The second Madhubala film we must consider is Howrah Bridge in 1956. Once again, Madhubala was starring opposite Ashok Kumar in what can best be described as Bollywood’s finest contribution to the early film noir convention. It is most notable for the absolutely stunning final scenes that take place high up in the suspension cables of the famous bridge linking the two halves of Calcutta. Directed by Shakti Samanta, it contains the famous song ‘Mera Naam Chin Chin Choo,’ sung by the beautiful Geeta Dutt, who by this stage had moved onto playback singing, and picturised by the no.1 item girl of all time, Helen – who, incidentally is Salman Khan’s step-mother, as if you didn’t know.
