Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; August 24, 2018)

Nora Fatehi is currently shooting for Ali Abbas Zafar’s ambitious film, Bharat, in Malta. If she has bagged a big break in the Salman Khan starrer, the actor appears to have struck gold by way of her mentor, too. It has been learnt that Fatehi — who will be seen playing a Latino dancer from the ’70s in the period drama — will be taking inspiration from Bollywood’s original dancing diva, Helen.

Turns out, it was her smooth moves on the dance floor that edged her past other contenders to land the role. A source tells mid-day, “Nora will be seen in two important dance sequences in the movie. Since her character is set in the ’70s, Helen was an obvious choice for reference. After all, Helen had become a dancing icon during that period.”

After the unit returns to the bay in the first week of September, Fatehi is likely to meet Helen as part of her prep. “Nora wants to understand the dance styles that were popular back then. She also hopes that Helen will walk her through her iconic numbers, including Yeh Mera Dil, Aaj Ki Raat and O Haseena, thus giving her an insight into the process.”

Fatehi considers herself fortunate to be trained by the best in the industry. “I had met Helen ji last December at Salman’s birthday party. I had a long chat with her about my career goals, and she gave me her blessings. I consider Helen ji my lucky charm as things turned around after I met her.”