The Khan family reflects on their journey of accepting Helen as Salim Khan’s second wife, and how his first wife, Salma Khan—mother to Salman Khan, Sohail Khan, and Arbaaz Khan—never influenced them against Helen or their father.

Salim Khan discussed his marriage with Helen while being already married to Salma Khan. (Pic: Arpita/Instagram)

“Love is rooted in respect,” Salim Khan shared while discussing his second wife, veteran actor Helen, in the recently released documentary Angry Young Men. In the third episode, the Khan family reflects on their journey of accepting Helen as Salim’s second wife, and how his first wife, Salma Khan—mother to Salman Khan, Sohail Khan, and Arbaaz Khan—never influenced them against Helen or their father.

Recalling her first meeting with Salim Khan, Helen said, “We were shooting for the film Kabli Khan. He was the villain, and I was the heroine. I can’t imagine Salim sahab as a villain. We never talked to each other on the set of that film. The first time I really met him was during Don.” The 1978 film Don, starring Amitabh Bachchan, was written by Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar, and Helen played a pivotal role in the film.

Salim shared how their bond grew during the shoot of Don. “After the day’s shooting, Helen would come over, and we would have a drink together, and then she would leave.” When asked how he fell in love with her, he responded, “Pyaar toh apne agar kiya hoga toh pata lagega (You will know if you have fallen in love).”

Arbaaz Khan spoke about the relationship between Salman and Helen, emphasizing how his mother, Salma Khan, never spoke ill of Helen or Salim Khan. “My mother never influenced us to think or say anything against our father. She had her troubles, but she never influenced us to think, ‘Your dad is like this,’ or, ‘This is what he is doing.’ Never,” he said.

Salim also explained how he broke the news about Helen to his children. “I sat all the kids down and discussed it with them. I told them, ‘You won’t understand it now, but you will get it when you’re older. I am in love with Helen aunty, and I know you can’t love her as much as you love your mother, but I want the same respect for her.’”

Arbaaz added, “We still call her aunty because she was Helen aunty at that time. Though we treat her as a mother, we call her Helen aunty. She is part of our lives. More than us, my mom ensures that she is part of everything.”

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Helen also expressed her gratitude for the affection and respect she received from the Khan children. “They don’t have to care for me or love me or anything, but the respect and the love I get is unbelievable,” she said.