75 Facts About Madhubala

Madhubala progressed to leading roles in the late 1940s, and earned success with the dramas Neel Kamal and Amar, the horror film Mahal, and the romantic films Badal and Tarana.

Madhubala worked sporadically in film in the 1960s, making her final appearance in the drama Sharabi.

Madhubala was born as Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi in Delhi, British India, on 14 February 1933.

Madhubala was the fifth of eleven children of Ataullah Khan and Aayesha Begum.

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.

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 station to sing compositions of Khurshid Anwar.

Chunnilal took an immediate liking towards Madhubala and suggested Khan to visit Bombay for better employment opportunities.

Madhubala subsequently found low-paid temporary jobs in the city, but continued to struggle financially.

Madhubala did not get the role but Khan now decided to settle permanently in Bombay seeing a prospect in films.

Madhubala was signed to a three-year contract with Chandulal Shah's studio Ranjit Movietone, on a monthly payment of 300.

Madhubala's income led to Khan shifting the family to a neighbouring rented house in Malad.

Eager to establish a foothold in the industry, in November 1946, Madhubala began shooting for two of Mohan Sinha's directorial ventures, Chittor Vijay and Mere Bhagwaan, which were supposed to be her introduction to the silver-screen in adult roles.

Madhubala was offered the film after Sharma's first choice, actress Kamla Chatterjee, died.

Madhubala 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.

Madhubala found her first critical and commercial success in the drama Lal Dupatta, which The Indian Express mentioned as a breakthrough for her.

Madhubala's character was that of Kamini, a servant girl in an ancient mansion, whose pretensions of an apparition lead to disastrous consequences.

Madhubala then collaborated with actor Dilip Kumar twice in a row, on the 1951 comedy Tarana and the 1952 drama Sangdil.

Madhubala seems to have discovered her soul at last in Dilip Kumar's company.

Madhubala was cast in the costume drama Shahehshah before Kamini Kaushal replaced her.

Madhubala returned to Bombay after completing the film and took a short-term medical leave from work, which led to her replacement in Uran Khatola.

The film met with a tepid response and lost a lot of money, compelling Madhubala to sell her bungalow Kismet to recover the loss.

Chopra over the location shoot of Naya Daur, in which Madhubala was cast to play the female protagonist.

Madhubala appeared in two period films in 1956, Raj Hath and Shirin Farhad, both critical and commercial successes.

Madhubala then starred in the drama Ek Saal, which follows the love story of a terminally-ill ingenue.

Madhubala began the year 1958 with Raj Khosla's Kala Pani, in which she co-starred with Dev Anand and Nalini Jaywant, playing an intrepid journalist investigating a 15-year-old murder.

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.

Madhubala followed this success with the box office hit Phagun.

Madhubala's second collaboration with Samanta, Insan Jaag Utha, was a social drama film in which the protagonists work on the construction of a dam.

Madhubala had joined the cast in 1952 with an advance payment of Rs.

Madhubala was troubled by the night schedules and complicated dance sequences, which she had been medically asked to avoid.

Madhubala 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 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.

Madhubala further withdrew from some productions that were already underway, including Bombai Ka Babu, Naughty Boy, Jahan Ara, Yeh Basti Ye Log, Suhana Geet and an untitled film with Kishore Sahu.

Madhubala did have a 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, based on the theme of counterfeit money; it was successful financially.

Madhubala's starring role in the musical Barsaat Ki Raat was better received.

Madhubala subsequently discontinued her career and only preferred starring as love interests in a few films, including the comedies Jhumroo, Boy Friend and Half Ticket, and the dramas Passport and Sharabi.

Madhubala kept eighteen Alsatian dogs as pets at Arabian Villa.

In 1950, Madhubala was diagnosed with an incurable ventricular septal defect in her heart ; the diagnosis was not made public as it could jeopardize her career.

Madhubala performed actively in charity, which led editor Baburao Patel to call her the "queen of charity".

Madhubala's donation sparked off a major controversy due to her religious beliefs and received wide coverage in the media at that time.

In 1954, it was revealed that Madhubala had been regularly giving monthly bonuses to the lower staff of her studios.

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.

Sarla Bhushan, the wife of Bharat Bhushan, with whom Madhubala had a special bond, died of labour complications in 1957, much to her distress.

Also in 1951, Madhubala began a romance with actor Dilip Kumar, whom she had earlier met working on Jwar Bhata.

Madhubala parted ways with him in 1957 amidst the court case over the production of Naya Daur.

Madhubala was such a beautiful woman and she died so painfully.

In London, doctors refused to operate on her, fearing complications, and instead advised Madhubala to avoid any kind of stress and anxiety.

Madhubala was dissuaded from having any children and given a life expectancy of two years.

Madhubala's health continued declining and she now frequently quarrelled with her husband.

Madhubala's comeback was welcomed by the media, but Madhubala immediately fainted as the shoot began; the film was thus never completed.

Madhubala spent her final years bedridden and lost a lot of weight.

Madhubala grew very reclusive, meeting only Geeta Dutt and Waheeda Rehman from the film industry in those days.

Madhubala's 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 be kept by her side as she often suffered from hypoxia.

Madhubala was buried at Juhu Muslim Cemetery in Santacruz, Bombay along with her personal diary.

Madhubala was one of the most celebrated film stars in India from the late 1940s to early 1960s.

For Mahal, her first film under a major production company, Madhubala was paid a sum of 7,000.

Madhubala received an unprecedented amount of 3 lakh for her decade-long work in Mughal-e-Azam.

Madhubala was placed seven times on Box Office India's list of top actresses from 1949 to 1951, and from 1958 to 1961.

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, until Khan and other journalists ultimately made a settlement.

Madhubala has been credited for introducing several modern styles, such as trousers and strapless dresses in Bollywood.

Madhubala had the shortest career among her contemporaries, but by the time she quit acting, she had already successfully featured in over 70 films.

Madhubala wished to play more dramatic and author-backed roles, but was often discouraged.

Madhubala's talents were first acknowledged after the release of Mughal-e-Azam, but it turned out to be one of her final films.

Madhubala imparted a lot of sizzle and impishness to her performances in films like Chalti Ka Naam Gadi and Mughal-e-Azam.

In recent years, Madhubala's legacy has maintained fans of all different ages, both younger and older.

Madhubala is recognized even by those who are unfamiliar with vintage cinema and has dozens of fan sites dedicated to her on the social media.

Madhubala's legacy has extended to fashion : 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.

Research analyst Rohit Sharma has studied narratives about Madhubala and surmised the reason behind her continued relevancy among new generation:.

Madhubala was credited as a producer in Naata, Mehlon Ke Khwab and Pathan.

In March 2008, Indian Post 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.

In 2018, The New York Times published a belated obituary for Madhubala, comparing her life to that of Marilyn Monroe.