Feb 18, 2023
By: Srishti MaganPeople have long been drawing lists of beautiful stars - at times ranking them on sex appeal, and at times, on Greek ratios of beauty. But how can you rate the personification of beauty herself? The charm and grace that yesteryear star Madhubala possessed continue to mesmerise people, even today. Here’s a look at the life and journey to stardom of the actor who was born, and also died, in the month of February:
Credit: BCCL
Born as Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi on February 14, 1933, Madhubala was the fifth of eleven children. She was born with a congenital heart disorder that later led to her demise. Originally hailing from Delhi, Madhubala and her family shifted to Mumbai for better opportunities for the young star.
Credit: Wallpapers/LIFE-Magazine
Madhubala started her acting career as a child artiste in the 1940s, credited as ‘baby Mumtaz’ in most films. Her first tryst with entertainment though came earlier—aged 7, she sang for All India Radio. She was only 14 when she debuted as a leading lady with the 1947 drama Neel Kamal. The film also marked the debut of Raj Kapoor.
Credit: BCCL
Neel Kamal was the start of Madhubala’s journey to stardom. Slowly, the movies she added to her kitty went on to become Bollywood classics - be it Guru Dutt's iconic comedy Mr. & Mrs. '55, Raj Khosla's thriller Kala Pani, or her career’s crowning glory, K. Asif’s period drama Mughal-e-Azam.
Credit: BCCL
While tales of her affairs boosted the sales of many tabloids, her love affair with the camera remained her calling card. She appeared in over 70 movies in her career- and took to each genre like a fish to water. Her impish charm brought the screen alive in comedies while her soulful gaze hooked the audience in romantic tragedies.
Credit: BCCL
In 1951, Madhubala first fell in love with Dilip Kumar. Their affair made headlines but didn’t get her father’s approval, and the two parted ways. Later, during a legal battle regarding Madhubala’s acting contract breach for BR Chopra’s Naya Daur, Kumar testified against her.
Credit: BCCL
Madhubala married Kishore Kumar in 1960 but soon after her marriage, her health deteriorated. Her health conditions continued to worsen, turning her into a “bad-tempered” woman - in the words of her brother-in-law, Ashok Kumar. She contracted jaundice in 1969 and subsequently succumbed to her ailments on February 23. She was 36 at the time.
Credit: BCCL
Her popularity spread beyond Bollywood - to Greece, Pakistan, Malaysia, and even Hollywood. Her father declined an offer from director Frank Capra to cast her in Hollywood, but photographer James Burke captured her effervescent charm for the 1951 issue of Life magazine.
Credit: Wallpapers/LIFE-Magazine
There have been many tributes in her honour - from a commemorative postage stamp issued in 2008 to a Greek song (Mandoubala) dedicated to her at the 2004 Athens Olympics closing ceremony. In 2018, the New York Times included her in the list of 15 remarkable women overlooked by the paper, and dubbed her as “A Bollywood legend whose tragic life mirrored Marilyn Monroe's."
Credit: Olympics