Helen refuses to promote her comeback film 'Bachpan Ek Dhokha' over 'objectionable' religious references

Bollywood's original dancing queen Helen is all set to return to the big screen with a musical thriller titled 'Bachpan Ek Dhokha', but she has refused to promote the film. Reason? She is said to be upset about a particular scene involving a Jesus Christ statue.

Says a source, "There is a sequence showing Padmini Kolhapure in front of Christ's statue and being flogged. In one shot it appears that the whip hits the statue. When Helen got to know about it, she raised objections and argued with the director. She also informed co-star Tom Alter about the scene and he echoed her sentiments."

Director Rajiv Verma apparently pacified the actors at that time, saying that it would be taken care of during the post-production stage. "But he went back on his word and so, Helen has decided not to promote the film," adds the source.

Verma says he has already secured a 'U' certificate from the Censor Board without any cuts. "While shooting that whipping sequence, we had Jesus Christ's statue as the background so I focussed on him.

When Helen saw the scene, she created a ruckus on the set. Though I had told her about editing it out, I could not remove it. It's important from the story's point of view. I tried convincing her, but she doesn't want to promote the film. Though she gave me her blessings, she has stopped answering my calls," he added.

Helen could not be reached for comment.