Salman Khan's family member lost her parent in World War II, walked 900 kilometers after her country was invaded
Helen Ann Richardson's journey to Bollywood stardom was marked by early hardship. Following her father's death in World War II, her family undertook a harrowing migration to India, facing immense loss and struggle. With the help of a family friend, she entered the film industry, achieving iconic status through her dance performances and solidifying her legacy in Bollywood.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
19 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Shah Rukh Khan, Aryan Khan, Gauri, Suhana make a statement in bold black outfits at The Ba***ds of Bollywood preview
It was a family affair at the preview launch event of The Ba***ds of Bollywood on Wednesday, with Shah Rukh Khan, Aryan Khan, Gauri Khan, and Suhana Khan in attendance. The show, which marks the directorial debut of Shah Rukh Khan's eldest son Aryan Khan, is a satire on Bollywood. Shah Rukh Khan, Aryan Khan, Suhana Khan, and Gauri Khan at The Ba***ds of Bollywood preview. Also Read | This woman made her wedding dress from parachute that saved husband's life during World War II: Here's their story For the event, while Shah Rukh and Aryan chose dapper all-black outfits, Gauri and Suhana served chic elegance in stunning ensembles. Let's decode what the four stars wore. Shah Rukh Khan and Aryan Khan bring the suave Pictures and videos from the event are making the rounds on social media. For his first official speech before the media during the preview launch, Aryan wore a classic black suit. It features a notch lapel collar, padded shoulders, full-length sleeves, an open front, and a tailored fit. He paired the hacket with a matching black button-down shirt, with the first few buttons left open. Matching black pants, dress shoes, a trimmed beard, a luxe watch, and a backswept hairdo rounded off the look. As for his father and superstar Shah Rukh Khan, the actor looked stylish as always, twinning with his son and wife. Shah Rukh wore a tailored, silk jacket featuring notch lapels, padded shoulders, a double-breasted closure, full-length sleeves, and a fitted silhouette. Ditching a shirt underneath, straight-fit black pants, a watch, a close-cropped haircut, and a trimmed beard rounded off the styling. What did Gauri Khan and Suhana Khan wear? Suhana attended her brother's debut film preview launch dressed in a chic ensemble from Dolce & Gabbana. She wore the Marquisette and chiffon corset top with floral print (1,950 Euros/ ₹1,97,447) and a satin calf-length skirt with corset-style belt detail (1,750 Euros/ ₹1,77,196) from the luxurious brand. The actor paired it with a Chanel bag, Cartier jewellery, centre-parted loose treses, and minimal glam. As for Gauri Khan, she made heads turn in an elegant attire from Chanel for The Ba***ds of Bollywood preview launch. Her Chanel Spring/Summer 2025 blouse features front button closures, full-length sleeves, and a fitted silhouette. Flared black pants, heels, loose tresses, striking glam, and minimal jewellery rounded off her look.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Hindustan Times
This woman made her wedding dress from parachute that saved husband's life during World War II: Here's their story
There have been many iconic wedding dresses over the years that tell the story of a beautiful love story between a couple, hold some historic relevance or just impeccable craftsmanship. It could be Princess Diana's regal gown, or Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle's simple dresses, or even Queen Victoria's significant wedding dress that popularised the tradition of wearing white for weddings and influenced bridal fashion. But, did you know about the 'parachute wedding dress'? Claude Hensinger kept the parachute that saved his life and later proposed to his girlfriend Ruth in 1947, offering her the material for a gown. Also Read | Woman reviews Gordon Ramsay's burgers at his 1st restaurant in India: 'Chicken is so undercooked I can hear it crying' In an August 19 Instagram video shared by Mae Sharifi, the history buff, who often shares interesting tidbits on culture and history, talked about the bridal gown that tells the beautiful story of a woman who made her wedding dress from the parachute that saved her husband's life during World War II. The parachute wedding dress Sharing the story about the wedding dress, Mae wrote, 'In 1947, a woman made her wedding dress from the parachute that saved her husband's life during World War II. This piece of nylon fabric was the reason Claude was able to return home and marry Ruth. To them, it was worth more than the finest silk and lace in the world.' The story of the wedding dress According to the Smithsonian Museum, who now preserve the dress, in 1944, an American B-29 pilot named Major Claude Hensinger was returning with his crew from Asia when the plane's engine caught fire. The parachute, which was later turned into his wife's wedding dress, not only helped him and his crew jump from their aircraft but also kept him warm until rescuers arrived. Claude kept the parachute that saved his life and later, after returning home from war to Pennsylvania, proposed to his girlfriend Ruth in 1947, offering her the material for a gown. She used the nylon fabric of the parachute for her wedding dress. Per the Smithsonian Museum, Ruth wanted to create a dress similar to one in the movie Gone with the Wind. She asked a local seamstress, Hilda Buck, to make the bodice and veil, while Ruth made the skirt herself. The seamstress used the original parachute strings to create the train effect of the skirt. After returning home from war to Pennsylvania, he proposed to his girlfriend Ruth in 1947, and she used the nylon fabric of the parachute for her wedding dress. She asked a seamstress to model it after a dress from the movie Gone With The Wind. The seamstress used the original parachute strings to create the train effect of the skirt. The couple married on July 19, 1947. The dress was also worn by their daughter and by their son's bride before being gifted to the Smithsonian.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Hindustan Times
An exhibition offers a window into the life of Dr Jamshed Bhabha
MUMBAI: Rare artefacts, statuettes, books, art, toys, and more from Dr Jamshed Jehangir Bhabha's personal collection will be on exhibit at National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), from tomorrow to mark the 111th birth anniversary of its founder. Titled 'A life in memory', it will display over 55 exhibits chronicling the life and times of the Bhabha family, the NCPA, and the contribution of the Zoroastrian community to Mumbai's public life. (Narendra Dangiya/ NCPA) 'We wish to memorialise Dr Bhabha's role as NCPA's founder and its guardian angel, but we also want Mumbaikars to re-visit his legacy, and share his vision. To that end, the exhibition is also dedicated to Mumbai and its connoisseurs,' said Nandita Anjaria, senior adviser, NCPA. Some of the timeless pieces which will be on display include a pair of replicas of late 18th century wood-carved mythical creatures that adorn temples and caves (mostly in south India) as imaginary sentinels. Others include a Tara Devi sculpture frozen in bronze and resplendent in a serene 'mudra' seated in a lotus; the exquisitely carved Lord Shiva statuette perched on a 'damroo' (drum), and a metal-and-glass structure shaped after a clock tower. While Mumbai was being battered by rain through the last weekend, a band of young artisans were busy at the spacious 1,500 sq ft Dilip Piramal Art Gallery, the venue of the exhibition, waxing artefacts and touching up the statuettes, even as a senior technician breathed life into the glass tower clock, a nineteenth century masterpiece. 'This one will need six 'hatta-katta' (hefty) workers to be placed on the table,' remarked an artisan, pointing to a pot-bellied Lord Ganesha, carved in a single rock. Dr Bhabha, who died in 2007, bequeathed his treasure chest to the NCPA. 'Over the years the NCPA had to sell off some of his precious paintings to keep the Centre running. Insightful of the resource crunch which cultural institutions face, he had allowed the sales in his will,' said Anjaria. He also bequeathed 'Meherangir', his charming Malabar Hill bungalow, to the NCPA and appointed the Centre to be its sole custodian. Later, the NCPA auctioned it off to raise funds. Playwright Vrindavan Dandawate, who joined the NCPA in the 1980s as assistant director (programmes), described Dr Bhabha as a 'gentle soul with an iron will'. 'When a half-built Jamshed Bhabha Theatre was gutted in December 1997, Dr Bhabha rushed to the site. He summoned his colleagues the next day and urged them not to lose hope. 'We will re-build the theatre,' he had said. Within a year a 1,109-seated proscenium style auditorium rose from ashes and debris,' Dandawate said. Born in an illustrious family, Dr Bhabha inherited his passion for arts and western classical music from his parents, and shared it with his elder brother, scientist Dr Homi Bhabha. A Cambridge graduate with a tripos, he gave up his plans to take the Bar Finals at Lincoln's Inn and returned to India amidst World War II. He joined Tata Steel, which marked his long and fruitful association with J R D Tata. In fact, JRD went out of the way to encourage Dr Bhabha's efforts to promote and preserve music and the arts. The NCPA was set up at Warden Road in 1969, and shifted to its present location in Nariman Point in 1980 on a seven-acre plot on reclaimed land, boasting five full-fledged theatres. As chairman of the Tata Group, JRD, while convincing fellow trustees on the Group's philanthropic boards on the significance of Dr Bhabha's venture, had said, 'One day, perhaps, the NCPA's work may be more important for the country than the work of the steel company.' He succinctly summed up Dr Bhabha's mission. Alongside the exhibition, the annual Jamshed Bhabha Memorial Lecture will also be held on August 21 at the Tata Theatre. Noted legal luminary Darius Khambata, the former additional solicitor general of India, will speak on 'War and Peace: Unlearned lessons from the 20th century'. ('A life in memory' will be exhibited at the Dilip Piramal Art Gallery, NCPA, from August 21 till September 14, between 12 noon and 7 pm)
