Aditi Rao Hydari Brings Retro Glamour to Ali Abbas Zafar’s ‘Parivarik ManuRanjan’ as a Playful Nod to Legend Helen!

Aditi Rao Hydari has a rather filmi name to live up to in Parivarik ManuRanjan. The actor plays Helen in the upcoming family comedy, a hat-tip to the veteran star whose screen presence and dance numbers made her a household name.

Starring opposite Pankaj Tripathi, Aditi features in the film directed by Varun V Sharma and backed by Ali Abbas Zafar. The filmmaker’s long-standing association with Salman Khan and his family could be one reason for the nostalgic reference.

Helen’s influence stretched beyond the screen. During the 1970s and 1980s, her style and dance moves made her such a cultural phenomenon that several parents named their daughters after her. Decades later, the name still evokes an era when a Helen number could steal the show.

For Aditi, playing a character named after the screen legend offers a chance to be part of that legacy, even as she brings her own personality to the role. The actor, known for performances in Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar and Jubilee, is entering lighter territory with Parivarik ManuRanjan. The retro reference of the film is quirky, linking its modern day universe to a name associated with the golden era of Hindi cinema.

Whether the homage extends to anything beyond the name remains to be seen but the casting detail is a playful nod to a star whose influence has lasted generations. And for Aditi, the character of Helen has a little piece of Hindi film history of her own.

By Keerti Kadam