They say love happens when you least expect it. In Bollywood movies, we see several rom-coms or romantic dramas, where the protagonists who not even in their wildest dreams imagine being together, fight fate to have their happily ever after. Such filmy stories are not only a part of big-screen cinema but reality. An example of the same is the love story of Bollywood screenwriter Salim Khan and his second wife, the veteran diva of the industry Helen.
Salim Khan and Helen met when the former was already married to his first wife Salma Khan (Sushila Charak). Back then, Helen met Salim for purely professional reasons. He helped Helen to get some work and from there, a friendship was established. Gradually as their bond got stronger, their friendship blossomed into a beautiful relationship, leading to a marriage. The couple tied the knot in 1980 when Salim was 45 and Helen was 42. Salim already had a family with a wife and three sons – Salman, Arbaaz, and Sohail, who according to Helen made her feel very comfortable as she entered their lives.
Though Helen was welcomed wholeheartedly into the family, she to date acknowledges the pain that Salim’s first wife Salma must have felt during the respective time. Reminiscing about the same in a conversation with Arzaab on his show ‘Invincible,’ Helen shared, “He (Salim) gave me a role (in a film). We became friends, mummy was very nice; (it must have been tough) for your mom, she must have gone through a lot at that time. I think destiny brought me close to all of you and I must thank all of you.”
“I never ever wanted a separation from the family (for Salim),” she added with a heavy heart and teary eyes.
Hellen also mentioned she has a lot of respect for Salim’s first wife, Salma Khan. Both of them have always tried their best to be on the best of terms and somehow have managed to do so.
