kashmeri. This dacoit drama stars Sunil Dutt, Waheeda Rehman, Nirupa Roy, Rajendranath and Mumtaz. Shot in the Chambal Valley ravines of ...

'' in 1963 after which, she had disappeared from the film industry. Cuckoo died on 30 September 1981 due to cancer at the age of 53. She was forgotten and unattended by the film industry at the time of her death.

Selected filmography

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 Indian female dancers 20th-century Indian actresses