Madhubala bows her head as a lock of hair falls throughout that luminous face; there’s unhappiness in these glittering eyes as she beseeches a willful Dev Anand with “Achcha Ji Primary Haari Chalo Maan Jaao Na” in Raj Khosla’s Kala Pani (1958). In a heartbeat, that morose expression is changed with a mischievous smile as she tries to appease the sulking hero. She succeeds, finally, along with her enchanting playfulness. The just about four-minute-long track appears too quick (a rarity immediately) to understand the magic that she weaves on-screen. Such is the charisma of Madhubala. It’s troublesome to tear away your eyes from the radiant face of the lady as soon as described as ‘the residing Taj Mahal’. Fifty-five years after she handed away on the age of 36 on February 23, 1969, she stays an enigma and an icon for Indians. Known as India’s Marilyn Monroe by the New York Instances in an obit carried out many years after her demise, she was a basic magnificence like her Hollywood counterpart, and shared an identical tragic destiny.
There’s something dreamlike about Madhubala’s movies that you could make out even in black-and-white movies, ranging from Kidar Sharma’s Neel Kamal (1947) alongside debutant Raj Kapoor, to Kamal Amrohi’s Mahal (1949), a movie that catapulted her to stardom. She carried out her first full-fledged track within the movie, showing in Lata Mangeshkar sung “Aayega aane wala”, whereas sitting on a swing. The track was performed on Radio Ceylon daily after the movie’s launch, and movie journalists picked the choicest of phrases to explain her: ‘Gifted with a uncommon magnificence and fascinating grace’ (Filmindia), ‘Any digital camera which didn’t caress that face could be responsible of a criminal offense’ (Bikram Singh), and ‘Her smile was a veritable celebration of residing’ (O. P. Dutta).
However Madhubala was dismissed as ‘boring’ after Mahal’s first display check. Had Kamal Amrohi not been headstrong about casting Madhubala in Mahal, the world of cinema could have missed on an artiste par excellence. The seniors at Bombay Talkies wished Suraiya to play the lead function reverse Ashok Kumar in Mahal, with makes an attempt to “sabotage” Madhubala’s display check.
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Amrohi’s son Tajdar informed ETimes that the movie’s cinematographer Josef Wirsching “intentionally shot her in dangerous mild”, making the display check look boring. Nonetheless, Amrohi satisfied producers Ashok Kumar and Savak Vacha by taking pictures her display check once more, as per his directions, leaving them surprised by her magnificence. Mahal’s success shut the naysayers and no one ever requested once more, “Why Madhubala?”
Madhubala, an actor by compulsion
Like many different actresses of her time (Suraiya, Nutan), Madhubala turned an actor not by alternative, however by compulsion. Born Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi on February 14, 1933, to Begum Ayeesha and Ataullah Khan, she was burdened with the duty of fending for her household (she had 11 siblings) on the younger age of eight, as her father misplaced his job at Imperial Tobacco Firm in Delhi. Devika Rani and Rai Bahadur Chunilal’s Bombay Talkies employed child Mumtaz as a baby artist for his or her manufacturing, Basant (1942) at a wage of Rs 150, and her efficiency gained over Devika Rani. She continued to play a baby artiste until Kidar Sharma provided her a starring function in Neel Kamal (1947) when she was simply 14.
By 1948, she was rechristened Madhubala by the ‘First Lady of Indian Cinema’ Devika Rani. Determined to take care of her household’s monetary wants, she did nearly 24 movies within the first 4 years of her profession, however success principally evaded her. However these had been the times when actors weren’t written off after just some flops. With higher movies and her typically underappreciated performing expertise, by the late Nineteen Fifties, Madhubala reached the top of success. She aced the social dramas, like Amar (1954), as finely as she did comedies and interval dramas. She portrayed completely different characters with ease, be it a spoiled heiress in Mr. and Mrs. 55 (1955), a reporter investigating a homicide in Kala Pani (1958), or a rebellious lady whose automotive breaks down within the rollicking comedy Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958).
Dilip Kumar referred to as Madhubala ‘obsessive about work’
Whereas Dilip Kumar felt Madhubala did “extra movies than essential”, she too complained about not getting time for her household, for whom she was working tirelessly. In one in all her interviews, the younger star mentioned, “Time doesn’t give me time to fulfill myself. After I was 5 years previous, no one requested me about myself, and that was the time once I entered ‘Bhool Bhulaiya’ — I imply the movie business the place the primary lesson is to overlook oneself and overlook about every little thing…EVERYTHING as a result of it is just when you may have discovered to overlook your self and every little thing that issues your self, with the intention to act effectively.”
Work gave immense happiness to Madhubala or as Dilip Kumar described it, “She was obsessive about work”. Within the 22 years she spent in showbiz, she acted in practically 70 movies. “Folks inform me I must get married,” she reportedly mentioned in 1954. “However I’m too busy proper now, an excessive amount of in love with my work.” It’s mentioned that Madhubala managed to bag extra movies as she charged Rs 7000 for a movie compared to Suraiya’s Rs 45,000. She was additionally a disciplinarian, who would report back to work sharp at 6 am and would depart sharp at 6 within the night. Within the late 40s, she reported to work braving the torrential Bombay rains and a journey in an area prepare, leaving her director Kidar Sharna surprised at her dedication and punctuality. Dev Anand as soon as famous about her, “When Madhubala is on the set, one typically goes a lot forward within the schedule.”
“She by no means threw tantrums”, mentioned producer-director Shakti Samanta, and Raj Khosla remembered her as “a heat, very affectionate individual”.
Dwelling underneath her father’s shadow
However proper by means of her life, the younger star lived underneath the shadow of her father Attaullah Khan, who had inflexible management over what movies she would do, whom she would meet, what meals she would eat on a movie set and when she could be residence. He additionally didn’t permit her to make a profession in Hollywood when three-time Academy Award winner, American director Frank Capra, expressed his want to meet ‘Venus of the Indian display’ and solid her.
Actor Nimmi as soon as shared, “She by no means went anyplace other than the studios. Nobody may come on her units, no company, no journalists. She went to nobody’s home, nobody got here to hers. She attended no filmland features. Her father’s restrictions had created a sure aura round her.” In addition to her father’s restrictions, it was Madhubala’s alternative as effectively to go away her celebrity aura at movie studios as soon as she left. “As soon as I’ve completed work on the studio, I don’t wish to be Madhubala the star,” she as soon as clarified why she doesn’t attend premieres of even her movies.
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Regardless of her absence from movie events and premieres, her co-stars and others who labored along with her, at all times spoke extremely of her. Dev Anand, her co-star in eight movies, recalled his first assembly along with her on the units of Devendra Mukherjee’s Nirala (1950). He was quoted as saying in Khatija Akbar’s e-book ‘I Need to Stay: The Story of Madhubala’, “I used to be immensely struck by her singular magnificence which I found afterwards was extra radiant in actual life than may ever be on the display.” Shiv Sena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray additionally as soon as reminisced about his days when he labored at movie studios, “On one event whereas I used to be busy with my work, Madhubala occurred to move by me. I used to be dumbstruck and stared at her like a zombie. That one incident made my day and my work as an assistant worthwhile.” Dilip Kumar discovered her to be a “vivacious artiste” as he mentioned, “She was so instantaneous in her responses that the scenes turned riveting even after they had been being filmed.”
Mughal-e-Azam and past
Madhubala was born with a ventricular septal defect, a gap in her coronary heart, recognized after she started working. There was no remedy for her situation then. She would typically faint on the set whereas taking pictures, as occurred on the units of Singaar, Amar and Mughal-e-Azam. Dance director Sitara Devi as soon as shared how the actor would wish breaks each 5 or ten minutes through the shoot of dance sequences. “I’d inform her to go forward and relaxation and to not overdo it. However when she danced, it was in nice type; fast steps after which she’d sit down. The pick-up was superb,” Devi was quoted as saying in Madhubala’s biography ‘I Need to Stay’. However the one time consideration was paid to her well being was when she coughed blood throughout Bahut Din Huwe (1954) shoot.
Until the mid-Nineteen Fifties she managed to deal with her bodily agony as she was emotionally in a superb house, courtesy an all-consuming love affair with Dilip Kumar. It was an agonising affair, which started on units of Tarana (1951) and left each their souls singed with its depth. They met on the houses of their mates, away from the general public eye. Kumar really useful Madhubala as his co-star for Ok Asif’s Mughal-e-Azam and could be there on the set even when he was not required to simply stand there and have a look at her. Nonetheless, this love affair was not meant to be. Madhubala’s father dominated over her with an iron hand and he or she couldn’t take a stand in opposition to him.
Dilip Kumar shared in his biography that opposite to widespread notion, Madhubala’s father Ataullah Khan wasn’t against their match however wished to show this marriage right into a enterprise enterprise which didn’t land effectively with him. Regardless of immense love for one another, the 2 ended their nine-year relationship and Madhubala, who believed “No peace or happiness is feasible in life with out real love”, couldn’t take care of it. Out of the blue, her life started to disintegrate. Her movies, even main ones like Mehboob Khan’s Amar, began flopping. She was thrown out of B R Chopra’s Naya Daur, after a scandalous courtroom case.
Shammi Kapoor believed Madhubala’s “largest disadvantage” was her incapability to go away her household. Khatija Akbar quoted him saying, “She didn’t know when to interrupt away. Gita (Shammi Kapoor’s spouse) too was supporting her whole household, who equally lived off her, however at one level she determined to go away. She left every little thing she had with them, broke away and married me. Madhubala couldn’t depart her household.”
Madhubala’s tragic demise
Decided to maneuver on, Madhubala plunged right into a loveless marriage with Kishore Kumar in 1960. In a Rediff.com interview, Madhubala’s sister, Madhur, mirrored on her marriage to Kumar, “Madhubala married Kishore Kumar out of stubbornness and anger in the direction of Dilip Sahab.” Madhur additionally revealed that Kumar was by no means current for her sister as he was busy travelling for his reveals and flicks. “She cried lots in loneliness,” she informed ETimes.
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It was the identical 12 months that she skilled her best celluloid second with the discharge of the much-awaited Mughal-e-Azam. Many, who knew the painful story of the actor, felt she was crying her true ache when she sang, “Katon ko murjhane ka khauf nahin,” after Dilip Kumar gave her thorns as a prize after the qawwali contest within the movie. The movie earned the standing of a basic instantly after its launch. Nonetheless, Madhubala couldn’t take pleasure in its success as her well being deteriorated and medical doctors in London informed her she solely had a number of years left.
From 1960 until 1969, when she died, she was restricted to her mattress. In a 1957 interview with Filmfare, Madhubala summarised her life, “The sum complete of my life is a bitter expertise which is coiled tight like a spring inside my coronary heart, and when launched hurts excruciatingly. I’m very emotional. I’ve at all times lived with my coronary heart. For that I’ve suffered, greater than is critical. I’ve been harm. Within the sacred books, within the Quran, and the Bible, it’s mentioned that in case you do good, good can be carried out to you. With me, it has been in any other case.”
Dilip Kumar, who went to fulfill her when she sought his recommendation on a private matter, recalled in an interview, “She didn’t wish to die … I felt extraordinarily sorry for her when she requested me, ‘Would you do one other image with me if I change into alright?’” Even Madhur had shared that in her final days, Madhubala would pray, “Allah, predominant marna nahin chahti (God, I don’t wish to die). I wish to dwell… God, let me dwell.”
Nonetheless, the ‘magnificence queen’ succumbed to sickness and died 9 days after her thirty sixth birthday on February 23, 1969. It’s been 55 years since her demise, however she stays the most important star of Indian cinema. Madhubala is immortalised within the reminiscence of cinephiles however as she as soon as sang in her 1956 movie Shirin Farhad, “Guzra hua zamana aata nahin dobara…” Remembering her immediately, and ceaselessly.