XX July 2026 MUMBAI: The upcoming episode of Sony Entertainment Television’s India’s Best Dancer Season 5, ‘Retro Queens Ka Jashan’ , celebrating India Wala Dance , promises to be an unforgettable spectacle as legendary dance icons Helen and Aruna Irani grace the stage as special guests. While the episode is packed with mesmerizing performances, it was a lighthearted exchange between host Haarsh Limbachiyaa and Aruna Irani that stole the spotlight, uncovering a fascinating piece of vintage cinema trivia.
During the show, host Harsh Limbachiyaa casually asked Aruna Irani if two of Indian cinema’s greatest dancers had ever shared screen space by asking “Aruna ji, aapne Helen ji ke saath kabhi kaam kiya hai kisi film mein?” Responding to the host, Aruna Irani revealed that despite their overlapping eras, they never actually worked together on a project. Expressing her immense admiration for Helen, she stated “Arey Bhagwan ka shukar bolo meri hasti ke main Helen ji ke bagal mein khadi rahun? Kya baat karte ho bachche! Helen ji, Helen ji hain. Queen hain of dance.”
Aruna Irani went on to recount a memorable day at Shri Sound Studios, where their shooting floors happened to be right next to each other by saying “Ek baar kya hua, Shri Sound Studios mein shooting chal rahi thi. Doh sets the wahan pe. Toh ek taraf Helen ji ka gaana chal raha tha aur ek taraf hamara chal raha tha. Natraj Prasad ji dance master the. Toh Helen ji apne shoot ke break ke time hamare set pe aa gayi ki, ‘Chalo wahan pe lighting chal rahi hai, main ghoom ke aati hoon.'”
She continued, recalling how Helen’s presence unexpectedly spiked her nerves on set by adding “Maine panch retake kiye panch, uske baad mujhe Helen ji ki baat samajh aagyi because she is so smart. Maine Helen ji ko chai ke liye poocha, toh unhone kaha, ki unka shot ready hain aur unko jaana hoga and she just left.”
Concluding the story with a laugh, Aruna Irani highlighted how Helen’s departure finally gave her the relief she needed to complete her shot by saying “She just left, aur maine socha bach gayi main, bach gayi! Aur woh ghabrahat mein aur paseene mein, maine do aur retakes kiye.”
It was only after the legendary dance queen stepped off her set that a relieved and thoroughly rattled Aruna Irani was able to shake off the pressure, power through two final retakes, and successfully pull off her dance sequence.
Don’t miss India’s Best Dancer Season 5 every Saturday and Sunday at 9:30 PM only on Sony Entertainment Television!
