THE LEGEND ACTRESS MADHUBALA
Madhubala was born Mumtaz Jahan Begum Dehlavi in New Delhi,
on 14 February 1933, to Muslim parents of Pashtun (Pathan) descent, and was the
fifth of eleven children. The family lived in Delhi. According to her sister,
Madhur Bhushan, she was born a blue baby, which would later have implications
on her health.
Madhubala's first movie, Basant (1942), was a box-office
success. She acted as the daughter to a mother played by actress Mumtaz Shanti.
As a child actress she went on to play in several movies.Her lead role break,
at 14-years-old, was with producer Kidar Sharma when he cast her opposite Raj
Kapoor in Neel Kamal (1947).The film was not a commercial success but her
performance was well received.
She appeared in film classics Mahal (1949), Mr. & Mrs.
'55 (1955), Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958) and Mughal-e-Azam (1960). She was
active between 1949 and 1960, after which illness shortened her career. With
her contemporaries Nargis and Meena Kumari she is regarded as one of the influential
Hindi movie actresses.
Hollywood interest
In the early 1950s, as Madhubala became one of the most
sought-after actresses in India, she attracted interest from Hollywood. She
appeared in the American magazine Theatre Arts where, in its August 1952 issue,
she was featured in an article with a full page photograph under the title: "The
Biggest Star in the World - and she's not in Beverly Hills".At this time,
on a trip to Mumbai and its film studios hosted by the Hindi film industry, the
American filmmaker Frank Capra wanted to meet Madhubala to discuss an opening
for her in Hollywood, however, Madhubala's father declined his proposal.
Final years and death
In 1960 Madhubala sought treatment in London as her
condition deteriorated.Complicated heart surgery was in its infancy but offered
some hope of a cure. After an examination doctors refused to operate, convinced
her chances of surviving the procedure were minimal.Their advice was that she
should rest and avoid overexertion, and predicted that she could live for
another year. Knowing her death was imminent she returned to India, but lived a
further 9 years.
In 1966, with a slight improvement in her health, Madhubala
worked again opposite Raj Kapoor in the film Chalak. Film media noted her
"comeback" with much publicity. However, within a few days of
filming, her frail health caused her to collapse and the film remained
incomplete and unreleased.
When acting was no longer an option Madhubala turned her
attention to film direction. In 1969 she was set to make her directorial debut
with the film Farz aur Ishq. However the film was never made as during
pre-production she died, this on 23 February 1969 shortly after her 36th
birthday. She was buried with her diary at the Santa Cruz Muslim cemetery by
her family and husband Kishore Kumar. Her tomb was marble with added aayats
from the Quran and verse dedications.
