It is not uncommon to incorporate a dance sequence in the storyline of Indian cinema. 'Item songs' are the order of the day. But even in the movies of yesteryears Indian cinema, a song sequence was almost a must. A good number of ballroom, twist, etc. were filmed in films of those days. The very popular dancer Helen contributed a lot to the success of many a Hindi film. 'Merra naam chin chin chu' in the film Howah Bridge is an all time hit. Watch this video of this song.
The story behind this song goes like this :
Mera Naam Chin Chin Chu is a Hindustani song from the 1958 Indian film Howrah Bridge. It was sung by Geeta Dutt, and was picturised on Helen. The song was written by Qamar Jalalabadi[1] and composed by O.P. Nayyar.
The title Mera Naam Chin Chinu Chu (Hindi: मेरा नाम चिन चिन चू, Urdu: میرا نام چِن چِن چو) means "My Name is Chin Chin Chu." In the movie, Helen plays "Chin Chin Chu", a flirtatious dancer from Shanghai who sings the song.
The tune at the beginning of the song was created by S Hazara Singh, the Hawaiian guitarist of OP Nayyar.
The song became highly popular, and rejuvenated the career of the singer Geeta Dutt. It was also the first major hit for Helen.
The name "Chin Chin Chu" is probably taken from Chu Chin Chow, a popular British musical comedy from 1916. In "Chu Chin Chow" the second song is actually entitled "My name is Chu Chin Chow". This is identical to the Indian film song name, with the exception of the first 'chu'. In Howrah Bridge the seductive Helen is playing the role of a girl who was Chinese. She also makes reference to Alaadin from the Arabian Nights which is the theme of the original `Chu Chin Chow`.
(source: Wikipedia)
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