Mumtaz Jahan Dehlavi (14 February 1933 – 23 February 1969) better known by her screen name Madhubala was an Indian actress who appeared in Bollywood films. Her enduring screen fame derives from her appearances in film classics such as Mahal (1949), Mr. & Mrs. '55 (1955), Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958) and Mughal-e-Azam (1960). She was prolific from 1949 through to 1960 when illness abbreviated her career. With her contemporaries Nargis and Meena Kumari, she is widely regarded as one of the most influential and talented Hindi movie actresses
Early life
Madhubala was born as Mumtaz Jahan Begum Dehlavi
[3][4] in New Delhi, India on 14 February 1933 to a Muslim couple of Pashtun (Pathan) descent. The family were based in Delhi. She was the fifth child among eleven children. According to her sister Madhur Bhushan, she was reportedly born a
blue baby which would later have implications on her health.
After Madhubala's father, Ataullah Khan, lost his job at the Imperial Tobacco Company in Delhi,[5] he relocated his family to Mumbai
where they faced many hardships including the deaths of her three
sisters and two brothers at the ages five and six. With his six
remaining daughters to provide for, Ataullah Khan and young Mumtaz began
to pay frequent visits to the Bombay Studios looking for work. This was
how Mumtaz entered the movie industry at the age of nine in order to
provide financial help for her family.
Mumtaz's first movie
Basant (1942) was a box-office success.
[6] She played the character of the daughter of the popular actress Mumtaz Shanti. She further went on to act in several movies as a child artist. Actress Devika Rani was impressed by her performances and potential and advised her to assume the name Madhubala,
[7]
which meant "a woman of honey". Madhubala soon garnered reputation as a
reliable professional performer. By the time she entered adolescence,
she was being groomed for lead roles.
Her first break came when producer Kidar Sharma cast her opposite Raj Kapoor in
Neel Kamal (1947).
[6]
She was fourteen when she was given the lead role in the movie. The
film was not a commercial success, but her performance was well
received. This was also the last film in which she was credited as
Mumtaz before assuming her screen name Madhubala.
During the next two years, she blossomed into a captivating beauty.
However it was not until she was cast in the coveted female lead role in
Bombay Talkies prestigious and anticipated production
Mahal in (1949), (a role intended for super star Suraiya)
that Madhubala attained immense popularity. Madhubala alongside many
established actresses screen tested for the role before she was finally
groomed and selected by the director Kamal Amrohi.
Upon the film's release, audiences and critics alike enthused over the
new star's enigmatic beauty and screen presence. Though she was only 16
at the time, her subtle and skilful performance was widely acknowledged
to have upstaged her seasoned co-star Ashok Kumar. The film was the third biggest hit at the box office in 1949 and the song
Aayega Aanewala heralded the arrival of two new superstars: Madhubala and playback singer Lata Mangeshkar.
She consolidated the emphatic success of
Mahal with subsequent box office hits like Dulari (1949), Beqasoor (1950), Tarana (1951) and Badal
(1951). These successful films placed her among the most bankable and
prolific actresses of the early (1950's) alongside established
contemporaries Kamini Kaushal, Suraiya and Nargis.
Serious illness
Madhubala was found to have a heart problem after she coughed up blood in 1950. She was discovered to have been born with a ventricular septal defect, commonly known as a "hole in the heart". At the time, the facility of a heart surgery was not widely available in India.
Madhubala hid her illness from the film industry for many years, but
this one incident was widely reported by the media in the year 1954:
While she was filming in Madras for S. S. Vasan's
Bahut Din Huwe,
she vomited blood on the set. Vasan and his wife took care of her until
she was well again. She continued to work and established herself as an
A-grade star.
Madhubala's family was extremely protective of her because of her
health problem. While filming at the studios, she would eat only
home-prepared food and drink water only from a specific well in order to
minimise risks of infection. Eventually her condition would take its
toll and abbreviate her career and life. However, for most of the 1950s,
Madhubala performed successfully despite her illness.
Hollywood interest
In the early 1950s as Madhubala became one of the most sought-after
actresses in India, she also attracted interest from Hollywood. She has
appeared in many American magazines such as
Theatre Arts.
In their August 1952 issue, Madhubala was featured in an extensive
article with a full page photograph. The piece was entitled:
The Biggest Star in the World (And She's Not in Beverly Hills).
[8] It presented the actress as a mysterious and ethereal woman of mythical beauty with a legion of fans.
During this period, on a trip to Mumbai and its film studios, the American filmmaker Frank Capra was pampered and hosted by the elite of the Hindi
film industry. The one star whom he really wanted to meet was
conspicuous by her absence, Madhubala. A meeting to discuss an opening
for Madhubala in Hollywood was proposed by Capra. However, Madhubala's
father declined his proposal and put an emphatic end to her potential
Hollywood career.
Madhubala as a star
Madhubala had many successful films following
Mahal.
With pressure to secure herself and her family financially, she acted
in as many as twenty-four films in the first four years of her adult
career. Consequently, critics of the time commented that Madhubala's
beauty was greater than her acting ability. This was in part due to
careless choices in film roles. As sole support of her family, she
accepted work in any film, causing her credibility as a dramatic actress
to be seriously compromised. Something she later expressed regret over.
"She was ecstatically, exasperatingly beautiful", exclaimed
contemporary actress Nadira. "She created a kind of reverence, she had such an aura about her."
She did have aspirations to appear in more prestigious films with challenging roles. Bimal Roy's
Biraj Bahu
(1954) being a case in point. Madhubala having read the novel, was
desperate to secure the lead in the film adaptation. Assuming she would
command her market price (one of the highest), Bimal Roy passed her over in favour of a then, struggling Kamini Kaushal.
When Madhubala learned that this was a factor in her losing the part,
she lamented the fact that she would have performed in the film for a
fee of one rupee. Such was her desire to improve her image as a serious actress.
As a star, Madhubala did ascend to the top of the industry. Her co-stars at the time were the most popular of the period: Ashok Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Rehman, Pradeep Kumar, Shammi Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Sunil Dutt and Dev Anand. Madhubala also appeared alongside many notable leading ladies of the time including Kamini Kaushal, Suraiya, Geeta Bali, Nalini Jaywant, Shyama and Nimmi. The directors she worked with were amongst the most prolific and respected: Mehboob Khan (
Amar), Guru Dutt (
Mr. & Mrs. '55), Kamal Amrohi (
Mahal) and K. Asif (
Mughal-e-Azam) . She also ventured into production and made the film
Naata (1955) which she also acted in.
[9]
During the 1950s, Madhubala proved herself a versatile performer in
starring roles, in almost every genre of film being made at the time.
Her 1950 film
Hanste Aansoo was the first ever Hindi film to get an "A" (Adults Only) rating from the Central Board of Film Certification.
[10] She was the archetypal lady fair in the popular swashbuckler,
Badal (1951) and was next seen as an uninhibited village belle in
Tarana (1951). She was convincing as the traditional ideal of Indian womanhood in
Sangdil (1952) and was well received in a comic performance as the spoilt heiress, Anita in Guru Dutt's classic satire
Mr. & Mrs. '55 (1955). In 1956 she had success in historical costume dramas such as
Shirin-Farhad and
Raj-Hath. Equally successful in contemporary characterisations, she was memorable in a double role in the social film
Kal Hamara Hai (1959). Madhubala played the cigarette smoking dancer Bella, and her more conventional saintly sister Madhu.
Suddenly in the mid-1950s her films, even major ones like Mehboob Khan's
Amar
(1954), fared so badly commercially that she was labelled "Box Office
Poison". She turned her career around in 1958, with a string of hit
films:
Howrah Bridge opposite Ashok Kumar featured Madhubala in the unusual role of an Anglo-Indian Cabaret singer, embroiled in Calcutta's
Chinatown underworld. She made a big impact with a daring (for the
time) Westernized image, with her cascading locks, deep cut blouses,
fitted Capri pants and tailored Chinese dresses. Madhubala's sensuous torch song from the film,
Aaiye Meherebaan, dubbed by Asha Bhosle, was a popular hit with audiences, and is widely quoted and celebrated to this day.
Howrah Bridge was followed by
Phagun opposite Bharat Bhushan,
Kala Pani opposite Dev Anand, the perennial hit
Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi opposite her would-be-husband, Kishore Kumar and
Barsaat Ki Raat (1960), opposite Bharat Bhushan again.
It is of note that of the 70 plus films Madhubala made in her career,
only a relatively small number, 15, were successful at the box office
from 1947 through to 1964. Despite this fact she remained in demand as
an actress with producers and directors largely due to her star power
and unprecedented popularity with the general movie going public.
Frequent co-star Dilip Kumar
recalled: "She was extremely popular, and I think, the only star for
whom people thronged outside the gates. Very often when shooting was
over, there'd be a vast crowd standing at the gates just to have a look
at Madhu...It wasn't so for anyone else."
In 1960, she consolidated previous successes, and her super-star
status when she went on to appear in the epic mega-budget historical,
Mughal-e-Azam. This film is widely perceived to be the crowning glory of her career and perhaps the decade of filmmaking in India.
Mughal-e-Azam and later work
It was the film
Mughal-e-Azam that marked what many consider to be her greatest and definitive characterisation as the doomed courtesan Anarkali. Director K. Asif,
unaware of the extent of Madhubala's illness, required long and
gruelling shooting schedules that made heavy physical demands on her,
whether it was posing as a veiled statue in suffocating make-up for
hours under the sweltering studio lights or being shackled with heavy
chains. From 1951 through to 1959 Madhubala invested her best efforts
into
Mughal-e-Azam. Post 1956 and her separation from Dilip Kumar,
the film's remaining intimate romantic scenes were filmed under much
tension and strain between Madhubala and her now estranged co-star. This
emotionally and physically taxing experience is widely perceived as a
major factor in her subsequent decline in health and premature death.
On 5 August 1960,
Mughal-e-Azam
released and became the biggest grossing film at that time, a record
that went unbroken for 15 years until the release of the film Sholay
in 1975. It still ranks second in the list of all time box-office hits
of Indian cinema (inflation adjusted). Despite performing alongside the
most respected acting talent of the industry, Prithviraj Kapoor, Durga Khote, and Dilip Kumar,
critics recognised and appreciated Madhubala's intelligent and multi
layered performance. She received some recognition as a serious actress
when she was nominated for a Filmfare Award. However she did not win, losing out to Bina Rai for her performance in the film
Ghunghat (1960). In Khatija Akbar's biography on Madhubala (see reference section), Dilip Kumar
paid tribute to her talent: "Had she lived, and had she selected her
films with more care, she would have been far superior to her
contemporaries. Apart from being an excellent artiste and very
versatile, she had a cheerful nature. God had gifted her with so many
things..."
In 1960, Madhubala hit the peak of her career and popularity with the release of back-to-back blockbusters
Mughal-e-Azam and
Barsaat Ki Raat.
She was offered strong, author-backed roles, but her deteriorating
health did not permit her to enjoy this period and develop as an
actress. At this point Madhubala became so ill that she could not accept
any new films or even complete her existing assignments. In the
biography by khatija Akbar, her frequent co-star Dev Anand
recalled: "She was very robust, full of life and energy. One could
never conceive that she was ill. She enjoyed her work, she was always
laughing. Then out of the Blue, one day she had disappeared...".
She did have intermittent releases in the early 1960s. Some of these, like
Jhumroo (1961),
Half Ticket (1962) and
Sharabi
(1964), even performed above average at the box-office. However, most
of her other films issued in this period were marred by her absence in
later portions when her illness prevented her from completing them. They
suffer from compromised editing and in some cases the use of "doubles"
in an attempt to patch in scenes that Madhubala was unable to shoot. Her
last released film
Jwala, although filmed in the late 1950s, was not issued until 1971, two years after her death. Incidentally, apart from some Technicolor sequences in
Mughal-e-Azam,
Jwala is the only time Madhubala appeared in a colour film.
Personal life and controversies
Madhubala is said to have had several relationships according to a biography on the actress by journalist Mohan Deep. Her most public relationship was with actor Dilip Kumar.
Dilip Kumar and Madhubala first met on the sets of
Jwar Bhata (1944), and worked together again in the film
Har Singaar (1949) which was shelved. Their relationship began two years later during the filming of,
Tarana
(1951). They also became a popular romantic screen team appearing in a
total of four films together. Actor Shammi Kapoor, in a recorded
interview, narrated how Dilip Kumar used to meet Madhubala by arriving
late on the sets of the film Shammi and Madhubala were doing together.
He would enter Kapoor's room, knock on the door between his and
Madhubala's room and spend nights with her.
Madhubala was known for never making public appearances, (with the exception of the premiere for the film
Bahut Din Huwe in 1954) and she rarely gave interviews. Tabloids often speculated over her personal life and romantic liaisons and Dilip Kumar
was repeatedly mentioned. These rumours were confirmed with a bold and
rare public appearance during their courtship in 1955. Madhubala was
escorted by Dilip Kumar hand in hand for the premier of his film
Insaniyat
(1955), a film with which she had no other association. Though this may
have been another gesture of gratitude to the producer and director S. S. Vasan, who had cared for her earlier when she had taken ill during the filming of
Bahut Din Huwe (1954), this appearance was significant for another reason. By attending the premiere officially escorted by Dilip Kumar, they publicly acknowledged their relationship.
Madhubala's romance with Kumar lasted for five years, between 1951
and 1956. Their association was ended following a controversial court
case. B.R. Chopra, the director of the film Madhubala and Dilip Kumar were currently starring in,
Naya Daur (1957), wanted the unit to travel to Bhopal for an extended outdoor shooting. Ataullah Khan objected and even claimed that the entire Bhopal schedule was a ruse to give Dilip Kumar
the opportunity to romance his daughter. Finally, Chopra sued Madhubala
for the cash advance she received from him for a film she now had no
intention of completing. He also replaced her with South Indian actress Vyjayanthimala. Madhubala supported her father despite her commitment to Dilip Kumar. Kumar testified against Madhubala and Ataullah Khan in favour of the director B.R. Chopra
in court. Madhubala and her father lost the case amid much negative
publicity. Up until that point Madhubala had worked hard to gain a
reputation as a reliable and professional performer with much good will
in the industry. Her image was badly damaged after this episode.
Madhubala and Dilip Kumar were effectively separated from that point on.
In an interview her sister Madhur Bhushan described the events as:[5]
The reason Madhubala broke up with Dilip Kumar was B R Chopra's film
Naya Daur, not my father. Madhubala had shot a part of the film when the
makers decided to go for an outdoor shoot to Gwalior. The place was
known for dacoits, so my father asked them to change the location. They
disagreed because they wanted a hilly terrain. So my father asked her to
quit the film. He was ready to pay the deficit. Chopra asked Dilip
Kumar for help. Dilipsaab and Madhubala were engaged then. Dilipsaab
tried to mediate but Madhubala refused to disobey her father. Chopra's
production filed a case against her, which went on for a year. But this
did not spoil their relationship. Dilipsaab told her to forget movies
and get married to him. She said she would marry him, provided he
apologised to her father. He refused, so Madhubala left him. That one
'sorry' could have changed her life. She loved Dilipsaab till the day
she died.
She met her husband, actor and playback singer, Kishore Kumar during the filming of
Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958). At the time he was married to the Bengali singer and actress Ruma Guha Thakurta . After his divorce, because Kishore Kumar was Hindu
and Madhubala Muslim, they had a civil wedding ceremony in 1960. His
parents refused to attend. The couple also had a Hindu ceremony to
please Kumar's parents, but Madhubala was never truly accepted as his
wife. Within a month of her wedding she moved back to her bungalow in Bandra because of tension in the Kumar household. They remained married but under great strain for the remainder of Madhubala's life.
Madhubala's love-life was constantly speculated on in media. She is
said to have been romantically involved with Director Kidar Sharma,
Kamal Amrohi, Actor Premnath and Pakistani politician Zulfiqar Ali
Bhutto at different points of her career. B. K. Karanjia,
former Filmfare editor and a close friend of both Madhubala and her
father Ataullah Khan, has denied this saying , "Yes, there were so many
in love with her, she used to play one against the other. But it was out
of innocence rather than shrewd calculation. Madhubala was a child at
heart."[11]
Final years and death
In 1960, Madhubala sought treatment in London as her condition deteriorated.[12] Complicated heart surgery
was in its infancy and offered her some hope of a cure. After an
examination the doctors there refused to operate, convinced her chances
of surviving the procedure were minimal.[13]
Their advice was that she should rest and avoid overexertion, and
predicted that she could live for another year. Knowing her death was
imminent, Madhubala returned to India, but defied the predictions by
living for another 9 years.
In 1966, with a slight improvement in her health, Madhubala tried working again opposite Raj Kapoor in the film
Chalak.
Film media heralded her "comeback" with much fanfare and publicity.
Stills from this time showed a still beautiful but pale and wan-looking
Madhubala. However, within a few days of filming, her frail health
caused her to collapse and the film remained incomplete and unreleased.
When acting was clearly no longer an option, Madhubala turned her
attention to film making. In 1969 she was set to make her directorial
debut with a film named
Farz aur Ishq.
However the film was never made, as during the pre production stages,
Madhubala finally succumbed to her illness and died on 23 February 1969,
shortly after her 36th birthday. She was buried at Santa Cruz cemetery with her diary by her family and husband Kishore Kumar.
[14] Madhubala's tomb at the Juhu/Santa Cruz Muslim cemetery was carved in pure marble and aayats from the Quran as well as verses dedicated to her. In a controversial move, her tomb was demolished in 2010 to make space for new graves.
[15]
Madhubala the icon
In her short life, Madhubala appeared in over 70 films. In all three
biographies and numerous articles published on her, she has been
compared with Marilyn Monroe
and has a similarly iconic position in Indian film history. Perhaps
because she died before being relegated to supporting or character
roles, to this day Madhubala remains one of the most enduring and
celebrated legends of Indian cinema.
This is in spite of a proportinally low percentage of successful films
in her complete career span (15 box office hits out of some 70
releases). Her continuing appeal to film fans was underlined in a 1990
poll conducted by Movie magazine. Madhubala was voted the most popular
vintage Hindi actress of all time, garnering 58% of the votes, and out
ranking contemporary legendary actresses Meena Kumari, Nargis, and Nutan. More recently in Rediff.com's
International Women's Day 2007 special, Madhubala was ranked second in
their top ten list of "Bollywood's best actresses ever".[16]
In 2004 a digitally colorised version of
Mughal-e-Azam was released and, 35 years after her death, the film and Madhubala became a success with cinema audiences all over again.
In the past decade, several biographies and magazine articles have
been issued on Madhubala, revealing previously unknown details of her
private life and career. Consequently in 2007, a Hindi film
Khoya Khoya Chand was produced starring Shiney Ahuja and Soha Ali Khan – the plot included some events loosely based on the life of Madhubala and other vintage film personalities.
[citation needed]
In 2008 a commemorative postage stamp featuring Madhubala was issued.[17] The stamp was produced by India Post in a limited edition presentation pack which featured images of the actress. It was launched by veteran actors Nimmi and Manoj Kumar
in a glittering ceremony attended by colleagues, friends and surviving
members of Madhubala's family. The only other Indian film actress to be
honoured in this manner is Nargis Dutt.[18]
Filmography
