Key facts
- Soni Razdan recalls double dates with Helen and Salim Khan
- She was accompanied by filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, her partner
- Helen is the iconic Bollywood dancer; Salim Khan is of the Salim-Javed duo
The Indian Express reports that actress Soni Razdan has shared a warm personal anecdote about the social world of classic Bollywood, revealing that she and Mahesh Bhatt used to go on double dates with the legendary actress-dancer Helen and screenwriter Salim Khan. The disclosure paints a vivid picture of the close-knit friendships that defined the film industry's golden generation.
Soni Razdan and Mahesh Bhatt have been one of Hindi cinema's long-standing couples. Helen, celebrated for her iconic dance numbers across decades of Hindi films, married Salim Khan — one half of the legendary Salim-Javed writing duo responsible for scripts like Sholay and Deewaar. The four evidently moved in overlapping social circles at a time when Bollywood's inner world was far less public than it is today.
The anecdote resonates because it connects living memories to an era of Hindi cinema that millions of Indians grew up watching. It also humanises figures who are otherwise known only through their screen or professional personas, offering a rare first-person account of Bollywood's off-screen life.