Madhubala (born Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi; 14 February 1933 – 23 February 1969) was an Indian

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek ...

who worked in

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

-language films. She is regarded as one of the highest-paid and greatest actresses in the history of Indian cinema. 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. Born and raised in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

, Madhubala relocated to

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

(now Mumbai) 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 Amar may refer to: People Given name * Amar (British singer) (born 1982), British Indian singer born Amar Dhanjal * Amar (Lebanese singer) (born 1986), born Amar Mahmoud Al Tahech * Amar Bose (1929–2013), Founder of Bose Corporation * Amar Gup ...

'' (1954), the horror film '' Mahal'' (1949), and the romantic films '' Badal'' (1951) and '' Tarana'' (1951). Following a brief setback, Madhubala found continued success 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 ''Barsaat Ki Raat'' () is a 1960 Indian Hindi-language romantic musical film directed by P. L. Santoshi and produced by R. Chandra. Starring Madhubala, Bharat Bhushan and Shyama, the film is considered a defining example of romantic musical fil ...

'' (1960). Madhubala's portrayal of

Anarkali Anarkali () was a legendary woman said to be loved by the 16th-century Mughal Prince Salim, who later became Emperor Jahangir. According to some accounts, Anarkali was the nickname of the courtesan Nadira Begum or Sharf-un-Nisa, though scho ...

in the historical epic drama '' Mughal-e-Azam'' (1960)the highest-grossing film in India at that point of timeearned 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. 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 Mohammed Yusuf Khan (; 11 December 1922 – 7 July 2021), better known by his stage name Dilip Kumar, was an Indian actor who worked in Hindi cinema. Credited with pioneering method acting in cinema, he dominated the Indian movie scene from lat ...

, which lasted seven years, and with actor-singer

Kishore Kumar Kishore Kumar (born as Abhas Kumar Ganguly (); 4 August 1929 – 13 October 1987) was an Indian playback singer and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest, most influential and dynamic singers in the history of Indian music. He ...

, 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.

Early life

Old Delhi city skyline from Jama Masjid, Delhi, India

Madhubala was born as Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi in

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

, on 14 February 1933. She was the fifth of eleven children of Ataullah Khan and Aayesha Begum. At least four of Madhubala's siblings died as infants; her sisters who survived until adulthood were Kaneez Fatima (b. 1925), Altaf (b. 1930), Chanchal (b. 1934) and Zahida (b. 1949). Khan, who belonged to the Yusufzai tribe of

Pashtuns Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...

from Peshawar valley, originating from

Swabi District Swabi District ( ps, سوابۍ ولسوالۍ, ur, ) is a district in the Mardan Division of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. It lies between the Indus and Kabul Rivers. Before becoming a district in 1988, it was a tehsil within t ...

North-West Frontier Province The North-West Frontier Province (NWFP; ps, شمال لویدیځ سرحدي ولایت, ) was a Chief Commissioner's Province of British India, established on 9 November 1901 from the north-western districts of the Punjab Province. Followin ...

was an employee in Imperial Tobacco Company. Unknown to her family members, Madhubala was born with a ventricular septal defect, a congenital heart disorder which had no treatment at the time. Madhubala spent most of her childhood in Delhi and grew up without any kind of health issues. Owing to the orthodox ideas of their

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

father, neither Madhubala nor any of her sisters except Zahida attended school. Madhubala nevertheless learnt

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

as well as her native language,

Pashto Pashto (,; , ) is an Eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family. It is known in historical Persian literature as Afghani (). Spoken as a native language mostly by ethnic Pashtuns, it is one of the two official languages ...

, under her father's guidance. 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. In spite of her conservative upbringing, she aimed to become a film actorwhich her father strictly disapproved of. Khan's decision changed in 1940 after he got fired from his job for misbehaving with a senior officer. Madhubala's mother feared ostracism if they allowed their young daughter to work in the entertainment industry, but Khan remained adamant. Soon Madhubala was employed at the

All India Radio All or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * ''All'' (All a ...

station to sing compositions of Khurshid Anwar. The seven-year-old continued working there for months, and became acquainted with Rai Bahadur Chunnilal, the general manager of the studio Bombay Talkies, situated in

. Chunnilal took an immediate liking towards Madhubala, eventually suggesting Khan to visit Bombay for better employment opportunities.

Acting career

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

Mumtaz Shanti, Madhubala et Ullhas dans Basant (1942)

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. 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. Released in July 1942, ''Basant'' became a major success commercially, but although Madhubala's work garnered appreciation, the studio dropped her contract as it did not require a child actor at that time. Disappointed, Khan had to once again return his family to Delhi. He subsequently found low-paid temporary jobs in the city, but continued to struggle financially. In 1944, Bombay Talkies' head and former actress Devika Rani sent for Khan to summon Madhubala for role in '' Jwar Bhata'' (1944). Madhubala did not get the film but Khan now decided to settle permanently in Bombay seeing a prospect in films. 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. Madhubala was soon signed to a three-year contract with

Chandulal Shah Chandulal Jesangbhai Shah (13 April 1898 – 25 November 1975) was a famous director, producer and screenwriter of Indian films, who founded Ranjit Studios in 1929. Early life Shah was born in 1898 in Jamnagar, Gujarat, British India. He stud ...

's studio

Ranjit Movietone Ranjit Studios, also known as Ranjit Movietone, was an Indian film production company with studio facilities located in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It produced films between 1929 and mid-1970s. The studio was founded by Chandulal Shah along wit ...

, on a monthly payment of 300. Her income led to Khan shifting the family to a neighbouring rented house in Malad. 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. After shifting into her friend's house, Madhubala continued her film career, playing minor roles in five of Ranjit's films: '' Mumtaz Mahal'' (1944), ''Dhanna Bhagat'' (1945), ''Rajputani'' (1946), ''

Phoolwari ''Phoolwari ''() is a 1946 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film directed by Chaturbhuj Doshi for Ranjit Studios. The film starred Motilal and Khursheed in lead roles, with Madhubala and Dixit appearing in supporting roles. Its music was c ...

'' (1946) and ''Pujari'' (1946); she was credited as "Baby Mumtaz" in all of them. 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. In 1946, she had to borrow money from a film producer for the treatment of her pregnant mother. Eager to establish a foothold in the industry, in November 1946, Madhubala began shooting for two of Mohan Sinha's directorial ventures, ''

Chittor Vijay Chittor Vijay is a Bollywood films of 1947, 1947 Hindi language film directed by Mohan Sinha, featuring Raj Kapoor and Madhubala in the lead roles. Cast * Raj Kapoor * Madhubala as Sobhagya Devi * Monica Desai * Madan Puri Music #"Aaye Re A ...

'' and ''Mere Bhagwaan'', which were supposed to be her introduction to the silver-screen in adult roles. Madhubala's first project in a lead role was Sohrab Modi's ''

Daulat Daulat may refer to: *Daulat (painter), Mughal painter * ''Daulat'' (1949 film) * ''Daulat'' (1982 film) * ''Daulat'' (2020 film) *Daulat Beg Oldi, Indian military base in Ladakh People with the given name *Daulat Khan Lodi, 16th-century governor ...

'', but it was shelved indefinitely (and would not be revived until the next year). 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 Begum Para (née Zubeda Ul Haq; 25 December 1926 – 9 December 2008) was an Indian Hindi film actress who was active mostly in the 1940s and 1950s. After almost 50 years of absence in the industry, she returned to films with her last role in ...

. She was offered the film after Sharma's first choice, actress Kamla Chatterjee, died. Released in March 1947, ''Neel Kamal'' was popular with audience and garnered wide public recognition for Madhubala. 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. These films were unsuccessful ventures that failed to propel her career ahead. During this period, she had to charge a relatively lesser amount than her usual fee to attract more offers. To secure her family financially, Madhubala quickly signed 24 films. 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.

Rise to prominence and stardom (1948–1957)

Madhubala found her first critical and commercial success in the drama '' Lal Dupatta'', which ''

The Indian Express ''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split betw ...

'' mentioned as a breakthrough for her. Baburao Patel described the film as "the first milestone of her maturity in screen acting." She received further positive reviews for her supporting parts in ''Parai Aag'' (1948), '' Paras'' and '' Singaar'' (both 1949). In 1949, Madhubala played a ''

femme fatale A ''femme fatale'' ( or ; ), sometimes called a maneater or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype of ...

'' in Kamal Amrohi's '' Mahal''the first horror film of Indian cinema. Several actresses including Suraiya were considered for the role but Amrohi insisted on casting Madhubala. 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. ''Mahal'' was released in October 1949 and proved to be an immensely popular film among audience. In ''Beyond the Boundaries of Bollywood'',

Rachel Dwyer Rachel Dwyer is a professor of Indian Cultures and Cinema at SOAS, University of London. Life Dwyer took her BA in Sanskrit at SOAS, followed by an MPhil in General Linguistics and Comparative Philology at the University of Oxford. Her PhD resear ...

noted that Madhubala's ignorance among audience added to the mysterious nature of her character. The film, which would be Madhubala's first of many collaborations with actor and brother-in-law Ashok Kumar, 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.
Following another box office hit in '' Dulari'' (1949), Madhubala played Ajit's love interest in

K. Amarnath K. Amarnath (1 Dec 1914 – 14 May 1983) was one of the earliest film makers of Indian Cinema. His career as a movie producer and director spanned over four decades in the film industry. Early life Amarnath Gelaram Khetarpal was born in Mianw ...

's social drama '' Beqasoor'' (1950). The feature received positive reviews and ranked among the year's top-grossing Bollywood productions. Also in 1950, she appeared in the comedy-drama '' Hanste Aansoo'', which became the first Indian film to be awarded an Adult certification. The following year, Madhubala starred in the

Amiya Chakravarty Amiya Chandra Chakravarty (1901–1986) was an Indian literary critic, academic, and Bengali poet. He was a close associate of Rabindranath Tagore, and edited several books of his poetry. He was also an associate of Gandhi, and an expert on the ...

-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 Prem Nath Malhotra, better known as Prem Nath, was an Indian actor and director, who was best known for his works in Hindi films. Nath made his debut with the film ''Ajit'' (1948), and went on to appear in over 100 films throughout his career. ...

's character received mixed reviews; 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." She subsequently played the titular part in M. Sadiq's romance '' Saiyan'', which Roger Yue of ''

The Singapore Free Press ''The Singapore Free Press'' was an English-language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore. History The paper was founded as Singapore's second English-language newspaper by William Napier, Edward Boustead, Walter Scott Lorrain and Geo ...

'' commented was played "to perfection". Both ''Badal'' and ''Saiyan'' proved to be major box-office successes. Madhubala then collaborated with actor

twice in a row, on the 1951 comedy '' Tarana'' and the 1952 drama '' Sangdil''. These films also performed well financially, popularizing the on and offscreen couple among wide audience. 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." Madhubala was cast in the costume drama '' Shahehshah'' (1953) before

Kamini Kaushal Kamini Kaushal (born as Uma Kashyap, 24 February 1927) is an Indian actress who worked in Hindi films and television. She is noted for her roles in films such as ''Neecha Nagar'' (1946), which won the 1946 Palme d'Or (Golden Palm) at Cannes Fil ...

replaced her. In April 1953, Madhubala founded a production company called Madhubala Private Ltd. The following year, while shooting in

Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

for

S. S. Vasan Subramaniam Srinivasan (4 January 1904 – 26 August 1969), popularly known by his screen name S. S. Vasan, was an Indian journalist, writer, advertiser, film producer, director and business tycoon. He is the founder of the Tamil-language maga ...

's ''

Bahut Din Huwe ''Bahut Din Huwe'' () is a 1954 Indian Hindi-language film directed by S. S. Vasan, produced by Gemini Studios and starring Madhubala. It is a remake of the Telugu film '' Bala Nagamma'' (1942). ''Bahut Din Huwe'' received lukewarm reviews from ...

'' (1954), she suffered a major health setback due to her heart disease. She returned to Bombay after completing the film and took a short-term medical leave from work, which led to her replacement (by Nimmi) in ''

Uran Khatola An uran khatola ( Hindustani: उड़न खटोला, اُڑن کهٹولا) is a flying vehicle in the traditional folktales of North India and Pakistan.

'' (1955). Madhubala later starred in another film of 1954

Mehboob Khan Mehboob Khan (born Mehboob Khan Ramzan Khan; 9 September 1907
at filmreference.com. – 28 ...

's ''

'', portraying a social worker involved in a love triangle along with Dilip Kumar and Nimmi. Madhubala improvised a scene from the film; it was unsuccessful at the box-office. Nevertheless, Rachit Gupta of ''

Filmfare ''Filmfare'' is an Indian English language, English-language fortnightly magazine published by Worldwide Media. Acknowledged as one of Indian most popular entertainment magazines, it publishes pieces involving news, interviews, photos, videos, r ...

'' stated that Madhubala overshadowed her co-stars and "floored her role with a nuanced performance." Writing for

Rediff.com Rediff.com (stylized as ''rediff.com'') is an Indian news, information, entertainment and shopping web portal. It was founded in 1996. It is headquartered in Mumbai, with offices in Bangalore, New Delhi and New York City. , it had more than 300 e ...

in 2002, Dinesh Raheja described ''Amar'' as "arguably Madhubala's first truly mature performance" and particularly noted a dramatic scene featuring her with Dilip. 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. Gateway of India (1957)

Madhubala made a comeback in 1955 with

Guru Dutt Vasanth Kumar Shivashankar Padukone (9 July 1925 – 10 October 1964), better known as Guru Dutt, was an Indian film director, producer, actor, choreographer, and writer.Rajadhyaksha, Ashish, and Paul Willemen. 9941998''Encyclopedia of Indian ...

'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. 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 Lalita Pawar (18 April 1916 – 24 February 1998) was a prolific Indian actress, who later became famous as a character actress, appearing in over 700 films in Hindi, Marathi and Gujarati cinema. She holds a Guinness world record of longest ac ...

). Harneet Singh of ''

'' called ''Mr. & Mrs. '55'' "a great ride" and acknowledged Madhubala's "impish charm and breezy comic timing" as one of its prime assests. A conflict broke out between Madhubala–Khan and director

B. R. Chopra Baldev Raj Chopra (22 April 1914 – 5 November 2008) was a famous Indian director and producer of Bollywood industry and television series . Best known for directing Hindi films like ''Naya Daur'' (1957), '' Sadhna'' (1958), ''Kanoon'' (1961) ...

in mid-1956 over the location shoot of ''

Naya Daur ''Naya Daur'' may refer to: * ''Naya Daur'' (1957 film) * ''Naya Daur'' (1978 film) * ''Naya Daur'' (magazine), a literary magazine published by Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Prades ...

'', in which Madhubala was cast to play the female protagonist. Citing her as uncooperative and unprofessional, Chopra replaced Madhubala with

Vyjayanthimala Vyjayanthimala (born 13 August 1936) is a former Indian actress, dancer and parliamentarian. She is the recipient of several accolades, including two BFJA Awards and five Filmfare Awards. She made her screen debut at the age of thirteen with ...

and further sued the former for 30,000 in damages. The lawsuit continued for about eight months amidst public scrutiny before Chopra withdrew it after ''Naya Daur'' got released. During the years 1956–57, Madhubala slightly reduced her workload due to the lawsuit and health issues. 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 ''Pyaasa'' (; ) is a 1957 Indian Hindi drama film directed and produced by Guru Dutt, who stars alongside Mala Sinha, Waheeda Rehman, Rehman, and Johnny Walker. Set in Calcutta, it focuses on the disillusioned Urdu poet Vijay (Dutt), whose ...

'' (1957). However, unable to choose between the two leading roles, the actresses passed over the film to the newcomers

Mala Sinha Alda Sinha (born 11 November 1936), better known by her stage name Mala Sinha is a former Indian actress who has worked in Hindi, Bengali and Nepali films. Initially starting her career with regional cinema, she went on to become a top leading ...

and Waheeda Rehman. Madhubala appeared in two period films in 1956, '' Raj Hath'' and ''

Shirin Farhad Shirin Farhad or Shirin Farhaad may refer to: * A version of the classic Persian story of Khosrow and Shirin * ''Shirin Farhad'' (1931 film), an Indian musical film directed by J.J. Madan, the second Indian film with sound * ''Shirin Farhad'' (19 ...

'', both critical and commercial successes. The following year, she portrayed a runaway heiress in

Om Prakash Om Prakash (born Om Prakash Chibber 19 December 1919 – 21 February 1998) was an Indian film actor. He was born in Jammu as Om Prakash Chibber and went on to become a well-known character actor of Bollywood. His most well-known movies are Nam ...

's ''

Gateway of India The Gateway of India is an arch-monument built in the early 20th century in the city of Mumbai (Bombay), India. It was erected to commemorate the landing of King-Emperor George V, the first British monarch to visit India, in December 1911 at ...

'' (1957), which critic

Deepa Gahlot Deepa Gahlot is a theater and film critic, book author, and scriptwriter. She has written several books on cinema, translated several plays (by Manav Kaul and Paresh Mokashi) into English and adapted Paulo Coelho's novel ''The Alchemist'' for the st ...

believed to be one of the finest performances of her career. 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.

''Mughal-e-Azam'' and continued commercial success (1958–1962)

Madhubala began the year 1958 with

Raj Khosla Raj Khosla (31 May 1925 – 9 June 1991) was one of the top director, producer and screenwriter in Hindi film industry from the 1950s to the 1980s. He was known for bringing in "neo-noir" and style in Indian cinema, and also as a "women's direc ...

's '' Kala Pani'', in which she co-starred with

Dev Anand Dharamdev Pishorimal Anand (26 September 1923 – 3 December 2011), better known as Dev Anand, was an Indian actor, writer, director and producer known for his work in Hindi cinema, through a career that spanned over six decades. He was ...

and

Nalini Jaywant Nalini Jaywant (18 February 1926 – 22 December 2010) was an Indian actress who appeared in Hindi films in the 1940s and 1950s. Background and personal life Jaywant was born in Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1926. She was first cousin of actre ...

, playing an intrepid journalist investigating a 15-year-old murder. 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. Both ''Howrah Bridge'' and ''Kala Pani'' begot positive reviews for her and became two of the year's top-grossing films. She followed this success with the box office hit '' Phagun'' (1958). In her final release of 1958, Madhubala portrayed a wealthy city woman involved in a love affair with

in Satyen Bose's comedy '' Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi''one of the biggest money-making pictures of the 1950s. Dinesh Raheja of

referred to the film as the "fifties jest-setter", adding that Madhubala "exudes oodles of charisma and her giggles are infectious." 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." Her second collaboration with Samanta, ''

Insan Jaag Utha ''Insan Jaag Utha'' () is a 1959 Hindi-language social drama film, produced and directed by Shakti Samanta, and written by Nabendu Ghosh and Vrajendra Gaur, based on a story by Saroj Mitra. The film stars Madhubala, Sunil Dutt, Nasir Hussain, ...

'' (1959), was a social drama film in which the protagonists work on the construction of a dam. A modest success, its critical reception has improved over years. Rachit Gupta of ''Filmfare'' and Roktim Rajpal of ''

Deccan Herald ''Deccan Herald'' is an Indian English language daily newspaper published from the Indian state of Karnataka. It was founded by K. N. Guruswamy, a liquor businessman from Ballari and was launched on 17 June 1948. It is published by The Printe ...

'' have cited Madhubala's performance as Gauri, a village belle, as one of her finest works. Further in 1959, she received praise for playing dual roles in '' Kal Hamara Hai'', also starring Bharat Bhushan. 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." The commercial success of '' Do Ustad'' (1959), which saw her reuniting with Raj Kapoor, was followed by the second film of Madhubala Private Ltd.—the comedy ''

Mehlon Ke Khwab ''Mehlon Ke Khwab'' () is a 1960 Indian Hindi-language comedy film directed by Muhafiz Haider and starring Madhubala, Kishore Kumar and Pradeep Kumar''.'' One of the three films produced by Madhubala under the banner of Madhubala Private Ltd., ...

'' (1960). It fared poorly at the box office. Madhubala in Mughal E Azam

Journalist Dinesh Raheja described

K. Asif K. Asif (born Asif Karim; 14 June 1922 – 9 March 1971) was an Indian film director, film producer and screenwriter who is known for his epic film, ''Mughal-e-Azam'' (1960). Early life Asif was born in Etawah, Uttar Pradesh, India to paren ...

's '' Mughal-e-Azam'' (1960) as the "crowning glory" of Madhubala's career. Co-starring Dilip Kumar and

Prithviraj Kapoor Prithviraj Kapoor (born Prithvinath Kapoor; 3 November 1906 – 29 May 1972) was an Indian actor who is also considered to be one of the founding figures of Hindi cinema. He was associated with IPTA as one of its founding members and establish ...

, the film revolves on a 16th-century court dancer,

(Madhubala), and her affair with the

Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...

prince Salim (Kumar). Since the mid-1940s, Asif had rejected numerous actresses for the part of Anarkali. Madhubala joined the cast in 1952 and received an advance payment of Rs. 1 lakhthe highest for any actor or actress until then. The filming period proved to be taxing. Her relationship with Kumar ended amidst shooting and there were reports of animosity between the actors. Madhubala was also troubled by the night schedules and complicated dance sequences, which she had been medically asked to avoid. 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. 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. ''Mughal-e-Azam'' was first of Madhubala's two films in colour; it had four reels shot in Technicolor. The film had the widest release of any Indian film up to that time, and patrons often queued all day for tickets. 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. At the 1961 National Film Awards, ''Mughal-e-Azam'' won the

National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi The National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of several a ...

and led the 8th Filmfare Awards ceremony with 11 nominations, including Best Actress for Madhubala. A reviewer for ''

'' 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." 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. She further withdrew from some productions that were already underway, including ''

Bombai Ka Babu ''Bombai Ka Babu'' (English: ''Gentleman from Bombay'') is a 1960 Hindi film directed by Raj Khosla and written by Rajinder Singh Bedi. The film stars Dev Anand and Suchitra Sen in a rare appearance in Hindi cinema. Though the film was a thr ...

'', '' Naughty Boy'', '' Jahan Ara'', ''Yeh Basti Ye Log'', ''Suhana Geet'' and an untitled film with Kishore Sahu. She did, however, had few more releases, which were completed either by body doubles or by Madhubala herself. In late 1960, Madhubala was seen in Shakti Samanta's crime film ''

Jaali Note ''Jaali Note'' () is a 1960 Hindi-language crime film directed by Shakti Samanta, based on the theme of counterfeit money. It stars Dev Anand and Madhubala, along with Helen, Madan Puri, Om Prakash. The film was unsuccessful with critics but ...

'', based on the theme of counterfeit money; it was successful financially. However, Karan Bali of Upperstall.com mentioned her role as "sketchy" and found the romance between her and Dev Anand's characters unconvincing. Madhubala's starring role in the musical ''

'' (1960) was better received. The feature was the year's second-highest-grossing film, trailing only ''Mughal-e-Azam''. A critic for ''The Indian Express'' found her "enchanting", 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. The back-to-back blockbuster successes of ''Mughal-e-Azam'' and ''Barsaat Ki Raat'' established Madhubala as the most successful leading lady of 1960. 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 A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that contains a person's identity. A person with a passport can travel to and from foreign countries more easily and access consular assistance. A passport certifies the personal ...

'' (1961) and '' Sharabi'' (1964). Her all three 1961 releases were among the top-grossing productions of the year. ''Half Ticket'', her last collaboration with husband Kishore Kumar was a critical and commercial success as well. Sukanya Verma called the film one of her most favourite comedies of all time, praising the "palpably fond chemistry" between Madhubala and Kishore. Also released in 1962 was Madhubala Private Ltd.'s third and last presentation, ''Pathan'', which turned out to be a box office flop.

Sabbaticals and final work (1964–69)

Following a sabbatical of two years, she completed ''Sharabi'' in 1964; the film became her final release in her lifetime. Baburao Patel, writing for '' Mother India'', praised Madhubala's performance for "reviv ngthe old heartache". 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." In 1971, one of Madhubala's incomplete works, '' Jwala'', was released. Co-starring

Sunil Dutt Sunil Dutt (born Balraj Dutt; 6 June 1929 — 25 May 2005) was an Indian actor, film producer, director and politician. Dutt was one of the major stars of Hindi cinema in the late 1950s and 1960s and continued to star in many successful film ...

and Sohrab Modi, the film was mainly completed with the help of body doubles. It marked Madhubala's final screen role.

Personal life

Born in an orthodox family, Madhubala was deeply religious and practiced

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

since her childhood. After securing her family financially in the late 1940s, she rented a bungalow on

Peddar Road Gopalrao Deshmukh Marg is an arterial road in the city of Mumbai, India, passing through the affluent Cumballa Hill neighbourhood. The road is named after a social activist and first Mayor of Bombay (present-day Mumbai) after India's Independe ...

in Bombay and named it "Arabian Villa". It became her permanent residence until death. She learnt driving at the age of 12 and by adulthood was an owner of five cars:

Buick Buick () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American marques of automobiles, and was the company that established General ...

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ous ...

Station wagon A station wagon ( US, also wagon) or estate car ( UK, also estate), is an automotive body-style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door ( ...

Hillman Hillman was a British automobile marque created by the Hillman-Coatalen Company, founded in 1907, renamed the Hillman Motor Car Company in 1910. The company was based in Ryton-on-Dunsmore, near Coventry, England. Before 1907 the company had b ...

, and Town & Country (which was owned by only two people in India at that time,

Maharaja of Gwalior Gwalior state was a semi-autonomous Maratha state. It was centred in modern-day Madhya Pradesh, arising due to the rise of the Maratha Empire and fragmentation of the Mughal Empire. It was ruled by the House of Scindia (anglicized from Shinde ...

and Madhubala). As a native speaker of three

Hindustani language Hindustani (; Devanagari: , * * * * ; Perso-Arabic: , , ) is the '' lingua franca'' of Northern and Central India and Pakistan. Hindustani is a pluricentric language with two standard registers, known as Hindi and Urdu. Thus, the lan ...

s, she began learning English in 1950 from former actress Sushila Rani Patel and grew fluent in the language in three months. She also kept eighteen Alsatian dogs as pets in Arabian Villa. 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.

Philanthropy

She performed actively in charity, which led editor Baburao Patel to call her the "queen of charity". In 1950, she donated 5,000 each to children suffering from polio myelitis and to the

Jammu And Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...

relief fund, and 50,000 for the refugees from

East Bengal ur, , common_name = East Bengal , status = Province of the Dominion of Pakistan , p1 = Bengal Presidency , flag_p1 = Flag of British Bengal.svg , s1 = East ...

. Madhubala's donation sparked off a major controversy due to her religious beliefs and received wide coverage in the media at that time. Subsequently, she kept her charity work guarded and donated anonymously. In 1954, it was revealed that Madhubala had been regularly giving monthly bonuses to the lower staff of her studios. She also gifted a camera crane to the

Film and Television Institute of India The Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) is a film institute under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Government of India and aided by the Central Government of India. It is situated on the premises of the erstwhile ...

in 1962, which is operational even today.

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. 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. Despite their professional rivalry, Madhubala shared a cordial relationship with Kumari as well as other female stars, such as Nargis, Nimmi,

, Geeta Bali,

Nirupa Roy Nirupa Roy (born Kokila Kishorechandra Bulsara; 4 January 1931 – 13 October 2004) was an Indian actress who had appeared in Hindi films. Noted for her portrayals of tragedy and sorrow, Roy was known for her acting ability, and was uncharitab ...

and

Nadira Nadira is a given name common in Asian countries. It may refer to Given name * Nadira (actress), an Indian actress of the 1950s and 1960s, best known for her roles as a temptress * Nadira (Pakistani actress), Pakistani actress in Punjabi and Urdu f ...

. In 1951, following a major conflict with the press, Madhubala established a friendship with journalist

B. K. Karanjia Burjor Khurshedji Karanjia (21 December 1919 – 25 June 2012) was an Indian film journalist and editor. He was the editor of ''Filmfare'' for 18 years, followed by ''Screen'' which he edited for 10 years. He also remained the chairman of the Nat ...

, who became one of the few people of his profession to be allowed inside Arabian Villa. Sarla Bhushan, the wife of Bharat Bhushan, with whom Madhubala had a special bond, died of labour complications in 1957, much to her distress. Madhubala was also close to three of her earliest directorsKidar Sharma, Mohan Sinha, and Kamal Amrohiand while there have been rumours regarding her being emotionally involved with them, her younger sister Madhur Bhushan has refuted such claims. On the sets of ''Mughal-e-Azam'' (1960), Madhubala often ate lunch with

Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Zulfikar (or Zulfiqar) Ali Bhutto ( ur, , sd, ذوالفقار علي ڀٽو; 5 January 1928 – 4 April 1979), also known as Quaid-e-Awam ("the People's Leader"), was a Pakistani barrister, politician and Politician, statesman who served as ...

, a Pakistani barrister who later served as the country's

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

. He used to visit the sets especially for Madhubala, and according to Sushila Kumari was Madhubala's one-sided lover.

Relationships and marriage

Madhubala's first relationship was with her ''Badal'' co-star

, in early 1951. They dated for six months before differences figured out due to religion—Nath was a

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

. Although the relationship fizzled out soon, Nath nevertheless remained close to Madhubala and her father Ataullah Khan for the rest of their lives. Also in 1951, Madhubala began a romance with actor

, whom she had earlier met working on ''Jwar Bhata'' (1944). Their affair went on to receive wide media attention throughout the decade. It had a positive impact on Madhubala and her friends have recalled the following few years as the happiest of her life. As their relationship progressed, Madhubala and Dilip got engaged but could not marry as Khan had some objections. 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. She parted ways with him in 1957 amidst the court case over the production of ''Naya Daur'' (1957). Dilip testified against her and Khan in court, which left Madhubala devastated. In the meantime, Madhubala was proposed marriage by three of her co-stars: Bharat Bhushan, a widower, Pradeep Kumar and

, both of whom had previously been married. On the sets of ''Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi'' (1958), Madhubala rekindled a friendship with Kishore Kumar, who was a childhood acquaintance. They went on to date for two years and had a court marriage on 16 October 1960. There are reports suggesting that Kumar, a Hindu, had converted to Islam to marry her, but these claims have been refuted by her sister. The union was disliked by her father, as well as her in-laws who had not expected their son to marry a Muslim. Madhubala and Kishore also came to be considered a mismatch in the industry due to their contrasting personalities.

Health deterioration and final years

Soon after their marriage in 1960, Madhubala and Kishore Kumar traveled to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

along with her doctor

Rustom Jal Vakil Rustom Jal Vakil (17 July 1911 – 20 November 1974) was a cardiologist from India who was awarded a Padma Bhushan for his contributions to medicine. He was the first Indian to win a Lasker Award. Born in Bombay in 1911, Vakil completed his medic ...

, combining their honeymoon with the specialised treatment of Madhubala's heart disease, which was aggravating rapidly. In London, doctors refused to operate on her, fearing complications, and instead advised Madhubala to avoid any kind of stress and anxiety. She was dissuaded from having any children and given a life expectancy of two years. Madhubala Kishore Kumar

Madhubala and Kishore subsequently returned to Bombay and she shifted to Kishore's home in

Bandra Bandra (Indian English, æːɳɖɾa also known as Vandre (Help:IPA/Marathi, �aːn̪d̪ɾe is an upscale coastal suburb located in Mumbai (Bombay) area of the Konkan division, Maharashtra, India. The suburb is located to the immediate nor ...

. Her health continued declining and she now frequently quarrelled with her husband. 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. 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. However, Kishore stayed in the flat only for a short period and then left her alone with a nurse and a driver. 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. For the rest of her life, he visited her occasionally, which Madhubala's sister Madhur Bhushan thought was possibly to "detach himself from her so that the final separation wouldn't hurt." In late June 1966, 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. Her comeback was welcomed by the media, but Madhubala immediately fainted as the shoot began; the film was thus never completed. She was subsequently hospitalized in the

Breach Candy Hospital Breach Candy Hospital is a private hospital located in Mumbai, India. It is located in the Breach Candy area of South Mumbai. It is well known for the rich and famous patients that have been in the hospital. History It was established in ...

, where she met her former boyfriend Dilip Kumar and returned home after being discharged. To alleviate her

insomnia Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder in which people have trouble sleeping. They may have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep as long as desired. Insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low energy, ...

, Madhubala used

hypnotic Hypnotic (from Greek ''Hypnos'', sleep), or soporific drugs, commonly known as sleeping pills, are a class of (and umbrella term for) psychoactive drugs whose primary function is to induce sleep (or surgical anesthesiaWhen used in anesthesia ...

on Ashok's suggestion, but it further exacerbated her problems. 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. She grew very reclusive, meeting only Geeta Dutt and Waheeda Rehman from the film industry in those days. She had to undergo

exchange transfusion An exchange transfusion is a blood transfusion in which the patient's blood or components of it are exchanged with (replaced by) other blood or blood products. The patient's blood is removed and replaced by donated blood or blood components. This ...

almost every week. Her body began producing excess blood that would spill out of her nose and mouth; 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 Hypoxia means a lower than normal level of oxygen, and may refer to: Reduced or insufficient oxygen * Hypoxia (environmental), abnormally low oxygen content of the specific environment * Hypoxia (medical), abnormally low level of oxygen in the tis ...

. 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.

Death

By early 1969, Madhubala's health was in serious and major decline: she had just contracted

jaundice Jaundice, also known as icterus, is a yellowish or greenish pigmentation of the skin and sclera due to high bilirubin levels. Jaundice in adults is typically a sign indicating the presence of underlying diseases involving abnormal heme meta ...

and on

urinalysis Urinalysis, a portmanteau of the words ''urine'' and ''analysis'', is a panel of medical tests that includes physical (macroscopic) examination of the urine, chemical evaluation using urine test strips, and microscopic examination. Macroscopic e ...

was diagnosed as having hematuria. Madhubala suffered a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

in the midnight of 22 February. After struggling for few hours amongst her family members and Kishore, she died at 9:30 a.m. of 23 February, only nine days after turning 36. Madhubala was buried at

Juhu Juhu (Pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, ͡ʒuɦuː is a posh and upmarket neighbourhood of Mumbai. It is known for the sprawling Juhu Beach. It is surrounded by the Arabian Sea to the west, Versova (Mumbai), Versova to the north, Vile Parle to ...

Muslim Cemetery in Santacruz, Bombay along with her personal diary. Her tomb was built with marbles and inscriptions include aayats from

Quran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Classical Arabic, Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation in Islam, revelation from God in Islam, ...

and verse dedications. 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. ''The Indian Express'' recalled her as "the most sought-after Hindi film actress" of her times, while ''Filmfare'' characterized her as "a Cinderella whose clock had struck twelve too soon". A number of her co-workers including Premnath (who wrote a poem dedicated to her), B. K. Karanjia and Shakti Samanta expressed their grief over her premature death. Gossip columnist

Gulshan Ewing Gulshan Ewing (née Mehta) (1928 – 18 April 2020) was an Indian people, Indian journalist and socialite. She edited two of India's most popular magazines – women's journal ''Eve's Weekly'' and film magazine ''Star & Style'' – between 1966 an ...

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 Madhubalaloveliest of the shining stars." 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.

Public image

Madhubala was one of the most celebrated film stars in India from the late 1940s to early 1960s. In 1951, James Burke photographed her for a feature in the American magazine ''

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energ ...

'', which described her as the biggest star in the Indian film industry at that time. Her fame reached beyond India as well: director

Frank Capra Frank Russell Capra (born Francesco Rosario Capra; May 18, 1897 – September 3, 1991) was an Italian-born American film director, producer and writer who became the creative force behind some of the major award-winning films of the 1930s ...

offered her a break in Hollywood (which her father declined) and in August 1952, David Cort of ''

Theatre Arts Magazine ''Theatre Arts Magazine'', sometimes titled ''Theatre Arts'' or ''Theatre Arts Monthly'', was a magazine published from November 1916 to January 1964. It was established by author and critic Sheldon Warren Cheney. History Cheney established the ...

'' wrote of her as "the biggest star in the worldand she's not in the

Beverley Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. ...

." 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. Along with Nargis, she also had large fan following in Greece. Dilip Kumar described Madhubala as "the only star for whom people thronged outside the gates." Her fame was acknowledged by ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

'' magazine also, which went on to call her a "cash and curry star" in its January 1959 issue. In films, she was often billed before the leading man, and web portal

mentioned her as a more powerful celebrity than her male contemporaries. For ''Mahal'' (1949), her first film under a major production company, Madhubala was paid a sum of 7,000. The film's success established her career as a leading lady, and she subsequently became one of the highest-paid Indian stars of the upcoming decade. In 1951, filmmaker and editor Aurbindo Mukhopadhyay reported that Madhubala charges 1.5 lakh per film. She received an unprecedented amount of 3 lakh for her decade-long work in ''Mughal-e-Azam'' (1960). Madhubala was placed seven times on

Box Office India Box Office India is an Indian film website. Its traffic ranking in India is 83,665 . A new Box Office India website went live on 20 January 2014. About Box Office India was launched on 10 June 2003. Its uses Whois privacy to anonymize its owne ...

's list of top actresses from 1949 to 1951, and from 1958 to 1961. Madhubala1957

Madhubala's beauty and physical attractiveness were widely acknowledged, and led the media to refer to her as "The

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never fa ...

of Indian cinema" and "The Beauty with Tragedy". In 1951, Clare Mendonca of ''

The Illustrated Weekly of India ''The Illustrated Weekly of India'' was an English-language weekly newsmagazine publication in India. It started publication in 1880 (as ''Times of India'' Weekly Edition; later renamed as ''The Illustrated Weekly of India'' in 1923) and ceasin ...

'' called her "the number one beauty of the Indian screen". Several of her co-workers cited her as the most beautiful woman they ever saw.

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. 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." Due to her perceived appeal, Madhubala became one of the brand ambassadors of beauty products by

Lux The lux (symbol: lx) is the unit of illuminance, or luminous flux per unit area, in the International System of Units (SI). It is equal to one lumen per square metre. In photometry, this is used as a measure of the intensity, as perceived by the ...

and

Godrej Godrej may refer to: * Godrej family, a wealthy business family in India **Ardeshir Godrej (1868–1936) ** Pirojsha Burjorji Godrej (1882–1972) **Adi Godrej (born 1942) **Nadir Godrej ** Jamshyd Godrej **Pirojsha Adi Godrej * Godrej Group, a grou ...

. However, she stated that happiness matters more to her than physical beauty. From the beginning of her career, Madhubala gained a reputation for avoiding parties and refusing interviews, leading her to be labeled recluse and arrogant. On an unusual instance in 1958, her father even wrote an apology letter to then-Prime Minister of India,

Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...

, for disallowing Madhubala to attend Nehru's private function where she was invited. 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." 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. Her regular photographer, Ram Aurangbadakar complained that she "lacked warmth" and "was very detached", which is also reflected in Ashokamitran's statement describing her as an inarticulate and pitiful person. Gulshan Ewing, one of Madhubala's closest associates, however, differed and stated that her friend "was none of these."

added that Madhubala "had not a strain of pettiness, of anything small. That girl did not know anything about hate," and Dev Anand recalled her as a "self-assured ndcultured erson very independent in her thinking and particular about her way of life and her position in the film industry." Madhubala's refusal to grant interviews or to interact with the press drew in extreme reactions from its members. By early 1950, Khan had begun asserting in her film contracts that no journalists would be allowed to meet her without his permission. 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. For self-protection, Madhubala was given the permission to carry a revolver and move around under armed protection by the

state government A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonomy, or ...

, until Khan and other journalists ultimately made a settlement. Her relationship with the press remained bitter, nevertheless, and she was regularly pointed out by it for her religious beliefs and perceived arrogance. 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." Regardless of all these dissensions, Madhubala was known in the media as a disciplined and professional performer, 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." Anand said in a 1958 interview, "When Madhubala is on the set, one often goes much ahead in the schedule." Except for the filming of ''Gateway of India'' (1957) and ''Mughal-e-Azam'' (1960), Khan never allowed Madhubala to work in nights. 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.

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. 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." Baburao Patel, writing for '' Filmindia'', called her "easily our most talented, most versatile and best-looking artiste." A number of her directors including Sharma, Shakti Samanta and

spoke highly of her acting talents on different occasions. Ashok Kumar described her as the finest actress he ever worked with, 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." Writing retrospectively for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', 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". Film critic Sukanya Verma felt that actresses like Madhubala "should be applauded for doing more than just looking good and crying buckets." Madhubala was acknowledged in the media for her unconventional roles, such as a flirtatious cabaret dancer in ''Howrah Bridge'' (1958)which led ''Filmfare'' to compare her with Rita Hayworth and Ava Gardnera rebellious and independent woman in ''Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi'' (1958), and a fearless court dancer in ''Mughal-e-Azam'' (1960). Her roles in ''Amar'' (1954), ''Gateway of India'' (1957), and ''Barsaat Ki Raat'' (1960) 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 Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

. 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. David Cort summarized her as "the ideal of the free Indian woman or what India hopes the free Indian woman will be." Madhubala had the shortest career among her contemporaries, but by the time she quit acting, she had already successfully featured in over 70 films. Her screen time in leading roles was always equal to her male co-starswhich has otherwise been a rarityand she has also been credited for being one of the earliest personalities who, in the era of

mass communication Mass communication is the process of imparting and exchanging information through mass media to large segments of the population. It is usually understood for relating to various forms of media, as its technologies are used for the dissemination o ...

, took the position of Indian cinema to global standards. Moreover, with ''Bahut Din Huwe'' (1954), Madhubala became the first Hindi actress to have a career in south Indian cinema.

Jerry Pinto Jerry Pinto (born 1966) is a Mumbai-based Indian English poet, novelist, short story writer, translator, as well as journalist. Pinto's works include '' Helen: The Life and Times of an H-Bomb'' (2006), which won the Best Book on Cinema Award at ...

has cited Madhubala as one of the earliest Bollywood actresses who created a distinct sex symbol by "merg ng "the vamp and the virgin", and publications including Rediff.com and ''

Hindustan Times ''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media, an entity controlled by the KK Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia. It was founded by Sunder Singh Lyall ...

'' mentioned her among the topmost sex symbols of Bollywood. 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." Although Madhubala appeared in almost all film genres during her career, her most notable films included comedies. She gained recognition for her comic timing after her performance in ''Mr. & Mrs. '55'' (1955), which Iqbal Masud of ''

India Today ''India Today'' is a weekly Indian English-language news magazine published by Living Media India Limited. It is the most widely circulated magazine in India, with a readership of close to 8 million. In 2014, ''India Today'' launched a new onl ...

'' call "a marvellous piece of sexy-comic acting." However, despite her success and fame, she neither received any acting award nor critical acclaim. Several critics have stated that her perceived beauty was an impediment to her craft to be taken seriously. Madhubala wished to play more dramatic and author-backed roles, but was often discouraged. According to Dilip Kumar, audience "missed out on a lot of her other attributes." Biographer Sushila Kumari said that "people were so mesmerised by her beauty that they never cared for the actress", and Shammi Kapoor thought of her as "a highly underrated actress in spite of performing consistently well in her films." Madhubala's talents were first acknowledged after the release of ''Mughal-e-Azam'' (1960), but it turned out to be one of her final films. Her dramatic portrayal of Anarkaliranked amongst Bollywood's finest female performances by ''Upperstall.com'' and by ''Filmfare'' in generalestablished her as an enduring figure in Indian cinema. 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, and by ''

'' in 2011. Her critical reception improved in the 21st century, 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". 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." Priya Ramani of ''

Mint MiNT is Now TOS (MiNT) is a free software alternative operating system kernel for the Atari ST system and its successors. It is a multi-tasking alternative to TOS and MagiC. Together with the free system components fVDI device drivers, XaAES g ...

'' 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." Journalist Rauf Ahmed added Madhubala on his "Biggest stars in Hindi filmdom" list and noted: "Madhubala symbolised ultimate beauty. Which in a way undermined her merit as an actress. She imparted a lot of sizzle and impishness to her performances in films like ''Chalti Ka Naam Gadi'' and ''Mughal-e-Azam''."

Legacy

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 A fansite, fan site, fan blog or fan page is a website created and maintained by a fan or devotee about a celebrity, thing, or particular cultural phenomenon. Fansites may offer specialized information on the subject (e.g., episode listings, bi ...

dedicated to her on the

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

. Modern magazines continue to publish stories on her personal life and career, often promoting her name heavily on the covers to attract sales. 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. In accordance with her enduring popularity,

News 18 Network18 Media & Investments Limited, (formerly SGA Finance and Management Service and Network18 Fincap Limited) commonly referred to as the Network18 Group and sometimes as the Network18–Eenadu Group, is an Indian media conglomerate owned b ...

wrote, "the cult of Madhubala is a difficult thing to match up to." Several modern-day celebrities, including Aamir Khan, Hrithik Roshan,

Shah Rukh Khan Shah Rukh Khan (; born 2 November 1965), also known by the initialism SRK, is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who works in Hindi films. Referred to in the media as the " Baadshah of Bollywood", "King of Bollywood" ...

, Madhuri Dixit,

Rishi Kapoor Rishi Raj Kapoor (4 September 1952 — 30 April 2020) was an Indian actor, film director and producer who worked in Hindi films Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry base ...

and

Naseeruddin Shah Naseeruddin Shah (born 20 July 1950) is an Indian actor. He is notable in Indian parallel cinema. He has also starred in international productions. He has won numerous awards in his career, including three National Film Awards, three Filmfare A ...

rank Madhubala among their favorite artistes of Indian cinema. Research analyst Rohit Sharma has studied narratives about Madhubala and surmised the reason behind her continued relevancy among new generation: 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." In the decades following her death, she has emerged as one of the most celebrated personalities in the Indian cinematic field, and her reputation has endured. Also in polls and surveys, she is described as one of India's finest and most beautiful actresses of all-time. Khatija Akbar,

Mohan Deep Mohan Deep (born Mohan Kishinchand Chandirramani in 1948), is an Indian writer. He has written multiple books on Bollywood film personalities, including the books: ''The Mystery and Mystique of Madhubala'', ''Simply Scandalous: Meena Kumari'', ...

and Sushila Kumari have also written books about her.

Works and accolades

Madhubala appeared in 72 films between 1942 and 1964, including '' Basant'' (1942), '' Neel Kamal'' (1947), '' Mahal'' (1949), '' Badal'' (1951), '' Tarana'' (1951), ''

'' (1954), '' Mr. & Mrs. '55'' (1955), '' Kala Pani'' (1958), '' Howrah Bridge'' (1958), '' Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi'' (1958), '' Mughal-e-Azam'' (1960), ''

'' (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), ''

'' (1960) and ''Pathan'' (1962). For her work in ''Mughal-e-Azam'', Madhubala was nominated for Filmfare Award for Best Actress; it was the only nomination she ever received.

Tributes and honours

As a tribute to Madhubala, ''Mandoubala'', a Greek song dedicated to her, was performed at the closing ceremony of the 2004 Athens Olympics. Digitally-colorized versions of two of Madhubala's films''Mughal-e-Azam'' (in 2004) and ''Half Ticket'' (in 2012)have been released theatrically. In March 2008,

Indian Post India Post is a government-operated postal system in India, part of the Department of Post under the Ministry of Communications. Generally known as the Post Office, it is the most widely distributed postal system in the world. Warren Hastings ha ...

issued a commemorative postage stamp featuring Madhubala, that was launched by her surviving family members and co-stars; the only other Indian actress that was honoured in this manner was Nargis, at that point of time. Madhubala 2008 stamp of India

In 2010, ''

'' included Madhubala's performance as Anarkali in ''Mughal-e-Azam'' in its list of Bollywood's "80 Iconic Performances". Her introduction scene in ''Mughal-e-Azam'' was included by Sukanya Verma in ''

''s list of "20 scenes that took our breath away". The film itself has been considered one of the greatest films ever made in polls by ''

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

'' and ''

News18 Network18 Media & Investments Limited, (formerly SGA Finance and Management Service and Network18 Fincap Limited) commonly referred to as the Network18 Group and sometimes as the Network18–Eenadu Group, is an Indian media conglomerate owned b ...

''. 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. In 2018, ''

'' published a belated obituary for Madhubala, comparing her life to that of

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

. On 14 February 2019, her 86th birth anniversary, search engine

Google Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...

commemorated her with a doodle; 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, Madhubalawho would have turned 86 todaywas called "The Biggest Star in the World" in 1952 by ''Theatre Arts Magazine''."

Popular culture references

Biographies

* In 1996,

wrote the first biography of Madhubala, titled ''The Mystery and Mystique of Madhubala''. * In 1997, Khatija Akbar wrote another biography, titled '' Madhubala: Her Life, Her Films''.

In film

*The 1950 film ''

Madhubala 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, ...

'' was named after the actress as a tribute to her stardom. *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). *Actress Nishi parodied Madhubala in the 1960 film '' Parakh''. *In the 1970s, Greek singer Stelios Kazantzidis produced the song "Mandoubala" as a tribute to Madhubala. *In the 1990 film ''

Jeevan Ek Sanghursh ''Jeevan Ek Sanghursh'' () is a 1990 Bollywood film directed by Rahul Rawail, produced by D. Rama Naidu. It stars Raakhee, Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit in the leading roles. The film was successful and was the tenth highest grossing Bollywood ...

'', the characters of Madhuri Dixit and

Anil Kapoor Anil Kapoor (born 24 December 1956) is an Indian actor and producer who works primarily in Hindi films, besides television and international films and television. In a career spanning over 40 years as an actor and since 2005 as a producer, Kapo ...

imitated a dance sequence featuring Madhubala and Kishore Kumar from ''Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi'' (1958). *Madhuri Dixit parodied Madhubala in the 1990 film ''

Kishen Kanhaiya ''Kishen Kanhaiya'' is a 1990 Indian Hindi action comedy film directed by Rakesh Roshan, released in 1990. The film stars Anil Kapoor(in double role), Shilpa Shirodkar, Madhuri Dixit in lead roles. In this movie, Shilpa Shirodkar had a controv ...

''. *In the opening credits of the 1995 film '' Rangeela'', a tribute to the

Hindi film industry Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

, each name is accompanied with an image of a vintage film star, including Madhubala, Dev Anand and

Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan (; born as Amitabh Shrivastav; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor, film producer, television host, occasional playback singer and former politician known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the most succe ...

. *Madhubala's Anarkali look has inspired Madhuri Dixit in ''

Lajja Lajja may refer to: * ''Lajja'' (novel), a 1993 novel by Taslima Nasrin * ''Lajja'' (2001 film), an Indian Hindi-language social drama film * ''Lajja'' (TV series), an Indian television series * Lajja Shankar Pandey, a fictional villain played ...

'' (2001) and

Mallika Sherawat Reema Lamba (born 24 October 1976), better known as Mallika Sherawat, is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Hindi language films. Known for her bold onscreen attitude in films like ''Khwahish'' (2003) and ''Murder'' (2004), Sherawat ...

in ''

Maan Gaye Mughal-e-Azam '' Maan Gaye Mughal-E-Azam'', is a 2008 Indian Hindi-language crime comedy film about a group of actors who attempt to prevent an underworld conspiracy from destabilizing the Indian government. The film is set in 1993 after the communal riots tha ...

'' (2008). * Priyanka Chopra parodied Madhubala, Meena Kumari and Nargis in the 2007 film '' Salaam-e-Ishq''. *In 2017, actress Mouni Roy dressed herself as Madhubala's Anarkali for a dance performance. * Madhubala has served as the inspiration behind the characters of actresses Soha Ali Khan, Kangana Ranaut and

Deepika Padukone Deepika Padukone ( or ; born 5 January 1986) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. She is one of the highest-paid actresses in India, and her accolades include three Filmfare Awards. She features in listings of the nation's most pop ...

in '' Khoya Khoya Chand'' (2007), '' Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai'' (2010), and ''

Bajirao Mastani ''Bajirao Mastani'' is a 2015 Indian Hindi-language epic historical romance film directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who co-produced it with Eros International and composed its soundtrack. The film stars Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Priy ...

'' (2015), respectively. In July 2018, Madhubala's sister Madhur Bhushan, announced that she was planning to make a biopic on her sister. Bhushan wants

Kareena Kapoor Kareena Kapoor Khan (; ''née'' Kapoor; born 21 September 1980) is an Indian actress who appears in Bollywood, Hindi films. She is the daughter of actors Randhir Kapoor and Babita, and the younger sister of actress Karisma Kapoor. Noted for pl ...

to play Madhubala, but as of 2018, the project remains in its initial stages. In November 2019, filmmaker Imtiaz Ali was considering a biopic of Madhubala, but later dropped the idea after her family denied permission. Actresses including

Kriti Sanon Kriti Sanon (born 27 July 1990) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi and Telugu-language films. After pursuing a degree in engineering from the Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, she briefly worked as a fashion model. Sanon began h ...

, Kangana Ranaut, Kiara Advani, and

Janhvi Kapoor Janhvi Kapoor (born 6 March 1997) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. Born to Sridevi and Boney Kapoor, she made her acting debut in 2018 with the romantic drama ''Dhadak'', which was a commercial success. Kapoor went on to receive a ...

, and

Yami Gautam Yami Gautam Dhar (born 28 November 1988) is an Indian actress known predominantly for her work in Bollywood, Hindi films. She sprang into prominence after doing some commercials for Glow & Lovely and began her acting career in television shows ...

have expressed their wish to play Madhubala in a biopic.

Footnotes

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1933 births 1969 deaths Indian film actresses Actresses in Hindi cinema Actresses from Delhi Pashtun actresses Indian Muslims Indian people of Pashtun descent 20th-century Indian actresses People with congenital heart defects Kishore Kumar

Early life

Acting career

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

Rise to prominence and stardom (1948–1957)

''Mughal-e-Azam'' and continued commercial success (1958–1962)

Sabbaticals and final work (1964–69)

Personal life

Philanthropy

Friendships

Relationships and marriage

Health deterioration and final years

Death

Public image

Artistry and legacy

Acting style and reception

Legacy

Works and accolades

Tributes and honours

Popular culture references

Biographies

In film

Footnotes

Bibliography

References

Further reading

External links