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Madhubala

January 07, 2023

Madhubala (born Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi; 14 February 1933 – 23 February 1969) was an Indian actress and producer who worked in Hindi-language films. She ranked as one of the highest-paid entertainers in India in the post-independence era, that coincided with the rise of Indian cinema on global levels.[2][3] In a career spanning more than 20 years, Madhubala was predominantly active for only a decade but had appeared in over 60 films by the time of her death in 1969.

Madhubala
Madhubala c. 1957
Born
Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi

(1933-02-14)14 February 1933
Delhi, British India (present-day India)
Died23 February 1969(1969-02-23) (aged 36)
Bombay, Maharashtra, India (present-day Mumbai)
Cause of deathVentricular septal defect
Resting placeJuhu Muslim Cemetery, Santa Cruz, Mumbai
Occupations
  • Actress
  • Film producer
Years active1942–1964
WorksFull list
Height1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)[1]
Spouse
​
(m. 1960)​
RelativesGanguly family (by marriage)

Born and raised in Delhi, Madhubala relocated to Bombay with her family when she was 8 years old and shortly after appeared in minor roles in a number of films. She soon progressed to leading roles in the late 1940s, and earned success with the dramas Neel Kamal (1947) and Amar (1954), the horror film Mahal (1949), and the romantic films Badal (1951) and Tarana (1951). Following a brief setback, Madhubala rose to international prominence with her roles in the comedies Mr. & Mrs. '55 (1955), Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958) and Half Ticket (1962), the crime films Howrah Bridge and Kala Pani (both 1958), and the musical Barsaat Ki Raat (1960).

Madhubala's portrayal of Anarkali in the historical epic drama Mughal-e-Azam (1960)—the highest-grossing film in India at that point of time—earned her widespread critical acclaim and her only nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress; her performance has since been described by critics as one of the finest in Indian cinematic history.[4] She worked sporadically in film in the 1960s, making her final appearance in the drama Sharabi (1964). Additionally, she produced three films under her production house Madhubala Private Ltd., which was co-founded by her in 1953.

Despite maintaining strong privacy, Madhubala earned significant media coverage for performing actively in charity, and for her relationships with actor Dilip Kumar, which lasted seven years, and with actor-singer Kishore Kumar, whom she eventually married in 1960. From the beginning of her thirties, she suffered from recurring bouts of breathlessness and hemoptysis caused by a ventricular septal defect, ultimately leading to her death in 1969.

Childhood and early career

 
Madhubala's birth city, Delhi

Madhubala was born as Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi in Delhi, British India, on 14 February 1933.[5] She was the fifth of eleven children of Ataullah Khan and Aayesha Begum.[6] At least four of Madhubala's siblings died as infants;[7] her sisters who survived until adulthood were Kaneez Fatima (b. 1925), Altaf (b. 1930), Chanchal (b. 1934) and Zahida (b. 1949).[a] Khan, who belonged to the Yusufzai tribe of Pashtuns from Peshawar valley,[10] was an employee in Imperial Tobacco Company.[10][11] Unknown to her family members, Madhubala was born with a ventricular septal defect, a congenital heart disorder which had no treatment at the time.[12][13]

Madhubala spent most of her childhood in Delhi and grew up without any kind of health issues.[6] Owing to the orthodox ideas of their Muslim father, neither Madhubala nor any of her sisters except Zahida attended school.[14][15] Madhubala nevertheless learnt Urdu, Hindi as well as her native language, Pashto, under her father's guidance.[16][17] An avid movie viewer since the beginning, she used to perform her favourite scenes in front of her mother and spend her time dancing and imitating film characters to entertain herself.[6] In spite of her conservative upbringing, she aimed to become a film actor—which her father strictly disapproved of.[7]

Khan's decision changed in 1940 after he got fired from the employee company for misbehaving with a senior officer.[18] Madhubala's mother feared ostracism if they allowed their young daughter to work in the entertainment industry, but Khan remained adamant.[14] Soon Madhubala was employed at the All India Radio station to sing compositions of Khurshid Anwar. The seven-year-old continued working there for months,[7][19] and became acquainted with Rai Bahadur Chunnilal, the general manager of the studio Bombay Talkies, situated in Bombay.[19][20] Chunnilal took an immediate liking towards Madhubala, eventually suggesting Khan to visit Bombay for better employment opportunities.[20]

Acting career

Early work and switch to adult roles (1942–1947)

 
Baby Mumtaz (Madhubala) played a minor role in Bombay Talkies' production, Basant (1942), starring Mumtaz Shanti (left) and Ulhas (right).

In the summer of 1941, Khan, Madhubala and other family members relocated to Bombay and settled down in a cowshed present in the Malad suburbs of Bombay.[21] Following an approval from the studio executives, Chunnilal signed Madhubala to a juvenile role in Bombay Talkies' production, Basant (1942), at a salary of ₹150.[22] Released in July 1942, Basant became a major success commercially,[19][23] but although Madhubala's work garnered appreciation, the studio dropped her contract as it did not require a child actor at that time.[24] Disappointed, Khan had to once again return his family to Delhi. He subsequently found low-paid temporary jobs in the city,[25] but continued to struggle financially.[26]

In 1944, Bombay Talkies' head and former actress Devika Rani sent for Khan to summon Madhubala for role in Jwar Bhata (1944).[27] Madhubala did not get the film but Khan now decided to settle permanently in Bombay seeing a prospect in films.[27] The family again returned to their temporary residence in Malad and Khan and Madhubala began paying frequent visits to film studios throughout the city in search of work.[28] Madhubala was soon signed to a three-year contract with Chandulal Shah's studio Ranjit Movietone, on a monthly payment of ₹300.[27] Her income led to Khan shifting the family to a neighbouring rented house in Malad.[29]

In April 1944, the rented house was destroyed in a dock explosion; Madhubala and her family survived only because they had gone to a local theatre.[30] After shifting into her friend's house, Madhubala continued her film career,[31] playing minor roles in five of Ranjit's films: Mumtaz Mahal (1944), Dhanna Bhagat (1945), Rajputani (1946), Phoolwari (1946) and Pujari (1946); she was credited as "Baby Mumtaz" in all of them.[32] She faced numerous problems in these years; during the shoot of Phoolwari in 1945, Madhubala vomited blood, which forewarned her illness that was slowly taking root.[33] In 1946, she had to borrow money from a film producer for the treatment of her pregnant mother.[34] Eager to establish a foothold in the industry, in November 1946, Madhubala began shooting for two of Mohan Sinha's directorial ventures, Chittor Vijay and Mere Bhagwaan, which were supposed to be her introduction to the silver-screen in adult roles.[35]

Madhubala's first project in a lead role was Sohrab Modi's Daulat, but it was shelved indefinitely (and would not be revived until the next year).[36][37] Her debut as a leading lady came in Kidar Sharma's drama Neel Kamal, in which she starred opposite debutante Raj Kapoor and Begum Para.[37][38] She was offered the film after Sharma's first choice, actress Kamla Chatterjee, died.[38] Released in March 1947, Neel Kamal was popular with audience and garnered wide public recognition for Madhubala.[39] She then reteamed with Kapoor in Chittor Vijay and Dil Ki Rani, both of which were released in 1947, and in Amar Prem, which came out the following year.[31][40] These films were unsuccessful ventures that failed to propel her career ahead.[41] During this period, she had to charge a relatively lesser amount than her usual fee to attract more offers.[42] To secure her family financially, Madhubala quickly signed 24 films.[6] Impressed by her work in Neel Kamal, in which Madhubala was credited as "Mumtaz", Devika Rani suggested her to take "Madhubala" as her professional name.[43][b]

Rise to prominence and fluctuations (1948–1957)

Madhubala found her first critical and commercial success in the drama Lal Dupatta, which The Indian Express mentioned as a breakthrough for her.[17][31] Baburao Patel described the film as "the first milestone of her maturity in screen acting."[45] She received further positive reviews for her supporting parts in Parai Aag (1948), Paras and Singaar (both 1949).[46] In 1949, Madhubala played a femme fatale in Kamal Amrohi's Mahal—the first horror film of Indian cinema.[47] Several actresses including Suraiya were considered for the role but Amrohi insisted on casting Madhubala.[48][49] Her character was that of Kamini, a servant girl in an ancient mansion, whose pretensions of an apparition lead to disastrous consequences. The film was produced on a modest budget due to financial constraints, with trade analysts predicting it to be a failure owing to its unconventional subject.[49] Mahal was released in October 1949 and proved to be an immensely popular film among audience.[49] In Beyond the Boundaries of Bollywood, Rachel Dwyer noted that Madhubala's ignorance among audience added to the mysterious nature of her character.[47] The film, which would be Madhubala's first of many collaborations with actor and brother-in-law Ashok Kumar,[50] emerged as the third biggest box-office success of the year, resulting in her signing a string of starring roles opposite the leading actors of the time.[51][52]

Following another box office hit in Dulari (1949),[51] Madhubala played Ajit's love interest in K. Amarnath's social drama Beqasoor (1950). The feature received positive reviews and ranked among the year's top-grossing Bollywood productions.[53] Also in 1950, she appeared in the comedy-drama Hanste Aansoo, which became the first Indian film to be awarded an adult's certification.[54][55] The following year, Madhubala starred in the Amiya Chakravarty-directed action film Badal (1951), a remake of The Adventures of Robin Hood. Her portrayal of a princess who ignorantly falls in love with Prem Nath's character received mixed reviews;[56] a critic praised her looks but advised her to "learn to speak her dialogue slowly, distinctly and effectively instead of rattling through her lines in a monotone."[57] She subsequently played the titular part in M. Sadiq's romance Saiyan, which Roger Yue of The Singapore Free Press commented was played "to perfection".[58] Both Badal and Saiyan proved to be major box-office successes.[59] Madhubala then collaborated with actor Dilip Kumar twice in a row, on the 1951 comedy Tarana and the 1952 drama Sangdil.[60] These films also performed well financially, popularizing the on and offscreen couple among wide audience.[61][62] Baburao Patel's filmindia review of Tarana read, "Incidentally, Madhubala gives the best performance of her screen career in this picture. She seems to have discovered her soul at last in Dilip Kumar's company."[63][64]

The period during the mid-1950s saw a drop in Madhubala's success, as most of her releases failed commercially, leading her to be labelled "box office poison".[65] Madhubala was cast in the costume drama Shahehshah (1953) before Kamini Kaushal replaced her.[66] In April 1953, Madhubala founded a production company called Madhubala Private Ltd.[67] The following year, while shooting in Madras for S. S. Vasan's Bahut Din Huwe (1954), she suffered a major health setback due to her heart disease.[68] She returned to Bombay after completing the film and took a short-term medical leave from work,[69] which led to her replacement (by Nimmi) in Uran Khatola (1955).[70] Madhubala later starred in another film of 1954—Mehboob Khan's Amar, portraying a social worker involved in a love triangle along with Dilip Kumar and Nimmi. Madhubala improvised a scene from the film;[71] it was unsuccessful at the box-office.[72][73] Nevertheless, Rachit Gupta of Filmfare stated that Madhubala overshadowed her co-stars and "floored her role with a nuanced performance."[74] Writing for Rediff.com in 2002, Dinesh Raheja described Amar as "arguably Madhubala's first truly mature performance" and particularly noted a dramatic scene featuring her with Dilip.[75] Madhubala's next release was her own production venture, Naata (1955), in which she co-starred with her real-life sister Chanchal. The film met with a tepid response and lost a lot of money, leading Madhubala to sell her bungalow Kismet to compensate.[76]

Undeterred by recent failures, Madhubala made a comeback in 1955 with Guru Dutt's comedy Mr. & Mrs. '55, which emerged as one of the year's highest-grossing films in India and her biggest success at that point of time.[77][78] The film saw Madhubala playing Anita Verma, a naive heiress who is forced into a sham marriage with Dutt's character by her spinster aunt (Lalita Pawar).[79] Harneet Singh of The Indian Express called Mr. & Mrs. '55 "a great ride" and acknowledged Madhubala's "impish charm and breezy comic timing" as one of its prime assests.[80] A conflict broke out between Madhubala–Khan and director B. R. Chopra in mid-1956 over the location shoot of Naya Daur, in which Madhubala was cast to play the female protagonist. Citing her as uncooperative and unprofessional, Chopra replaced Madhubala with Vyjayanthimala and further sued the former for ₹30 thousand in damages.[81] The lawsuit continued for about eight months admist public scrutiny before Chopra withdrew it after Naya Daur got released.[82]

During the years 1956–57, Madhubala slightly reduced her workload due to the lawsuit and health issues.[83] She and Nargis were approached by Guru Dutt to play either of the two female leads (an unfaithful girlfriend or a hooker with a heart of gold) in his production, Pyaasa (1957). However, unable to choose between the two leading roles, the actresses passed over the film to the newcomers Mala Sinha and Waheeda Rehman.[84][85] Madhubala appeared in two period films in 1956, Raj Hath and Shirin Farhad,[86] both critical and commercial successes.[87] The following year, she portrayed a runaway heiress in Om Prakash's Gateway of India (1957), which critic Deepa Gahlot believed to be one of the finest performances of her career.[88] Madhubala then starred in the drama Ek Saal (1957), which followed a terminally-ill ingenue (Madhubala) who falls in love with Ashok Kumar's character.[89] The film proved popular with audience and became as a box office hit, thereby re-establishing Madhubala's stardom.[90]

Resurgence, acclaim and final works (1958–1964)

 
Madhubala in Kala Pani (1958), one of the most popular and acclaimed films of her career.[74]

Madhubala began the year 1958 with Raj Khosla's Kala Pani, in which she co-starred with Dev Anand and Nalini Jaywant, playing an intrepid journalist investigating a 15-year-old murder.[91] She was then cast as Edna opposite Ashok Kumar in Howrah Bridge (1958), her first collaboration with director Shakti Samanta. Madhubala waived her fees to play the role of an Anglo-Indian cabaret dancer, which marked a departure from her previous portrayals of sophisticated characters.[92] Both Howrah Bridge and Kala Pani begot positive reviews for her and became two of the year's top-grossing films.[93][74] She followed this success with the box office hit Phagun (1958).[94] In her final release of 1958, Madhubala portrayed a wealthy city woman involved in a love affair with Kishore Kumar in Satyen Bose's comedy Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi[95]—one of the biggest money-making pictures of the 1950s.[96] Dinesh Raheja of Rediff.com referred to the film as the "fifties jest-setter", adding that Madhubala "exudes oodles of charisma and her giggles are infectious."[97] Writing for the same portral in 2012, columnist Rinki Roy mentioned Madhubala's character in Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi as "a top favourite": "Her breezy performance stands out as that rare example of an independent, urban woman. [...] For me, Madhubala is the face of the original celluloid diva."[98]

Her second collaboration with Samanta, Insan Jaag Utha (1959), was a social drama film in which the protagonists work on the construction of a dam.[99] A modest success, its critical reception has improved over years.[78][100] Rachit Gupta of Filmfare and Roktim Rajpal of Deccan Herald have cited Madhubala's performance as Gauri, a village belle, as one of her finest works.[78][74] Further in 1959, she received praise for playing dual roles in Kal Hamara Hai, also starring Bharat Bhushan.[101] Khatija Akbar, the author of Madhubala: Her Life, Her Films (1997), called her turn as "a polished performance, particularly in the role of the misguided 'other' sister."[102] The commercial success of Do Ustad (1959), which saw her reuniting with Raj Kapoor,[41] was followed by the second film of Madhubala Private Ltd.—the comedy Mehlon Ke Khwab (1960). It fared poorly at the box office.[103]

 
Madhubala's Filmfare Award-nominated portrayal of Anarkali, which has been described by critics as one of the finest performances in Indian cinematic history.[4]

Journalist Dinesh Raheja described K. Asif's Mughal-e-Azam (1960) as the "crowning glory" of Madhubala's career.[104][105] Co-starring Dilip Kumar and Prithviraj Kapoor, the film revolves on a 16th-century court dancer, Anarkali (Madhubala), and her affair with the Mughal prince Salim (Kumar). Since the mid-1940s, Asif had rejected numerous actresses for the part of Anarkali.[106] Madhubala joined the cast in 1952 and received an advance payment of Rs. 1 lakh—the highest for any actor or actress until then.[107] The filming period proved to be taxing.[108] Her relationship with Kumar ended amidst shooting and there were reports of animosity between the actors.[109] Madhubala was also troubled by the night schedules and complicated dance sequences, which she had been medically asked to avoid.[110] She fell under the weight of iron chains, extinguished candles with her palm, starved herself for days to depict anguishness in particular scenes and had continuous water flung at her face and whole body painted.[110] The principal photography for Mughal-e-Azam was finished in May 1959 and left her exhausted, both physically and mentally, to a point that she began considering a retirement.[111]

Mughal-e-Azam was first of Madhubala's two films in colour; it had four reels shot in Technicolor.[112] The film had the widest release of any Indian film up to that time, and patrons often queued all day for tickets.[113] Released on 5 August 1960, it broke box office records in India and became the highest-grossing Indian film of all time, a distinction it would hold for 15 years.[114][115] At the 1961 National Film Awards, Mughal-e-Azam won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi[116] and led the 8th Filmfare Awards ceremony with 11 nominations,[117] including Best Actress for Madhubala.[118] A reviewer for The Indian Express commented, "Scene after scene bears testimony to the outstanding gifts of Madhubala as a natural actress [...] The way she presents Anarkali's changing moods as she passes through the lightning vicissitudes in her life is superb."[119]

The success of Mughal-e-Azam resulted in a string of offers in major roles, but Madhubala had to refuse them owing to her heart condition.[120] She further withdrew from some productions that were already underway, including Bombai Ka Babu, Naughty Boy, Jahan Ara, Yeh Basti Ye Log, Suhana Geet and an untitled film with Kishore Sahu.[121][122] She did, however, had few more releases, which were completed either by body doubles or by Madhubala herself.[123] In late 1960, Madhubala was seen in Shakti Samanta's crime film Jaali Note, based on the theme of counterfeit money; it was successful financially.[99] However, Karan Bali of Upperstall.com mentioned her role as "sketchy" and found the romance between her and Dev Anand's characters unconvincing.[124] Madhubala's starring role in the musical Barsaat Ki Raat (1960) was better received.[74] The feature was the year's second-highest-grossing film, trailing only Mughal-e-Azam.[115] A critic for The Indian Express found her "enchanting",[125] while Venkat Parsa of The Siasat Daily noted the rebellious nature of her character, Shabnam, who elopes with her lover (played by Bharat Bhushan) after her parents object to the relationship.[126]

The back-to-back blockbuster successes of Mughal-e-Azam and Barsaat Ki Raat established Madhubala as the most successful leading lady of 1960.[127] She subsequently discontinued her career and only preferred starring as love interests in a few films, including the comedies Jhumroo (1961), Boy Friend (1961) and Half Ticket (1962), and the dramas Passport (1961) and Sharabi (1964).[128] Her all three 1961 releases were among the top-grossing productions of the year.[129][130] Half Ticket, her last collaboration with husband Kishore Kumar was a critical and commercial success as well.[131] Sukanya Verma called the film one of her most favourite comedies of all time, praising the "palpably fond chemistry" between Madhubala and Kishore.[132] Also released in 1962 was Madhubala Private Ltd.'s third and last presentation, Pathan, which turned out to be a box office flop.[133] Following a sabbatical of two years, she completed Sharabi in 1964; the film became her final release in her lifetime.[134] Baburao Patel, writing for Mother India, praised Madhubala's performance for "reviv[ing] the old heartache".[135] An editor for Rediff.com called Sharabi a "fitting finale to a luminous career, showing the actress at her most beautiful and her most effective, a heroine destined not to age in any of our eyes."[136]

In 1971, one of Madhubala's incomplete works, Jwala, was released. Co-starring Sunil Dutt and Sohrab Modi, the film was mainly completed with the help of body doubles. It marked Madhubala's final screen role.[137]

Personal life

Born in an orthodox family, Madhubala was deeply religious and practiced Islam since her childhood.[11] After securing her family financially in the late 1940s, she rented a bungalow on Peddar Road in Bombay and named it "Arabian Villa". It became her permanent residence until death.[138] She learnt driving at the age of 12 and by adulthood was an owner of five cars: Buick, Chevrolet, Station wagon, Hillman, and Town & Country (which was owned by only two people in India at that time, Maharaja of Gwalior and Madhubala).[139] As a native speaker of three Hindustani languages, she began learning English in 1950 from former actress Sushila Rani Patel and grew fluent in the language in three months.[140] She also kept eighteen Alsatian dogs as pets in Arabian Villa.[141][142]

In mid-1950, Madhubala was diagnosed with an incurable ventricular septal defect in her heart during a medical checkup; the diagnosis was not made a public information as it could jeopardize her career.[143]

Philanthropy

She performed actively in charity, which led editor Baburao Patel to call her the "queen of charity".[144][145] In 1950, she donated ₹5,000 each to children suffering from polio myelitis and to the Jammu And Kashmir relief fund, and ₹50,000 for the refugees from East Bengal.[146][147] Madhubala's donation sparked off a major controversy due to her religious beliefs and received wide coverage in the media at that time.[145][148] Subsequently, she kept her charity work guarded and donated anonymously.[145] In 1954, it was revealed that Madhubala had been regularly giving monthly bonuses to the lower staff of her studios.[144] She also gifted a camera crane to the Film and Television Institute of India in 1962, which is operational even today.[149]

Friendships

When she was a minor and in Delhi, Madhubala had a close friend named Latif, to whom she left a rose before her family relocated to Bombay.[25] While working as a child artist in the mid-1940s, Madhubala befriended Baby Mahjabeen, another child actor of that time, who later grew up as actress Meena Kumari.[150] Despite their professional rivalry, Madhubala shared a cordial relationship with Kumari as well as other female stars, such as Nargis, Nimmi, Begum Para, Geeta Bali, Nirupa Roy and Nadira.[151] In 1951, following a major conflict with the press, Madhubala established a friendship with journalist B. K. Karanjia, who became one of the few people of his profession to be allowed inside Arabian Villa.[152] Sarla Bhushan, the wife of Bharat Bhushan, with whom Madhubala had a special bond, died of labour complications in 1957, much to her distress.[102] Madhubala was also close to three of her earliest directors—Kidar Sharma, Mohan Sinha, and Kamal Amrohi—and while there have been rumours regarding her being emotionally involved with them, her younger sister Madhur Bhushan has refuted such claims.[153] On the sets of Mughal-e-Azam (1960), Madhubala often ate lunch with Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, a Pakistani barrister who later served as the country's Prime Minister. He used to visit the sets especially for Madhubala,[154] and according to Sushila Kumari was Madhubala's one-sided lover.[155]

Relationships and marriage

Madhubala's first relationship was with her Badal co-star Prem Nath, in early 1951.[156] They broke-up under six months due to religious differences.[15] Nath nevertheless remained close to Madhubala and her father Ataullah Khan for the rest of their lives.[157] Also in 1951, Madhubala began a romance with actor Dilip Kumar, whom she had earlier met working on Jwar Bhata (1944).[158] Their affair went on to receive wide media attention throughout the decade.[159] It had a positive impact on Madhubala and her friends have recalled the following few years as the happiest of her life.[160]

As their relationship progressed, Madhubala and Dilip got engaged but could not marry as Khan had some objections.[161] Khan wanted Dilip to act in his production house's films, which the actor refused. Also, Dilip specified to Madhubala that if they were to marry, she will have to sever all ties with her family.[162] She parted ways with him in 1957 amidst the court case over the production of Naya Daur (1957).[163] Dilip testified against her and Khan in court, which left Madhubala devastated.[164][c] In the meantime, Madhubala was proposed marriage by three of her co-stars: Bharat Bhushan, a widower, Pradeep Kumar and Kishore Kumar, both of whom were already married.[128]

On the sets of Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958), Madhubala rekindled a friendship with Kishore Kumar,[97] her childhood playmate and her friend Ruma Guha Thakurta's ex-husband.[168] Following a two-year-long courtship, Madhubala married Kishore in court on 16 October 1960.[169][d] The union was kept from the industry and was not announced until the newlyweds held a reception some days later. Moreover, the couple were considered mismatch due to their contrasting personalities.[174]

Health deterioration and final years

"[I] brought her home as my wife, even though I knew she was dying from a congenital heart problem. For 9 long years, I nursed her. I watched her die before my own eyes. You can never understand what this means until you live through this yourself. She was such a beautiful woman and she died so painfully. She would rave and rant and scream in frustration. How can such an active person spend 9 long years bed-ridden? And I had to humour her all the time. That's what the doctor asked me to. That's what I did till her very last breath. I would laugh with her. I would cry with her."[175]

— Kishore Kumar on his relationship with Madhubala

Soon after their marriage in 1960, Madhubala and Kishore Kumar traveled to London along with her doctor Rustom Jal Vakil, combining their honeymoon with the specialised treatment of Madhubala's heart disease, which was aggravating rapidly.[176] In London, doctors refused to operate on her, fearing complications, and instead advised Madhubala to avoid any kind of stress and anxiety.[177] She was dissuaded from having any children and given a life expectancy of two years.[178]

 
Madhubala with husband Kishore Kumar in May 1966

Madhubala and Kishore subsequently returned to Bombay and she shifted to Kishore's home[179] in Bandra.[180] Her health conditions continued declining and she now frequently quarrelled with her husband.[181] Ashok Kumar (Kishore's elder brother) recalled that her sickness turned her into a "bad-tempered" person and she spent most of her time in her father's house.[182] To escape the bitterness of her in-laws due to religious differences, Madhubala later moved into Kishore's newly bought flat at Quarter Deck in Bandra.[8][181] However, Kishore stayed in the flat only for a short period and then left her alone with a nurse and a driver.[8] Although he was bearing all her medical expenses, Madhubala felt abandoned and returned to her own house in less than two months of her marriage.[183] For the rest of her life, he visited her occasionally,[184] which Madhubala's sister Madhur Bhushan thought was possibly to "detach himself from her so that the final separation wouldn't hurt."[8]

In late June 1966,[185] Madhubala seemed to have partly recovered and decided to return to film again with J. K. Nanda's Chalaak, opposite Raj Kapoor, which was unfinished since she left the industry.[41] Her comeback was welcomed by the media, but Madhubala immediately fainted as the shoot began; the film was thus never completed.[186] She was subsequently hospitalized in the Breach Candy Hospital, where she met her former boyfriend Dilip Kumar and returned home after being discharged.[15] To alleviate her insomnia, Madhubala used hypnotic on Ashok's suggestion, but it further exacerbated her problems.[187]

Madhubala spent her final years bedridden and lost a lot of weight. Her particular fascination was Urdu poetry and she regularly watched her films (particularly Mughal-e-Azam) on a home projector.[15] She grew very reclusive, meeting only Geeta Dutt and Waheeda Rehman from the film industry in those days.[188] She had to undergo exchange transfusion almost every week.[15][189] Her body began producing excess blood that would spill out of her nose and mouth;[190] Vakil had to thus extract the blood to prevent complications, and an oxygen cylinder had to kept by her side as she often suffered from hypoxia.[8][15] After the Chalaak incident, Madhubala turned her attention to film direction and began preparing for her directorial debut, titled Farz aur Ishq, in February 1969.[13]

Death

By early 1969, Madhubala's health was in serious and major decline: she had just contracted jaundice and on urinalysis was diagnosed as having hematuria.[191] Madhubala suffered a heart attack in the midnight of 22 February.[192] After struggling for few hours amongst her family members and Kishore, she died at 9:30 a.m. of 23 February,[9] only nine days after turning 36.[193] Madhubala was buried at Juhu Muslim Cemetery in Santacruz, Bombay along with her personal diary.[194][195] Her tomb was built with marbles and inscriptions include aayats from Quran and verse dedications.[194]

Due to Madhubala's absence from the social scene for almost a decade, her death was perceived as unexpected and found wide coverage in the Indian press.[196] The Indian Express recalled her as "the most sought-after Hindi film actress" of her times,[197] while Filmfare characterized her as "a Cinderella whose clock had struck twelve too soon".[198] A number of her co-workers including Premnath (who wrote a poem dedicated to her),[199] B. K. Karanjia and Shakti Samanta expressed their grief over her premature death.[200] Gossip columnist Gulshan Ewing commented in a personal farewell titled "The Passing of Anarkali", writing, "She loved life, she loved the world and she was often shocked to find that the world did not always love her back. [...] To her, all life was love, all love was life. That was Madhubala—loveliest of the shining stars."[198]

In 2010, Madhubala's tomb along with those of other industry stalwarts was demolished to make way for newer graves. Her remains were placed at an unknown location.[201][202]

Public image

Madhubala was one of the most celebrated film stars in India from the late 1940s to early 1960s.[127][203] In 1951, James Burke photographed her for a feature in the American magazine Life, which described her as the biggest star in the Indian film industry at that time.[204][205] Her fame reached beyond India as well: director Frank Capra offered her a break in Hollywood (which her father declined)[203] and in August 1952, David Cort of Theatre Arts Magazine wrote of her as "the biggest star in the world—and she's not in the Beverley Hills."[206][2] Cort estimated Madhubala's Indian and Pakistani fan base equal to the combined population of the contemporary United States and western Europe, and also reported her popularity in countries such as Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia and East Africa.[3] Along with Nargis, she also had large fan following in Greece.[207]

Dilip Kumar described Madhubala as "the only star for whom people thronged outside the gates."[208] Her fame was acknowledged by Time magazine also, which went on to call her a "cash and curry star" in its January 1959 issue.[209][210] In films, she was often billed before the leading man, and web portal Rediff.com mentioned her as a more powerful celebrity than her male contemporaries.[211][212] For Mahal (1949), her first film under a major production company, Madhubala was paid a sum of ₹7 thousands.[213] The film's success established her career as a leading lady,[214] and she subsequently became one of the highest-paid Indian stars of the upcoming decade.[58][215] In 1951, filmmaker and editor Aurbindo Mukhopadhyay reported that Madhubala charges ₹1.5 lakh per film.[216] She received an unprecedented amount of ₹3 lakh for her decade-long work in Mughal-e-Azam (1960).[217] Madhubala was placed seven times on Box Office India's list of top actresses from 1949 to 1951, and from 1958 to 1961.[127]

 
Madhubala in 1951; her smile has been described by the media as one of the most distinctive features of her face.[218]

Madhubala's beauty and physical attractiveness were widely acknowledged, and led the media to refer to her as "The Venus of Indian cinema" and "The Beauty with Tragedy".[219] In 1951, Clare Mendonca of The Illustrated Weekly of India called her "the number one beauty of the Indian screen".[220] Several of her co-workers cited her as the most beautiful woman they ever saw.[221] Nirupa Roy said that "there never was and never will be anyone with her looks" while Nimmi (co-star in the 1954 film Amar) admitted passing a sleepless night after her first meeting with Madhubala.[221] In 2011, Shammi Kapoor confessed to falling in love with her during the shoot of the 1953 film Rail Ka Dibba: "Even today ... I can swear that I have never seen a more beautiful woman. Add to that her sharp intellect, maturity, poise and sensitivity ... When I think of her even now, after six decades, my heart misses a beat. My God, what beauty, what presence."[222] Due to her perceived appeal, Madhubala became one of the brand ambassadors of beauty products by Lux and Godrej.[223][224][225] However, she stated that happiness matters more to her than physical beauty.[2]

From the beginning of her career, Madhubala gained a reputation for avoiding parties and refusing interviews, leading her to be labeled recluse and arrogant.[226] On an unusual instance in 1958, her father even wrote an apology letter to then-Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, for disallowing Madhubala to attend Nehru's private function where she was invited.[139] Having been a part of the film industry since childhood, Madhubala saw the social scene as superficial and expressed her despise of "the kind of functions where only the current favourites are invited and where a decade or two hence I would not be invited."[227] In a two decade-long career, Madhubala was seen at the premieres of only two films—Bahut Din Huwe (1954) and Insaniyat (1955)—both for personal reasons.[228][e] Her regular photographer, Ram Aurangbadakar complained that she "lacked warmth" and "was very detached",[230] which is also reflected in Ashokamitran's statement describing her as an inarticulate and pitiful person.[231] Gulshan Ewing, one of Madhubala's closest associates, however, differed and stated that her friend "was none of these."[232] Nadira added that Madhubala "had not a strain of pettiness, of anything small. That girl did not know anything about hate,"[233] and Dev Anand recalled her as a "self-assured [and] cultured [person], very independent in her thinking and particular about her way of life and her position in the film industry."[234]

Madhubala's refusal to grant interviews or to interact with the press drew in extreme reactions from its members.[235] By early 1950, Khan had begun asserting in her film contracts that no journalists would be allowed to meet her without his permission.[235][f] When shortly after Madhubala declined to entertain a set of visiting journalists on set, they started vilifying her and her family and further placed a bounty to behead and kill her.[237] For self-protection, Madhubala was given the permission to carry a revolver and move around under armed protection by the state government, until Khan and other journalists ultimately made a settlement.[235] Her relationship with the press remained bitter, nevertheless, and she was regularly pointed out by it for her religious beliefs and perceived arrogance.[3][238] Another major controversy she faced during her career was the Naya Daur civil war fought against B. R. Chopra, which Bunny Reuben mentions in his memoir as "the most sensational court case ever to be fought in the annals of Indian cinema."[239]

Regardless of all these dissensions, Madhubala was known in the media as a disciplined and professional performer,[240] with Kidar Sharma (director of the 1947 film Neel Kamal) recalling her early days in the industry, "She worked like a machine, missed a meal, travelled daily in the over-crowded third-class compartments from Malad to Dadar and was never late or absent from work."[241] Anand said in a 1958 interview, "When Madhubala is on the set, one often goes much ahead in the schedule."[242] Except for the filming of Gateway of India (1957) and Mughal-e-Azam (1960), Khan never allowed Madhubala to work in nights.[243] Despite medical precautions, she performed even exhausting scenes by herself, such as doing complicated dances, wearing iron chains twice of her body weight and getting wet in water.[244][245]

Artistry and legacy

Acting style and reception

In a 22-year-long career, Madhubala acted in almost every film genre, ranging from romantic musicals to slapstick comedies, and crime thrillers to historical dramas.[246] The author of Celebrities: A Comprehensive Biographical Thesaurus of Important Men and Women in India (1952), Jagdish Bhatia noted that Madhubala turned her disadvantages into advantage and despite her non-filmy background "rose to be one of the most talented female stars of the industry."[27] Baburao Patel, writing for Filmindia, called her "easily our most talented, most versatile and best-looking artiste."[247] A number of her directors including Sharma, Shakti Samanta and Raj Khosla spoke highly of her acting talents on different occasions.[248] Ashok Kumar described her as the finest actress he ever worked with,[249] while Dilip Kumar wrote in his autobiography that she was "a vivacious artiste ... so instantaneous in her responses that the scenes became riveting even when they were being filmed ... she was an artiste who could keep pace and meet the level of involvement demanded by the script."[250]

Writing retrospectively for The New York Times, Aisha Khan characterised Madhubala's acting style as "natural" and "understated", noting that she often portrayed roles of "modern young women testing the limits of traditions".[251] Film critic Sukanya Verma felt that actresses like Madhubala "should be applauded for doing more than just looking good and crying buckets."[252] Madhubala was acknowledged in the media for her unconventional roles,[253] such as a flirtatious cabaret dancer in Howrah Bridge (1958)—which led Filmfare to compare her with Rita Hayworth and Ava Gardner[74]—a rebellious and independent woman in Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958),[98] and a fearless court dancer in Mughal-e-Azam (1960).[254] Her roles in Amar (1954),[255] Gateway of India (1957),[88] and Barsaat Ki Raat (1960)[256] have also been noted by modern-day critics for being offbeat and significantly different from the usual portrayals of female characters in Indian cinema. Madhubala has also been credited for introducing several modern styles, such as trousers (for females) and strapless dresses in Bollywood.[257][258] Her distinctive wavy hairstyle was referred to as "the out-of-the-bed look" and further established her screen persona as a liberated and independent woman.[259][258] David Cort summarized her as "the ideal of the free Indian woman or what India hopes the free Indian woman will be."[3]

 
 
Madhubala was noted for playing strong and modern characters, such as in Howrah Bridge (left) and Barsaat Ki Raat (right).[260] In the former, she also donned her popular wavy hairstyle.[259]

Madhubala had the shortest career among her contemporaries, but by the time she quit acting, she had already successfully featured in over 70 films.[261] Her screen time in leading roles was always equal to her male co-stars—which has otherwise been a rarity—and she has also been credited for being one of the earliest personalities who, in the era of mass communication, took the position of Indian cinema to global standards.[262] Moreover, with Bahut Din Huwe (1954), Madhubala became the first Hindi actress to have a career in south Indian cinema.[69] Jerry Pinto has cited Madhubala as one of the earliest Bollywood actresses who created a distinct sex symbol by "merg[ing]" "the vamp and the virgin",[263] and publications including Rediff.com and Hindustan Times mentioned her among the topmost sex symbols of Bollywood.[264][265] A 2011 poll conducted by Rediff.com saw Madhubala receiving the third highest number of votes among "the hottest women who've ever scorched our screens"; the portal's writer commented, "In the end, I guess, it's about beauty. And there weren't many who could match up to the ethereal Madhubala."[266][g]

Although Madhubala appeared in almost all film genres during her career, her most notable films included comedies.[267] She gained recognition for her comic timing after her performance in Mr. & Mrs. '55 (1955),[268] which Iqbal Masud of India Today call "a marvellous piece of sexy-comic acting."[269] However, despite her success and fame, she neither received any acting award nor critical acclaim.[270] Several critics have stated that her perceived beauty was an impediment to her craft to be taken seriously.[270][271][272] Madhubala wished to play more dramatic and author-backed roles, but was often discouraged.[273] According to Dilip Kumar, audience "missed out on a lot of her other attributes."[274] Biographer Sushila Kumari said that "people were so mesmerised by her beauty that they never cared for the actress",[155] and Shammi Kapoor thought of her as "a highly underrated actress in spite of performing consistently well in her films."[275]

Madhubala's talents were first acknowledged after the release of Mughal-e-Azam (1960),[276] but it turned out to be one of her final films.[270] Her dramatic portrayal of Anarkali—ranked amongst Bollywood's finest female performances by Upperstall.com[277] and by Filmfare in general[278]—established her as an enduring figure in Indian cinema.[279] One of the romantic scenes from the film, in which Dilip Kumar brushes Madhubala's face with a plume, was declared the most erotic scene in Bollywood's history by Outlook in 2008,[280] and by Hindustan Times in 2011.[281] Her critical reception improved in the 21st century,[282][271] with Khatija Akbar noting that Madhubala's "brand of acting had an underplayed and spontaneous quality. Anyone looking for heavy histrionics and laboured 'acting' missed the point".[270] In 1999, M. L. Dhawan of The Tribune stated that Madhubala "could communicate more with her delicately raised eyebrows than most performers could with a raised voice" and "knew the knack of conveying her character's inner-most feelings."[283] Priya Ramani of Mint added: "You only had to slip her into a wet sari, ask her to lean invitingly into the camera or hand her co-star a feather, and you could comfortably forecast that the cinematic sigh would resonate for at least a hundred years."[276]

In recent years, Madhubala's legacy has maintained fans of all different ages, both younger and older. She is recognized even by those who are unfamiliar with vintage cinema and has dozens of fan sites dedicated to her on the social media.[284] Modern magazines continue to publish stories on her personal life and career, often promoting her name heavily on the covers to attract sales.[284] Her legacy has extended to fashion also: she has been acknowledged as the creator of many iconic fashion styles, such as wavy hairstyle and strapless dresses, which are widely followed by many celebrities.[258] In accordance with her enduring popularity, News 18 wrote, "the cult of Madhubala is a difficult thing to match up to."[285] Several modern-day celebrities, including Aamir Khan, Hrithik Roshan,[286] Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit,[287] Rishi Kapoor[288] and Naseeruddin Shah rank Madhubala among their favorite artistes of Indian cinema.[289] Research analyst Rohit Sharma has studied narratives about Madhubala and surmised the reason behind her continued relevancy among new generation:

Today, teenagers identify with the insecurities she lived with in her youth, like acne and hair issues. Others relate to her for being the poster-girl of an era when curvy bodies were considered normal and even sensuous. Some, simply, love her for being an excellent actress—one who will never be matched by the here-today-gone-tomorrow Bollywood heroines.[284]

On the occasion of her eighty-fifth birthday, Nivedita Mishra of Hindustan Times described Madhubala as "by far, the most iconic silver screen goddess India has produced."[290] In the decades following her death, she has emerged as one of the most celebrated personalities in the Indian cinematic field,[2][291] and her reputation has endured.[284] Also in polls and surveys, she is described as one of India's finest and most beautiful actresses of all-time.[h] Khatija Akbar,[286] Mohan Deep and Sushila Kumari have also written books about her.[269][302][155]

Tributes and honours

  • Mandoubala, a Greek song dedicated to legendary Indian actress Madhubala, was performed at the closing ceremonies of the 2004 Athens Olympics [303]
  • Digitally-colorized versions of two of Madhubala's films—Mughal-e-Azam (in 2004) and Half Ticket (in 2012)—have been released theatrically.[304][305]
 
Madhubala on a commemorative stamp issued by India Post in 2008
  • In March 2008, Indian Post issued a commemorative postage stamp featuring Madhubala, that was launched by her surviving family members and co-stars;[306] the only other Indian actress that was honoured in this manner was Nargis, at that point of time.[307]
  • In 2010, Filmfare included Madhubala's performance as Anarkali in Mughal-e-Azam in its list of Bollywood's "80 Iconic Performances".[278]
  • Her introduction scene in Mughal-e-Azam was included by Sukanya Verma in Rediff.com's list of "20 scenes that took our breath away".[308] The film itself has been considered one of the greatest films ever made in polls by British Film Institute and News18.[309][310]
  • In August 2017, the New Delhi center of Madame Tussauds unveiled a statue of Madhubala inspired by her look in the film as a tribute to her.[311]
  • In 2018, The New York Times published a belated obituary for Madhubala, comparing her life to that of Marilyn Monroe.[251]
  • On 14 February 2019, her 86th birth anniversary, search engine Google commemorated her with a doodle;[312] Google commented: "While her breathtaking appearance earned comparisons to Venus, Madhubala was a gifted actor with an understated style well suited for comedies, dramas, and romantic roles alike. [...] Appearing in over 70 films over the course of a tragically brief career, Madhubala—who would have turned 86 today—was called "The Biggest Star in the World" in 1952 by Theatre Arts Magazine."[313]

In film

Madhubala has served as the inspiration behind the characters of actresses Soha Ali Khan, Kangana Ranaut and Deepika Padukone in Khoya Khoya Chand (2007),[314] Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai (2010),[315] and Bajirao Mastani (2015),[316] respectively.

In July 2018, Madhubala's sister Madhur Bhushan, announced that she was planning to make a biopic on her sister.[317] Bhushan wants Kareena Kapoor to play Madhubala, but as of 2018, the project remains in its initial stages.[317][318] In November 2019, filmmaker Imtiaz Ali was considering a biopic of Madhubala, but later dropped the idea after her family denied permission.[319] Actresses including Kriti Sanon,[320] Kangana Ranaut,[321] Kiara Advani,[322] and Janhvi Kapoor[323] have expressed their wish to play Madhubala in a biopic.

Popular culture references

Works and accolades

Main article: Madhubala filmography

Madhubala appeared in 72 films between 1942 and 1964, including Basant (1942), Neel Kamal (1947), Mahal (1949), Badal (1951), Tarana (1951), Amar (1954), Mr. & Mrs. '55 (1955), Kala Pani (1958), Howrah Bridge (1958), Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958), Mughal-e-Azam (1960), Barsaat Ki Raat (1960), Half Ticket (1962) and Sharabi (1964). Her seventy-third and last film was the posthumously released Jwala (1971). She was credited as a producer in Naata (1955), Mehlon Ke Khwab (1960) and Pathan (1962).[333] For her work in Mughal-e-Azam, Madhubala was nominated for Filmfare Award for Best Actress; it was the only nomination she ever received.[118]

Footnotes

  1. ^ In 2017, in an interview for Filmfare, Madhur Bhushan (née Zahida) reported that Kaneez is 92, Altaf is 87 and Chanchal is 83 years old.[8] Talking to the same magazine on another occasion, she told that she was born when Madhubala was 16 years old i.e. in 1949.[9]
  2. ^ According to actress Vidya Sinha, her grandfather Mohan had given Madhubala her professional name.[44]
  3. ^ News regarding the civil affair also reported Dilip's indelicate behaviour towards Madhubala and her father;[165] the actor, on the other hand, denied this in court and also added that he never proposed her for marriage.[166] However, actor Om Prakash recalled a similar incident from 1957 in which Dilip pressurized Madhubala to marry him and break up with her family.[167]
  4. ^ Biographer Kanana Jhingana cites the marriage date as 16 November 1960.[170] According to Piyush Roy and Mohan Deep, Kishore, a Hindu, had converted to Islam and changed his name to "Karim Abdul" to marry Madhubala.[171] However, in Akbar's book, Leena Chandavarkar (Kishore's fourth wife) denied these claims,[172] and so did Madhur Bhushan, in a 2022 interview.[173]
  5. ^ Madhubala was escorted by her then-boyfriend Dilip Kumar at the premiere of Insaniyat.[160] Besides that, she had also attended the special screening of Gateway of India in 1957, held by director Om Prakash, along with actress Meena Kumari and director Kamal Amrohi.[229]
  6. ^ According to Madhubala's youngest sister, Madhur Bhushan, the contemporary media reports that documented Madhubala's early life presented Khan in a negative light for letting his teenager daughter to work instead of himself, which led to him banning a majority of journalists from interviewing or even meeting Madhubala.[236]
  7. ^ Although Madhubala became primarily known for her sex appeal and attractiveness, she was reluctant to be cited as a sex symbol and underappreciated frequent comparisons with Marilyn Monroe.[208]
  8. ^ In 1990, a poll was conducted by the magazine Movie in which Madhubala polled 58 per cent as the most famous Indian actress ever.[292] She yet again won a similar poll conducted by Outlook in 2008.[293] In Rediff.com's International Women's Day 2007 special, Madhubala was ranked second in its top ten list of "Bollywood's best actresses".[212] In 2012, India Today named her one of the top heroines of Bollywood,[294] and in 2015 Time Out placed her at the first position in the list of The Ten Best Bollywood Actresses.[295] In a UK poll celebrating 100 years of Indian cinema in 2013, Madhubala was at the sixth position among the greatest Indian actresses of all-time.[296] She has also placed in the top ten in polls by NDTV (2012),[297] Rediff.com (2013),[298] News18 (2013)[299] and Yahoo.com (2020).[300] The Economic Times featured her in the list of "33 women who made India proud" in 2010.[301]

Bibliography

  • Akbar, Khatija (1997). Madhubala: Her Life, Her Films. Hay House. ISBN 978-93-80480-81-7.
  • Bhatia, Jagdish (1952). Celebrities: A Comprehensive Biographical Thesaurus of Important Men and Women in India. Aeon Publishers.
  • Booch, Harish (1962). Star Portrait. Jai Gujerat Press. ISBN 978-0670001040.
  • Bose, Mihir (2006). Bollywood: A History. Tempus. ISBN 9780752428352.
  • Deep, Mohan (1996). The Mystery and Mystique of Madhubala. New Delhi: Magna Books. ISBN 1906574219.
  • Ekbal, Nikhat (2009). Great Muslims of undivided India. Gyan Publishing House. ISBN 9788178357560.
  • Jhingana, Kanana (2010). Cine Jagat Ki Rasmiyam. Atmaram & Sons. ISBN 9788189373177.
  • Kapoor, Subodh (2002). The Indian Encyclopedia. Genesis Publishing Pvt Ltd. ISBN 8177552716.
  • Khdair, Dina (2020). Crossover Stars in the Hindi Film Industry: Globalizing Pakistani Identity. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781000069600.
  • Kidwai, Rashid (2018). Neta–Abhineta: Bollywood Star Power in Indian Politics. Hachett UK. ISBN 978-9350098035.
  • Kumar, Dilip (2014). Dilip Kumar: The Substance and the Shadow. Hay House, Inc. ISBN 978-9381398968.
  • Lanba, Urmila; Patel, Bhaichand (2012). Bollywood's Top 20: Superstars of Indian Cinema. Penguin Books. ISBN 9780670085729.
  • Pandhye, Anitaa (2020). Ten Classics. Manjul Publishing. ISBN 978-9389647822.
  • Patel, Baburao (1952). Stars of the Indian Screen. Parker & Sons.
  • Reuben, Bunny (1993). Follywood Flashback : A Collection of Movie Memories. New Delhi: Indus. ISBN 9788172231064. OCLC 651858921.
  • Roy, Piyush (2019). Bollywood FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Greatest Film Story Never Told. Applause Theatre Book Publishers. ISBN 9781495082306.
  • Sarkar, Bhaskar (2009). Mourning the Nation: Indian Cinema in the Wake of Partition. Duke University Press. ISBN 9780822392217.
  • Wani, Aarti (2016). Fantasy of Modernity. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781107117211.

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Further reading

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January 07, 2023
madhubala, born, mumtaz, jehan, begum, dehlavi, february, 1933, february, 1969, indian, actress, producer, worked, hindi, language, films, ranked, highest, paid, entertainers, india, post, independence, that, coincided, with, rise, indian, cinema, global, leve. Madhubala born Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi 14 February 1933 23 February 1969 was an Indian actress and producer who worked in Hindi language films She ranked as one of the highest paid entertainers in India in the post independence era that coincided with the rise of Indian cinema on global levels 2 3 In a career spanning more than 20 years Madhubala was predominantly active for only a decade but had appeared in over 60 films by the time of her death in 1969 MadhubalaMadhubala c 1957BornMumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi 1933 02 14 14 February 1933Delhi British India present day India Died23 February 1969 1969 02 23 aged 36 Bombay Maharashtra India present day Mumbai Cause of deathVentricular septal defectResting placeJuhu Muslim Cemetery Santa Cruz MumbaiOccupationsActressFilm producerYears active1942 1964WorksFull listHeight1 68 m 5 ft 6 in 1 SpouseKishore Kumar m 1960 wbr RelativesGanguly family by marriage Born and raised in Delhi Madhubala relocated to Bombay with her family when she was 8 years old and shortly after appeared in minor roles in a number of films She soon progressed to leading roles in the late 1940s and earned success with the dramas Neel Kamal 1947 and Amar 1954 the horror film Mahal 1949 and the romantic films Badal 1951 and Tarana 1951 Following a brief setback Madhubala rose to international prominence with her roles in the comedies Mr amp Mrs 55 1955 Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi 1958 and Half Ticket 1962 the crime films Howrah Bridge and Kala Pani both 1958 and the musical Barsaat Ki Raat 1960 Madhubala s portrayal of Anarkali in the historical epic drama Mughal e Azam 1960 the highest grossing film in India at that point of time earned her widespread critical acclaim and her only nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress her performance has since been described by critics as one of the finest in Indian cinematic history 4 She worked sporadically in film in the 1960s making her final appearance in the drama Sharabi 1964 Additionally she produced three films under her production house Madhubala Private Ltd which was co founded by her in 1953 Despite maintaining strong privacy Madhubala earned significant media coverage for performing actively in charity and for her relationships with actor Dilip Kumar which lasted seven years and with actor singer Kishore Kumar whom she eventually married in 1960 From the beginning of her thirties she suffered from recurring bouts of breathlessness and hemoptysis caused by a ventricular septal defect ultimately leading to her death in 1969 Contents 1 Childhood and early career 2 Acting career 2 1 Early work and switch to adult roles 1942 1947 2 2 Rise to prominence and fluctuations 1948 1957 2 3 Resurgence acclaim and final works 1958 1964 3 Personal life 3 1 Philanthropy 3 2 Friendships 3 3 Relationships and marriage 3 4 Health deterioration and final years 4 Death 5 Public image 6 Artistry and legacy 6 1 Acting style and reception 6 2 Tributes and honours 6 3 In film 6 4 Popular culture references 7 Works and accolades 8 Footnotes 9 Bibliography 10 References 11 Further reading 12 External linksChildhood and early career Edit Madhubala s birth city Delhi Madhubala was born as Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi in Delhi British India on 14 February 1933 5 She was the fifth of eleven children of Ataullah Khan and Aayesha Begum 6 At least four of Madhubala s siblings died as infants 7 her sisters who survived until adulthood were Kaneez Fatima b 1925 Altaf b 1930 Chanchal b 1934 and Zahida b 1949 a Khan who belonged to the Yusufzai tribe of Pashtuns from Peshawar valley 10 was an employee in Imperial Tobacco Company 10 11 Unknown to her family members Madhubala was born with a ventricular septal defect a congenital heart disorder which had no treatment at the time 12 13 Madhubala spent most of her childhood in Delhi and grew up without any kind of health issues 6 Owing to the orthodox ideas of their Muslim father neither Madhubala nor any of her sisters except Zahida attended school 14 15 Madhubala nevertheless learnt Urdu Hindi as well as her native language Pashto under her father s guidance 16 17 An avid movie viewer since the beginning she used to perform her favourite scenes in front of her mother and spend her time dancing and imitating film characters to entertain herself 6 In spite of her conservative upbringing she aimed to become a film actor which her father strictly disapproved of 7 Khan s decision changed in 1940 after he got fired from the employee company for misbehaving with a senior officer 18 Madhubala s mother feared ostracism if they allowed their young daughter to work in the entertainment industry but Khan remained adamant 14 Soon Madhubala was employed at the All India Radio station to sing compositions of Khurshid Anwar The seven year old continued working there for months 7 19 and became acquainted with Rai Bahadur Chunnilal the general manager of the studio Bombay Talkies situated in Bombay 19 20 Chunnilal took an immediate liking towards Madhubala eventually suggesting Khan to visit Bombay for better employment opportunities 20 Acting career EditEarly work and switch to adult roles 1942 1947 Edit Baby Mumtaz Madhubala played a minor role in Bombay Talkies production Basant 1942 starring Mumtaz Shanti left and Ulhas right In the summer of 1941 Khan Madhubala and other family members relocated to Bombay and settled down in a cowshed present in the Malad suburbs of Bombay 21 Following an approval from the studio executives Chunnilal signed Madhubala to a juvenile role in Bombay Talkies production Basant 1942 at a salary of 150 22 Released in July 1942 Basant became a major success commercially 19 23 but although Madhubala s work garnered appreciation the studio dropped her contract as it did not require a child actor at that time 24 Disappointed Khan had to once again return his family to Delhi He subsequently found low paid temporary jobs in the city 25 but continued to struggle financially 26 In 1944 Bombay Talkies head and former actress Devika Rani sent for Khan to summon Madhubala for role in Jwar Bhata 1944 27 Madhubala did not get the film but Khan now decided to settle permanently in Bombay seeing a prospect in films 27 The family again returned to their temporary residence in Malad and Khan and Madhubala began paying frequent visits to film studios throughout the city in search of work 28 Madhubala was soon signed to a three year contract with Chandulal Shah s studio Ranjit Movietone on a monthly payment of 300 27 Her income led to Khan shifting the family to a neighbouring rented house in Malad 29 In April 1944 the rented house was destroyed in a dock explosion Madhubala and her family survived only because they had gone to a local theatre 30 After shifting into her friend s house Madhubala continued her film career 31 playing minor roles in five of Ranjit s films Mumtaz Mahal 1944 Dhanna Bhagat 1945 Rajputani 1946 Phoolwari 1946 and Pujari 1946 she was credited as Baby Mumtaz in all of them 32 She faced numerous problems in these years during the shoot of Phoolwari in 1945 Madhubala vomited blood which forewarned her illness that was slowly taking root 33 In 1946 she had to borrow money from a film producer for the treatment of her pregnant mother 34 Eager to establish a foothold in the industry in November 1946 Madhubala began shooting for two of Mohan Sinha s directorial ventures Chittor Vijay and Mere Bhagwaan which were supposed to be her introduction to the silver screen in adult roles 35 Madhubala s first project in a lead role was Sohrab Modi s Daulat but it was shelved indefinitely and would not be revived until the next year 36 37 Her debut as a leading lady came in Kidar Sharma s drama Neel Kamal in which she starred opposite debutante Raj Kapoor and Begum Para 37 38 She was offered the film after Sharma s first choice actress Kamla Chatterjee died 38 Released in March 1947 Neel Kamal was popular with audience and garnered wide public recognition for Madhubala 39 She then reteamed with Kapoor in Chittor Vijay and Dil Ki Rani both of which were released in 1947 and in Amar Prem which came out the following year 31 40 These films were unsuccessful ventures that failed to propel her career ahead 41 During this period she had to charge a relatively lesser amount than her usual fee to attract more offers 42 To secure her family financially Madhubala quickly signed 24 films 6 Impressed by her work in Neel Kamal in which Madhubala was credited as Mumtaz Devika Rani suggested her to take Madhubala as her professional name 43 b Rise to prominence and fluctuations 1948 1957 Edit Madhubala found her first critical and commercial success in the drama Lal Dupatta which The Indian Express mentioned as a breakthrough for her 17 31 Baburao Patel described the film as the first milestone of her maturity in screen acting 45 She received further positive reviews for her supporting parts in Parai Aag 1948 Paras and Singaar both 1949 46 In 1949 Madhubala played a femme fatale in Kamal Amrohi s Mahal the first horror film of Indian cinema 47 Several actresses including Suraiya were considered for the role but Amrohi insisted on casting Madhubala 48 49 Her character was that of Kamini a servant girl in an ancient mansion whose pretensions of an apparition lead to disastrous consequences The film was produced on a modest budget due to financial constraints with trade analysts predicting it to be a failure owing to its unconventional subject 49 Mahal was released in October 1949 and proved to be an immensely popular film among audience 49 In Beyond the Boundaries of Bollywood Rachel Dwyer noted that Madhubala s ignorance among audience added to the mysterious nature of her character 47 The film which would be Madhubala s first of many collaborations with actor and brother in law Ashok Kumar 50 emerged as the third biggest box office success of the year resulting in her signing a string of starring roles opposite the leading actors of the time 51 52 Following another box office hit in Dulari 1949 51 Madhubala played Ajit s love interest in K Amarnath s social drama Beqasoor 1950 The feature received positive reviews and ranked among the year s top grossing Bollywood productions 53 Also in 1950 she appeared in the comedy drama Hanste Aansoo which became the first Indian film to be awarded an adult s certification 54 55 The following year Madhubala starred in the Amiya Chakravarty directed action film Badal 1951 a remake of The Adventures of Robin Hood Her portrayal of a princess who ignorantly falls in love with Prem Nath s character received mixed reviews 56 a critic praised her looks but advised her to learn to speak her dialogue slowly distinctly and effectively instead of rattling through her lines in a monotone 57 She subsequently played the titular part in M Sadiq s romance Saiyan which Roger Yue of The Singapore Free Press commented was played to perfection 58 Both Badal and Saiyan proved to be major box office successes 59 Madhubala then collaborated with actor Dilip Kumar twice in a row on the 1951 comedy Tarana and the 1952 drama Sangdil 60 These films also performed well financially popularizing the on and offscreen couple among wide audience 61 62 Baburao Patel s filmindia review of Tarana read Incidentally Madhubala gives the best performance of her screen career in this picture She seems to have discovered her soul at last in Dilip Kumar s company 63 64 The period during the mid 1950s saw a drop in Madhubala s success as most of her releases failed commercially leading her to be labelled box office poison 65 Madhubala was cast in the costume drama Shahehshah 1953 before Kamini Kaushal replaced her 66 In April 1953 Madhubala founded a production company called Madhubala Private Ltd 67 The following year while shooting in Madras for S S Vasan s Bahut Din Huwe 1954 she suffered a major health setback due to her heart disease 68 She returned to Bombay after completing the film and took a short term medical leave from work 69 which led to her replacement by Nimmi in Uran Khatola 1955 70 Madhubala later starred in another film of 1954 Mehboob Khan s Amar portraying a social worker involved in a love triangle along with Dilip Kumar and Nimmi Madhubala improvised a scene from the film 71 it was unsuccessful at the box office 72 73 Nevertheless Rachit Gupta of Filmfare stated that Madhubala overshadowed her co stars and floored her role with a nuanced performance 74 Writing for Rediff com in 2002 Dinesh Raheja described Amar as arguably Madhubala s first truly mature performance and particularly noted a dramatic scene featuring her with Dilip 75 Madhubala s next release was her own production venture Naata 1955 in which she co starred with her real life sister Chanchal The film met with a tepid response and lost a lot of money leading Madhubala to sell her bungalow Kismet to compensate 76 Undeterred by recent failures Madhubala made a comeback in 1955 with Guru Dutt s comedy Mr amp Mrs 55 which emerged as one of the year s highest grossing films in India and her biggest success at that point of time 77 78 The film saw Madhubala playing Anita Verma a naive heiress who is forced into a sham marriage with Dutt s character by her spinster aunt Lalita Pawar 79 Harneet Singh of The Indian Express called Mr amp Mrs 55 a great ride and acknowledged Madhubala s impish charm and breezy comic timing as one of its prime assests 80 A conflict broke out between Madhubala Khan and director B R Chopra in mid 1956 over the location shoot of Naya Daur in which Madhubala was cast to play the female protagonist Citing her as uncooperative and unprofessional Chopra replaced Madhubala with Vyjayanthimala and further sued the former for 30 thousand in damages 81 The lawsuit continued for about eight months admist public scrutiny before Chopra withdrew it after Naya Daur got released 82 During the years 1956 57 Madhubala slightly reduced her workload due to the lawsuit and health issues 83 She and Nargis were approached by Guru Dutt to play either of the two female leads an unfaithful girlfriend or a hooker with a heart of gold in his production Pyaasa 1957 However unable to choose between the two leading roles the actresses passed over the film to the newcomers Mala Sinha and Waheeda Rehman 84 85 Madhubala appeared in two period films in 1956 Raj Hath and Shirin Farhad 86 both critical and commercial successes 87 The following year she portrayed a runaway heiress in Om Prakash s Gateway of India 1957 which critic Deepa Gahlot believed to be one of the finest performances of her career 88 Madhubala then starred in the drama Ek Saal 1957 which followed a terminally ill ingenue Madhubala who falls in love with Ashok Kumar s character 89 The film proved popular with audience and became as a box office hit thereby re establishing Madhubala s stardom 90 Resurgence acclaim and final works 1958 1964 Edit Madhubala in Kala Pani 1958 one of the most popular and acclaimed films of her career 74 Madhubala began the year 1958 with Raj Khosla s Kala Pani in which she co starred with Dev Anand and Nalini Jaywant playing an intrepid journalist investigating a 15 year old murder 91 She was then cast as Edna opposite Ashok Kumar in Howrah Bridge 1958 her first collaboration with director Shakti Samanta Madhubala waived her fees to play the role of an Anglo Indian cabaret dancer which marked a departure from her previous portrayals of sophisticated characters 92 Both Howrah Bridge and Kala Pani begot positive reviews for her and became two of the year s top grossing films 93 74 She followed this success with the box office hit Phagun 1958 94 In her final release of 1958 Madhubala portrayed a wealthy city woman involved in a love affair with Kishore Kumar in Satyen Bose s comedy Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi 95 one of the biggest money making pictures of the 1950s 96 Dinesh Raheja of Rediff com referred to the film as the fifties jest setter adding that Madhubala exudes oodles of charisma and her giggles are infectious 97 Writing for the same portral in 2012 columnist Rinki Roy mentioned Madhubala s character in Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi as a top favourite Her breezy performance stands out as that rare example of an independent urban woman For me Madhubala is the face of the original celluloid diva 98 Her second collaboration with Samanta Insan Jaag Utha 1959 was a social drama film in which the protagonists work on the construction of a dam 99 A modest success its critical reception has improved over years 78 100 Rachit Gupta of Filmfare and Roktim Rajpal of Deccan Herald have cited Madhubala s performance as Gauri a village belle as one of her finest works 78 74 Further in 1959 she received praise for playing dual roles in Kal Hamara Hai also starring Bharat Bhushan 101 Khatija Akbar the author of Madhubala Her Life Her Films 1997 called her turn as a polished performance particularly in the role of the misguided other sister 102 The commercial success of Do Ustad 1959 which saw her reuniting with Raj Kapoor 41 was followed by the second film of Madhubala Private Ltd the comedy Mehlon Ke Khwab 1960 It fared poorly at the box office 103 Madhubala s Filmfare Award nominated portrayal of Anarkali which has been described by critics as one of the finest performances in Indian cinematic history 4 Journalist Dinesh Raheja described K Asif s Mughal e Azam 1960 as the crowning glory of Madhubala s career 104 105 Co starring Dilip Kumar and Prithviraj Kapoor the film revolves on a 16th century court dancer Anarkali Madhubala and her affair with the Mughal prince Salim Kumar Since the mid 1940s Asif had rejected numerous actresses for the part of Anarkali 106 Madhubala joined the cast in 1952 and received an advance payment of Rs 1 lakh the highest for any actor or actress until then 107 The filming period proved to be taxing 108 Her relationship with Kumar ended amidst shooting and there were reports of animosity between the actors 109 Madhubala was also troubled by the night schedules and complicated dance sequences which she had been medically asked to avoid 110 She fell under the weight of iron chains extinguished candles with her palm starved herself for days to depict anguishness in particular scenes and had continuous water flung at her face and whole body painted 110 The principal photography for Mughal e Azam was finished in May 1959 and left her exhausted both physically and mentally to a point that she began considering a retirement 111 Mughal e Azam was first of Madhubala s two films in colour it had four reels shot in Technicolor 112 The film had the widest release of any Indian film up to that time and patrons often queued all day for tickets 113 Released on 5 August 1960 it broke box office records in India and became the highest grossing Indian film of all time a distinction it would hold for 15 years 114 115 At the 1961 National Film Awards Mughal e Azam won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi 116 and led the 8th Filmfare Awards ceremony with 11 nominations 117 including Best Actress for Madhubala 118 A reviewer for The Indian Express commented Scene after scene bears testimony to the outstanding gifts of Madhubala as a natural actress The way she presents Anarkali s changing moods as she passes through the lightning vicissitudes in her life is superb 119 The success of Mughal e Azam resulted in a string of offers in major roles but Madhubala had to refuse them owing to her heart condition 120 She further withdrew from some productions that were already underway including Bombai Ka Babu Naughty Boy Jahan Ara Yeh Basti Ye Log Suhana Geet and an untitled film with Kishore Sahu 121 122 She did however had few more releases which were completed either by body doubles or by Madhubala herself 123 In late 1960 Madhubala was seen in Shakti Samanta s crime film Jaali Note based on the theme of counterfeit money it was successful financially 99 However Karan Bali of Upperstall com mentioned her role as sketchy and found the romance between her and Dev Anand s characters unconvincing 124 Madhubala s starring role in the musical Barsaat Ki Raat 1960 was better received 74 The feature was the year s second highest grossing film trailing only Mughal e Azam 115 A critic for The Indian Express found her enchanting 125 while Venkat Parsa of The Siasat Daily noted the rebellious nature of her character Shabnam who elopes with her lover played by Bharat Bhushan after her parents object to the relationship 126 The back to back blockbuster successes of Mughal e Azam and Barsaat Ki Raat established Madhubala as the most successful leading lady of 1960 127 She subsequently discontinued her career and only preferred starring as love interests in a few films including the comedies Jhumroo 1961 Boy Friend 1961 and Half Ticket 1962 and the dramas Passport 1961 and Sharabi 1964 128 Her all three 1961 releases were among the top grossing productions of the year 129 130 Half Ticket her last collaboration with husband Kishore Kumar was a critical and commercial success as well 131 Sukanya Verma called the film one of her most favourite comedies of all time praising the palpably fond chemistry between Madhubala and Kishore 132 Also released in 1962 was Madhubala Private Ltd s third and last presentation Pathan which turned out to be a box office flop 133 Following a sabbatical of two years she completed Sharabi in 1964 the film became her final release in her lifetime 134 Baburao Patel writing for Mother India praised Madhubala s performance for reviv ing the old heartache 135 An editor for Rediff com called Sharabi a fitting finale to a luminous career showing the actress at her most beautiful and her most effective a heroine destined not to age in any of our eyes 136 In 1971 one of Madhubala s incomplete works Jwala was released Co starring Sunil Dutt and Sohrab Modi the film was mainly completed with the help of body doubles It marked Madhubala s final screen role 137 Personal life EditBorn in an orthodox family Madhubala was deeply religious and practiced Islam since her childhood 11 After securing her family financially in the late 1940s she rented a bungalow on Peddar Road in Bombay and named it Arabian Villa It became her permanent residence until death 138 She learnt driving at the age of 12 and by adulthood was an owner of five cars Buick Chevrolet Station wagon Hillman and Town amp Country which was owned by only two people in India at that time Maharaja of Gwalior and Madhubala 139 As a native speaker of three Hindustani languages she began learning English in 1950 from former actress Sushila Rani Patel and grew fluent in the language in three months 140 She also kept eighteen Alsatian dogs as pets in Arabian Villa 141 142 In mid 1950 Madhubala was diagnosed with an incurable ventricular septal defect in her heart during a medical checkup the diagnosis was not made a public information as it could jeopardize her career 143 Philanthropy Edit She performed actively in charity which led editor Baburao Patel to call her the queen of charity 144 145 In 1950 she donated 5 000 each to children suffering from polio myelitis and to the Jammu And Kashmir relief fund and 50 000 for the refugees from East Bengal 146 147 Madhubala s donation sparked off a major controversy due to her religious beliefs and received wide coverage in the media at that time 145 148 Subsequently she kept her charity work guarded and donated anonymously 145 In 1954 it was revealed that Madhubala had been regularly giving monthly bonuses to the lower staff of her studios 144 She also gifted a camera crane to the Film and Television Institute of India in 1962 which is operational even today 149 Friendships Edit When she was a minor and in Delhi Madhubala had a close friend named Latif to whom she left a rose before her family relocated to Bombay 25 While working as a child artist in the mid 1940s Madhubala befriended Baby Mahjabeen another child actor of that time who later grew up as actress Meena Kumari 150 Despite their professional rivalry Madhubala shared a cordial relationship with Kumari as well as other female stars such as Nargis Nimmi Begum Para Geeta Bali Nirupa Roy and Nadira 151 In 1951 following a major conflict with the press Madhubala established a friendship with journalist B K Karanjia who became one of the few people of his profession to be allowed inside Arabian Villa 152 Sarla Bhushan the wife of Bharat Bhushan with whom Madhubala had a special bond died of labour complications in 1957 much to her distress 102 Madhubala was also close to three of her earliest directors Kidar Sharma Mohan Sinha and Kamal Amrohi and while there have been rumours regarding her being emotionally involved with them her younger sister Madhur Bhushan has refuted such claims 153 On the sets of Mughal e Azam 1960 Madhubala often ate lunch with Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto a Pakistani barrister who later served as the country s Prime Minister He used to visit the sets especially for Madhubala 154 and according to Sushila Kumari was Madhubala s one sided lover 155 Relationships and marriage Edit Madhubala s first relationship was with her Badal co star Prem Nath in early 1951 156 They broke up under six months due to religious differences 15 Nath nevertheless remained close to Madhubala and her father Ataullah Khan for the rest of their lives 157 Also in 1951 Madhubala began a romance with actor Dilip Kumar whom she had earlier met working on Jwar Bhata 1944 158 Their affair went on to receive wide media attention throughout the decade 159 It had a positive impact on Madhubala and her friends have recalled the following few years as the happiest of her life 160 As their relationship progressed Madhubala and Dilip got engaged but could not marry as Khan had some objections 161 Khan wanted Dilip to act in his production house s films which the actor refused Also Dilip specified to Madhubala that if they were to marry she will have to sever all ties with her family 162 She parted ways with him in 1957 amidst the court case over the production of Naya Daur 1957 163 Dilip testified against her and Khan in court which left Madhubala devastated 164 c In the meantime Madhubala was proposed marriage by three of her co stars Bharat Bhushan a widower Pradeep Kumar and Kishore Kumar both of whom were already married 128 On the sets of Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi 1958 Madhubala rekindled a friendship with Kishore Kumar 97 her childhood playmate and her friend Ruma Guha Thakurta s ex husband 168 Following a two year long courtship Madhubala married Kishore in court on 16 October 1960 169 d The union was kept from the industry and was not announced until the newlyweds held a reception some days later Moreover the couple were considered mismatch due to their contrasting personalities 174 Health deterioration and final years Edit I brought her home as my wife even though I knew she was dying from a congenital heart problem For 9 long years I nursed her I watched her die before my own eyes You can never understand what this means until you live through this yourself She was such a beautiful woman and she died so painfully She would rave and rant and scream in frustration How can such an active person spend 9 long years bed ridden And I had to humour her all the time That s what the doctor asked me to That s what I did till her very last breath I would laugh with her I would cry with her 175 Kishore Kumar on his relationship with Madhubala Soon after their marriage in 1960 Madhubala and Kishore Kumar traveled to London along with her doctor Rustom Jal Vakil combining their honeymoon with the specialised treatment of Madhubala s heart disease which was aggravating rapidly 176 In London doctors refused to operate on her fearing complications and instead advised Madhubala to avoid any kind of stress and anxiety 177 She was dissuaded from having any children and given a life expectancy of two years 178 Madhubala with husband Kishore Kumar in May 1966Madhubala and Kishore subsequently returned to Bombay and she shifted to Kishore s home 179 in Bandra 180 Her health conditions continued declining and she now frequently quarrelled with her husband 181 Ashok Kumar Kishore s elder brother recalled that her sickness turned her into a bad tempered person and she spent most of her time in her father s house 182 To escape the bitterness of her in laws due to religious differences Madhubala later moved into Kishore s newly bought flat at Quarter Deck in Bandra 8 181 However Kishore stayed in the flat only for a short period and then left her alone with a nurse and a driver 8 Although he was bearing all her medical expenses Madhubala felt abandoned and returned to her own house in less than two months of her marriage 183 For the rest of her life he visited her occasionally 184 which Madhubala s sister Madhur Bhushan thought was possibly to detach himself from her so that the final separation wouldn t hurt 8 In late June 1966 185 Madhubala seemed to have partly recovered and decided to return to film again with J K Nanda s Chalaak opposite Raj Kapoor which was unfinished since she left the industry 41 Her comeback was welcomed by the media but Madhubala immediately fainted as the shoot began the film was thus never completed 186 She was subsequently hospitalized in the Breach Candy Hospital where she met her former boyfriend Dilip Kumar and returned home after being discharged 15 To alleviate her insomnia Madhubala used hypnotic on Ashok s suggestion but it further exacerbated her problems 187 Madhubala spent her final years bedridden and lost a lot of weight Her particular fascination was Urdu poetry and she regularly watched her films particularly Mughal e Azam on a home projector 15 She grew very reclusive meeting only Geeta Dutt and Waheeda Rehman from the film industry in those days 188 She had to undergo exchange transfusion almost every week 15 189 Her body began producing excess blood that would spill out of her nose and mouth 190 Vakil had to thus extract the blood to prevent complications and an oxygen cylinder had to kept by her side as she often suffered from hypoxia 8 15 After the Chalaak incident Madhubala turned her attention to film direction and began preparing for her directorial debut titled Farz aur Ishq in February 1969 13 Death EditBy early 1969 Madhubala s health was in serious and major decline she had just contracted jaundice and on urinalysis was diagnosed as having hematuria 191 Madhubala suffered a heart attack in the midnight of 22 February 192 After struggling for few hours amongst her family members and Kishore she died at 9 30 a m of 23 February 9 only nine days after turning 36 193 Madhubala was buried at Juhu Muslim Cemetery in Santacruz Bombay along with her personal diary 194 195 Her tomb was built with marbles and inscriptions include aayats from Quran and verse dedications 194 Due to Madhubala s absence from the social scene for almost a decade her death was perceived as unexpected and found wide coverage in the Indian press 196 The Indian Express recalled her as the most sought after Hindi film actress of her times 197 while Filmfare characterized her as a Cinderella whose clock had struck twelve too soon 198 A number of her co workers including Premnath who wrote a poem dedicated to her 199 B K Karanjia and Shakti Samanta expressed their grief over her premature death 200 Gossip columnist Gulshan Ewing commented in a personal farewell titled The Passing of Anarkali writing She loved life she loved the world and she was often shocked to find that the world did not always love her back To her all life was love all love was life That was Madhubala loveliest of the shining stars 198 In 2010 Madhubala s tomb along with those of other industry stalwarts was demolished to make way for newer graves Her remains were placed at an unknown location 201 202 Public image EditMadhubala was one of the most celebrated film stars in India from the late 1940s to early 1960s 127 203 In 1951 James Burke photographed her for a feature in the American magazine Life which described her as the biggest star in the Indian film industry at that time 204 205 Her fame reached beyond India as well director Frank Capra offered her a break in Hollywood which her father declined 203 and in August 1952 David Cort of Theatre Arts Magazine wrote of her as the biggest star in the world and she s not in the Beverley Hills 206 2 Cort estimated Madhubala s Indian and Pakistani fan base equal to the combined population of the contemporary United States and western Europe and also reported her popularity in countries such as Myanmar Indonesia Malaysia and East Africa 3 Along with Nargis she also had large fan following in Greece 207 Dilip Kumar described Madhubala as the only star for whom people thronged outside the gates 208 Her fame was acknowledged by Time magazine also which went on to call her a cash and curry star in its January 1959 issue 209 210 In films she was often billed before the leading man and web portal Rediff com mentioned her as a more powerful celebrity than her male contemporaries 211 212 For Mahal 1949 her first film under a major production company Madhubala was paid a sum of 7 thousands 213 The film s success established her career as a leading lady 214 and she subsequently became one of the highest paid Indian stars of the upcoming decade 58 215 In 1951 filmmaker and editor Aurbindo Mukhopadhyay reported that Madhubala charges 1 5 lakh per film 216 She received an unprecedented amount of 3 lakh for her decade long work in Mughal e Azam 1960 217 Madhubala was placed seven times on Box Office India s list of top actresses from 1949 to 1951 and from 1958 to 1961 127 Madhubala in 1951 her smile has been described by the media as one of the most distinctive features of her face 218 Madhubala s beauty and physical attractiveness were widely acknowledged and led the media to refer to her as The Venus of Indian cinema and The Beauty with Tragedy 219 In 1951 Clare Mendonca of The Illustrated Weekly of India called her the number one beauty of the Indian screen 220 Several of her co workers cited her as the most beautiful woman they ever saw 221 Nirupa Roy said that there never was and never will be anyone with her looks while Nimmi co star in the 1954 film Amar admitted passing a sleepless night after her first meeting with Madhubala 221 In 2011 Shammi Kapoor confessed to falling in love with her during the shoot of the 1953 film Rail Ka Dibba Even today I can swear that I have never seen a more beautiful woman Add to that her sharp intellect maturity poise and sensitivity When I think of her even now after six decades my heart misses a beat My God what beauty what presence 222 Due to her perceived appeal Madhubala became one of the brand ambassadors of beauty products by Lux and Godrej 223 224 225 However she stated that happiness matters more to her than physical beauty 2 From the beginning of her career Madhubala gained a reputation for avoiding parties and refusing interviews leading her to be labeled recluse and arrogant 226 On an unusual instance in 1958 her father even wrote an apology letter to then Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru for disallowing Madhubala to attend Nehru s private function where she was invited 139 Having been a part of the film industry since childhood Madhubala saw the social scene as superficial and expressed her despise of the kind of functions where only the current favourites are invited and where a decade or two hence I would not be invited 227 In a two decade long career Madhubala was seen at the premieres of only two films Bahut Din Huwe 1954 and Insaniyat 1955 both for personal reasons 228 e Her regular photographer Ram Aurangbadakar complained that she lacked warmth and was very detached 230 which is also reflected in Ashokamitran s statement describing her as an inarticulate and pitiful person 231 Gulshan Ewing one of Madhubala s closest associates however differed and stated that her friend was none of these 232 Nadira added that Madhubala had not a strain of pettiness of anything small That girl did not know anything about hate 233 and Dev Anand recalled her as a self assured and cultured person very independent in her thinking and particular about her way of life and her position in the film industry 234 Madhubala s refusal to grant interviews or to interact with the press drew in extreme reactions from its members 235 By early 1950 Khan had begun asserting in her film contracts that no journalists would be allowed to meet her without his permission 235 f When shortly after Madhubala declined to entertain a set of visiting journalists on set they started vilifying her and her family and further placed a bounty to behead and kill her 237 For self protection Madhubala was given the permission to carry a revolver and move around under armed protection by the state government until Khan and other journalists ultimately made a settlement 235 Her relationship with the press remained bitter nevertheless and she was regularly pointed out by it for her religious beliefs and perceived arrogance 3 238 Another major controversy she faced during her career was the Naya Daur civil war fought against B R Chopra which Bunny Reuben mentions in his memoir as the most sensational court case ever to be fought in the annals of Indian cinema 239 Regardless of all these dissensions Madhubala was known in the media as a disciplined and professional performer 240 with Kidar Sharma director of the 1947 film Neel Kamal recalling her early days in the industry She worked like a machine missed a meal travelled daily in the over crowded third class compartments from Malad to Dadar and was never late or absent from work 241 Anand said in a 1958 interview When Madhubala is on the set one often goes much ahead in the schedule 242 Except for the filming of Gateway of India 1957 and Mughal e Azam 1960 Khan never allowed Madhubala to work in nights 243 Despite medical precautions she performed even exhausting scenes by herself such as doing complicated dances wearing iron chains twice of her body weight and getting wet in water 244 245 Artistry and legacy EditActing style and reception Edit In a 22 year long career Madhubala acted in almost every film genre ranging from romantic musicals to slapstick comedies and crime thrillers to historical dramas 246 The author of Celebrities A Comprehensive Biographical Thesaurus of Important Men and Women in India 1952 Jagdish Bhatia noted that Madhubala turned her disadvantages into advantage and despite her non filmy background rose to be one of the most talented female stars of the industry 27 Baburao Patel writing for Filmindia called her easily our most talented most versatile and best looking artiste 247 A number of her directors including Sharma Shakti Samanta and Raj Khosla spoke highly of her acting talents on different occasions 248 Ashok Kumar described her as the finest actress he ever worked with 249 while Dilip Kumar wrote in his autobiography that she was a vivacious artiste so instantaneous in her responses that the scenes became riveting even when they were being filmed she was an artiste who could keep pace and meet the level of involvement demanded by the script 250 Writing retrospectively for The New York Times Aisha Khan characterised Madhubala s acting style as natural and understated noting that she often portrayed roles of modern young women testing the limits of traditions 251 Film critic Sukanya Verma felt that actresses like Madhubala should be applauded for doing more than just looking good and crying buckets 252 Madhubala was acknowledged in the media for her unconventional roles 253 such as a flirtatious cabaret dancer in Howrah Bridge 1958 which led Filmfare to compare her with Rita Hayworth and Ava Gardner 74 a rebellious and independent woman in Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi 1958 98 and a fearless court dancer in Mughal e Azam 1960 254 Her roles in Amar 1954 255 Gateway of India 1957 88 and Barsaat Ki Raat 1960 256 have also been noted by modern day critics for being offbeat and significantly different from the usual portrayals of female characters in Indian cinema Madhubala has also been credited for introducing several modern styles such as trousers for females and strapless dresses in Bollywood 257 258 Her distinctive wavy hairstyle was referred to as the out of the bed look and further established her screen persona as a liberated and independent woman 259 258 David Cort summarized her as the ideal of the free Indian woman or what India hopes the free Indian woman will be 3 Madhubala was noted for playing strong and modern characters such as in Howrah Bridge left and Barsaat Ki Raat right 260 In the former she also donned her popular wavy hairstyle 259 Madhubala had the shortest career among her contemporaries but by the time she quit acting she had already successfully featured in over 70 films 261 Her screen time in leading roles was always equal to her male co stars which has otherwise been a rarity and she has also been credited for being one of the earliest personalities who in the era of mass communication took the position of Indian cinema to global standards 262 Moreover with Bahut Din Huwe 1954 Madhubala became the first Hindi actress to have a career in south Indian cinema 69 Jerry Pinto has cited Madhubala as one of the earliest Bollywood actresses who created a distinct sex symbol by merg ing the vamp and the virgin 263 and publications including Rediff com and Hindustan Times mentioned her among the topmost sex symbols of Bollywood 264 265 A 2011 poll conducted by Rediff com saw Madhubala receiving the third highest number of votes among the hottest women who ve ever scorched our screens the portal s writer commented In the end I guess it s about beauty And there weren t many who could match up to the ethereal Madhubala 266 g Although Madhubala appeared in almost all film genres during her career her most notable films included comedies 267 She gained recognition for her comic timing after her performance in Mr amp Mrs 55 1955 268 which Iqbal Masud of India Today call a marvellous piece of sexy comic acting 269 However despite her success and fame she neither received any acting award nor critical acclaim 270 Several critics have stated that her perceived beauty was an impediment to her craft to be taken seriously 270 271 272 Madhubala wished to play more dramatic and author backed roles but was often discouraged 273 According to Dilip Kumar audience missed out on a lot of her other attributes 274 Biographer Sushila Kumari said that people were so mesmerised by her beauty that they never cared for the actress 155 and Shammi Kapoor thought of her as a highly underrated actress in spite of performing consistently well in her films 275 Madhubala s talents were first acknowledged after the release of Mughal e Azam 1960 276 but it turned out to be one of her final films 270 Her dramatic portrayal of Anarkali ranked amongst Bollywood s finest female performances by Upperstall com 277 and by Filmfare in general 278 established her as an enduring figure in Indian cinema 279 One of the romantic scenes from the film in which Dilip Kumar brushes Madhubala s face with a plume was declared the most erotic scene in Bollywood s history by Outlook in 2008 280 and by Hindustan Times in 2011 281 Her critical reception improved in the 21st century 282 271 with Khatija Akbar noting that Madhubala s brand of acting had an underplayed and spontaneous quality Anyone looking for heavy histrionics and laboured acting missed the point 270 In 1999 M L Dhawan of The Tribune stated that Madhubala could communicate more with her delicately raised eyebrows than most performers could with a raised voice and knew the knack of conveying her character s inner most feelings 283 Priya Ramani of Mint added You only had to slip her into a wet sari ask her to lean invitingly into the camera or hand her co star a feather and you could comfortably forecast that the cinematic sigh would resonate for at least a hundred years 276 In recent years Madhubala s legacy has maintained fans of all different ages both younger and older She is recognized even by those who are unfamiliar with vintage cinema and has dozens of fan sites dedicated to her on the social media 284 Modern magazines continue to publish stories on her personal life and career often promoting her name heavily on the covers to attract sales 284 Her legacy has extended to fashion also she has been acknowledged as the creator of many iconic fashion styles such as wavy hairstyle and strapless dresses which are widely followed by many celebrities 258 In accordance with her enduring popularity News 18 wrote the cult of Madhubala is a difficult thing to match up to 285 Several modern day celebrities including Aamir Khan Hrithik Roshan 286 Shah Rukh Khan Madhuri Dixit 287 Rishi Kapoor 288 and Naseeruddin Shah rank Madhubala among their favorite artistes of Indian cinema 289 Research analyst Rohit Sharma has studied narratives about Madhubala and surmised the reason behind her continued relevancy among new generation Today teenagers identify with the insecurities she lived with in her youth like acne and hair issues Others relate to her for being the poster girl of an era when curvy bodies were considered normal and even sensuous Some simply love her for being an excellent actress one who will never be matched by the here today gone tomorrow Bollywood heroines 284 On the occasion of her eighty fifth birthday Nivedita Mishra of Hindustan Times described Madhubala as by far the most iconic silver screen goddess India has produced 290 In the decades following her death she has emerged as one of the most celebrated personalities in the Indian cinematic field 2 291 and her reputation has endured 284 Also in polls and surveys she is described as one of India s finest and most beautiful actresses of all time h Khatija Akbar 286 Mohan Deep and Sushila Kumari have also written books about her 269 302 155 Tributes and honours Edit Mandoubala a Greek song dedicated to legendary Indian actress Madhubala was performed at the closing ceremonies of the 2004 Athens Olympics 303 Digitally colorized versions of two of Madhubala s films Mughal e Azam in 2004 and Half Ticket in 2012 have been released theatrically 304 305 Madhubala on a commemorative stamp issued by India Post in 2008 In March 2008 Indian Post issued a commemorative postage stamp featuring Madhubala that was launched by her surviving family members and co stars 306 the only other Indian actress that was honoured in this manner was Nargis at that point of time 307 In 2010 Filmfare included Madhubala s performance as Anarkali in Mughal e Azam in its list of Bollywood s 80 Iconic Performances 278 Her introduction scene in Mughal e Azam was included by Sukanya Verma in Rediff com s list of 20 scenes that took our breath away 308 The film itself has been considered one of the greatest films ever made in polls by British Film Institute and News18 309 310 In August 2017 the New Delhi center of Madame Tussauds unveiled a statue of Madhubala inspired by her look in the film as a tribute to her 311 In 2018 The New York Times published a belated obituary for Madhubala comparing her life to that of Marilyn Monroe 251 On 14 February 2019 her 86th birth anniversary search engine Google commemorated her with a doodle 312 Google commented While her breathtaking appearance earned comparisons to Venus Madhubala was a gifted actor with an understated style well suited for comedies dramas and romantic roles alike Appearing in over 70 films over the course of a tragically brief career Madhubala who would have turned 86 today was called The Biggest Star in the World in 1952 by Theatre Arts Magazine 313 In film Edit Madhubala has served as the inspiration behind the characters of actresses Soha Ali Khan Kangana Ranaut and Deepika Padukone in Khoya Khoya Chand 2007 314 Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai 2010 315 and Bajirao Mastani 2015 316 respectively In July 2018 Madhubala s sister Madhur Bhushan announced that she was planning to make a biopic on her sister 317 Bhushan wants Kareena Kapoor to play Madhubala but as of 2018 the project remains in its initial stages 317 318 In November 2019 filmmaker Imtiaz Ali was considering a biopic of Madhubala but later dropped the idea after her family denied permission 319 Actresses including Kriti Sanon 320 Kangana Ranaut 321 Kiara Advani 322 and Janhvi Kapoor 323 have expressed their wish to play Madhubala in a biopic Popular culture references Edit The 1950 film Madhubala was named after the actress as a tribute to her stardom 324 In the 1958 film Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi Manmohan Kishore Kumar on seeing Renu Madhubala in his garage excitedly says Hum samjha koi bhoot woot hoga Oh I thought it was a ghost The dialogue was a reference to Madhubala s portrayal of a ghostly woman in Mahal 1949 325 Actress Nishi parodied Madhubala in the 1960 film Parakh 326 In the 1970s Greek singer Stelios Kazantzidis produced the song Mandoubala as a tribute to Madhubala 207 In the 1990 film Jeevan Ek Sanghursh the characters of Madhuri Dixit and Anil Kapoor imitated a dance sequence featuring Madhubala and Kishore Kumar from Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi 1958 97 Madhuri Dixit parodied Madhubala in the 1990 film Kishen Kanhaiya 327 In the opening credits of the 1995 film Rangeela a tribute to the Hindi film industry each name is accompanied with an image of a vintage film star including Madhubala Dev Anand and Amitabh Bachchan 328 Madhubala s Anarkali look has inspired Madhuri Dixit in Lajja 2001 and Mallika Sherawat in Maan Gaye Mughal e Azam 2008 329 330 Priyanka Chopra parodied Madhubala Meena Kumari and Nargis in the 2007 film Salaam e Ishq 331 In 2017 actress Mouni Roy dressed herself as Madhubala s Anarkali for a dance performance 332 Works and accolades EditMain article Madhubala filmography Madhubala appeared in 72 films between 1942 and 1964 including Basant 1942 Neel Kamal 1947 Mahal 1949 Badal 1951 Tarana 1951 Amar 1954 Mr amp Mrs 55 1955 Kala Pani 1958 Howrah Bridge 1958 Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi 1958 Mughal e Azam 1960 Barsaat Ki Raat 1960 Half Ticket 1962 and Sharabi 1964 Her seventy third and last film was the posthumously released Jwala 1971 She was credited as a producer in Naata 1955 Mehlon Ke Khwab 1960 and Pathan 1962 333 For her work in Mughal e Azam Madhubala was nominated for Filmfare Award for Best Actress it was the only nomination she ever received 118 Footnotes Edit In 2017 in an interview for Filmfare Madhur Bhushan nee Zahida reported that Kaneez is 92 Altaf is 87 and Chanchal is 83 years old 8 Talking to the same magazine on another occasion she told that she was born when Madhubala was 16 years old i e in 1949 9 According to actress Vidya Sinha her grandfather Mohan had given Madhubala her professional name 44 News regarding the civil affair also reported Dilip s indelicate behaviour towards Madhubala and her father 165 the actor on the other hand denied this in court and also added that he never proposed her for marriage 166 However actor Om Prakash recalled a similar incident from 1957 in which Dilip pressurized Madhubala to marry him and break up with her family 167 Biographer Kanana Jhingana cites the marriage date as 16 November 1960 170 According to Piyush Roy and Mohan Deep Kishore a Hindu had converted to Islam and changed his name to Karim Abdul to marry Madhubala 171 However in Akbar s book Leena Chandavarkar Kishore s fourth wife denied these claims 172 and so did Madhur Bhushan in a 2022 interview 173 Madhubala was escorted by her then boyfriend Dilip Kumar at the premiere of Insaniyat 160 Besides that she had also attended the special screening of Gateway of India in 1957 held by director Om Prakash along with actress Meena Kumari and director Kamal Amrohi 229 According to Madhubala s youngest sister Madhur Bhushan the contemporary media reports that documented Madhubala s early life presented Khan in a negative light for letting his teenager daughter to work instead of himself which led to him banning a majority of journalists from interviewing or even meeting Madhubala 236 Although Madhubala became primarily known for her sex appeal and attractiveness she was reluctant to be cited as a sex symbol and underappreciated frequent comparisons with Marilyn Monroe 208 In 1990 a poll was conducted by the magazine Movie in which Madhubala polled 58 per cent as the most famous Indian actress ever 292 She yet again won a similar poll conducted by Outlook in 2008 293 In Rediff com s International Women s Day 2007 special Madhubala was ranked second in its top ten list of Bollywood s best actresses 212 In 2012 India Today named her one of the top heroines of Bollywood 294 and in 2015 Time Out placed her at the first position in the list of The Ten Best Bollywood Actresses 295 In a UK poll celebrating 100 years of Indian cinema in 2013 Madhubala was at the sixth position among the greatest Indian actresses of all time 296 She has also placed in the top ten in polls by NDTV 2012 297 Rediff com 2013 298 News18 2013 299 and Yahoo com 2020 300 The Economic Times featured her in the list of 33 women who made India proud in 2010 301 Bibliography EditAkbar Khatija 1997 Madhubala Her Life Her Films Hay House ISBN 978 93 80480 81 7 Bhatia Jagdish 1952 Celebrities A Comprehensive Biographical Thesaurus of Important Men and Women in India Aeon Publishers Booch Harish 1962 Star Portrait Jai Gujerat Press ISBN 978 0670001040 Bose Mihir 2006 Bollywood A History Tempus ISBN 9780752428352 Deep Mohan 1996 The Mystery and Mystique of Madhubala New Delhi Magna Books ISBN 1906574219 Ekbal Nikhat 2009 Great Muslims of undivided India Gyan Publishing House ISBN 9788178357560 Jhingana Kanana 2010 Cine Jagat Ki Rasmiyam Atmaram amp Sons ISBN 9788189373177 Kapoor Subodh 2002 The Indian Encyclopedia Genesis Publishing Pvt Ltd ISBN 8177552716 Khdair Dina 2020 Crossover Stars in the Hindi Film Industry Globalizing Pakistani Identity Taylor amp Francis ISBN 9781000069600 Kidwai Rashid 2018 Neta Abhineta Bollywood Star Power in Indian Politics Hachett UK ISBN 978 9350098035 Kumar Dilip 2014 Dilip Kumar The Substance and the Shadow Hay House Inc ISBN 978 9381398968 Lanba Urmila Patel Bhaichand 2012 Bollywood s Top 20 Superstars of Indian Cinema Penguin Books ISBN 9780670085729 Pandhye Anitaa 2020 Ten Classics Manjul Publishing ISBN 978 9389647822 Patel Baburao 1952 Stars of the Indian Screen Parker amp Sons Reuben Bunny 1993 Follywood Flashback A Collection of Movie Memories New Delhi Indus ISBN 9788172231064 OCLC 651858921 Roy Piyush 2019 Bollywood FAQ All That s Left to Know About the Greatest Film Story Never Told Applause Theatre Book Publishers ISBN 9781495082306 Sarkar Bhaskar 2009 Mourning the Nation Indian Cinema in the Wake of Partition Duke University Press ISBN 9780822392217 Wani Aarti 2016 Fantasy of Modernity Cambridge University Press ISBN 9781107117211 References Edit Akbar 1997 p 85 height about five feet six inches a b c d Sirur Simrin 23 February 2019 Remembering Madhubala film screen legend who was story of India and wanted to live The Print Retrieved 12 July 2021 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link a b c d Cort David 4 August 1952 The Biggest Star in the World and she s not in the Beverley Hills Theatre Arts Magazine pp 23 26 Retrieved 29 September 2021 a b Roy 2019 p 151 Her most challenging performance as a doomed courtesan who is in love with the son or crown prince of Mughal emperor Akbar ranks high on every list of the greatest female performances in Indian cinema Akbar 1997 p 39 Booch 1962 p 75 Roy 2019 p 150 Lanba amp Patel 2012 p 115 a b c d Lanba amp Patel 2012 p 115 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Mintlounge 5 September 2020 Retrieved 16 November 2021 Bose Nandana 4 April 2019 Madhuri Dixit Bloomsbury Publishing p 90 ISBN 978 1 911239 16 1 Gupshup Gullu Mallika to do a Mughal e Azam Rediff com Retrieved 14 November 2021 Verma Sukanya 26 January 2007 Salaam E Ishq Stars shine in mediocre film Rediff com Archived from the original on 5 October 2013 Retrieved 28 November 2021 Mouni Roy replicates legendary star Madhubala slays in her retro avatar The Times of India Retrieved 14 November 2021 Deep 1996 p 15 Further reading EditBajaj Rajiv K 26 May 1996 The Mystery and Mystique of Madhubala Review The Daily Kamath M V 1 June 1996 Madhubala The Daily Clifford Sawhney 1 June 1996 Madhubala Debonair Singh Khushwant 23 June 1996 Madhubala Sunday Observer Akbar M J 5 August 1996 Madhubala and Mughal e Azam The Sunday Magazine Karanjia B K 17 December 2006 Dates with Diva Deccan Chronicle Joshi Meera 14 May 2008 Madhubala Tears in Heaven Filmfare External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Madhubala Madhubala at IMDb Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Madhubala amp oldid 1131164395, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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