It has been well over thirty years since the vamp was exterminated in a Hindi film, and even longer since the real Bollywood cabaret ignited the silver screen. Nevertheless Helen, who was given the moniker "H-Bomb" during the height of her fame, still dominates popular culture. Unusually for a "item girl," who rarely lasted longer than five minutes in a film, she has achieved icon status. The brilliant book by Jerry Pinto explores the phenomenon known as Helen: Why did a refugee of French-Burmese ancestry achieve such astronomical success in popular Indian cinema? How were her cabaret performances tolerated by otherwise strict families?and perhaps enjoyed? What caused Helen to have the urge that you shouldn't feel ashamed to have? What was her strategy?