Remembering the Most Beautiful Women of Bollywood

When I think about Madhubala, the word icon is the first thing that comes to my mind. She has come to symbolize the glamor, seductive qualities, and mystique, of India's Hindi film industry, Bollywood. Yet this icon also had a fragile, semi-tragic, human existence. It is this dichotomy of fairy-tale gloss and human infallibility that swirls around Madhubala, elevating her to a legendary status, as one of the most revered and talked about figures of Hindi cinema, even 35+ year after her passing.

Early Years

She was born, February 14, 1933, Valentines Day, in the Malad suburb of Bombay. Her given name was Mumtaz Khan, the third of six daughters. Madhubala's father, was Ataullah Khan, a Pathan who had immigrated from the north. At this time Bombay Talkies studio adjoined the Malad suburb, and at the age of 8 Ataullah took Mumtaz to Devila Rani and Himanshu Rai, studio bosses at Bombay Talkies for an audition. They were impressed by the fair beauty of the young girl and signed her as a child artiste putting her in her first film, Basant. Mumtaz's song in the film was a hit. She then acted in a number of films as a child artiste.

When she was 13 years old Mumtaz was signed on for her first Heroine role. The film was directed by the great Kidar Sharma and was titled, Neel Kamal. She starred opposite Raj Kapoor who was making his debut as a hero in the movie. It was on this film that producer Devika Rani gave her the name Madhubala, which means, "young maiden made of honey". Over the next three years between 1947 to 1949 Madhubala starred in 17 films, including, Amar Prem (w/raj kapoor), Dulari (w/suresh), Mahal (w/ashok kumar), and Lal Dupatta (w/sapru). All of these films were made before she was even 17 years old.

Madhubala, grew up within the confines of the movie studio's of Bombay. Her father ruled her every move with an iron hand. Consequently she never got to experience a proper childhood. Her life was acting, and she had a natural gift for it. The film set was Madhubala's everything, her home away from home, playground, school room. All of her friend's were associated with the film industry in some way or another.

When she was 17 Madhubala starred in Tarana. The hero of the film was Dilip Kumar. This film was the introduction and meeting ground for these two actors. The pairing of Madhubala and Dilip Kumar, on and off screen would go on to become the most legendary tragic love affair of Indian film history.

Madhubala and Dilip Kumar

The story of Madhubala and Dilip Kumar as with any love affair ending in disillusion has two sides. The fact was that for Madhubala, their affair without doubt, was the major love story of her life. Biographers from either side take their opinions, as to why the love affair did not have a happy ending. It was an affair of melodramatic proportions, worthy of the best of Bollywood scripts. And it seems the pair continued to pine for each other far after their tragic break up. Their stormy relationship lasted about eight years. The major stumbling block of the relationship seems to have been Madhubala's father, Ataullah Khan. Madhubala was the sole bread winner of the household, and Khan controlled all of his daughter's career, financial, and social affairs. Ataullah apparently chaperoned her everywhere, banning any and every person who he felt might emotionally influence his daughter against him. The elder Khan was definitely against a relationship forming between Dilip and Madhubala, especially when she was at the young age of 17 and just starting to demand huge sums of money for her parts in films.

It has been said that Dilip Kumar demanded that if they were to marry, Madhubala would have break off all ties with her family. The veracity of this statement is questionable. It would be safe to say that Kumar must have felt a deep resentment towards Ataullah Khan. It was only on the actual film set, or the movie studio that the couple were allowed to interact, and that, only behind the back of the elder Khan. Their rendezvous had to be kept hidden. For Madhubala, to be under the watchful eye of her father, had always been her whole way of life, but for Dilip Kumar, it must have felt like a huge imposition.

The couple though did carry on their affair in this manner for a few years. The stress and inability to have a proper relationship took their toll and finally in 1957 they finally broke up. The events were a major scandal, and involved a court house drama, with the press and eager public as audience.

Dilip and Madhubala had both been signed and were well into pre-production for the BR Chopra film Naya Daur. In the film a 40 day shooting schedule had been allotted to take place on location in Bopal. Ataullah Khan refused to let Madhubala do the location shoot, claiming the scenes could be shot in studio. BR Chopra told Khan the 40 day location shoot was essential. Now it was well known that Ataullah Khan had always refused to let Madhubala do location shoots, stating her fragile health. Dilip Kumar was certain the reason Ataullah would not let her go was because the pair would be unchaperoned on a location shoot for 40 days. Madhubala herself was caught in the middle, she opted to follow whatever decision her father demanded. Eventually Madhubala was dropped from the film and replaced by Vyjayanthimala.

Ataullah sued, and BR Chopra counter sued. Eventually the whole fiasco was dragged into court. At some point in the trial the personal relationship between Dilip Kumar and Madhubala was put down as evidence, and their whole affair was put under the spotlight. The filmi press had a field day, and the public ate up every word of the published court transcripts. Dilip feeling very bitter had of course sided with BR Chopra and presented evidence against Ataullah Khan and Madhubala. The elder Khan presented evidence against Chopra and Kumar. It spelled disaster for the couple. At one point in the trial a distraught Dilip Kumar under cross examination on the witness stand, declared, "I love this woman and shall love her till my dying day." The affair though, had come to a bitter end.

Mugal E Azam

Madhubala played the heroine of K Asif's epic Mugal E Azam. The film took an incredible 10 years to complete from the years 1950 to 1960. The film production schedule ironically follows the graph of the Madhubala Dilip Kumar love affair. By the end of filming, the pair had already gone through their break-up. Dilip Kumar was incredibly bitter and is said to have refused to even talk to Madhubala unless it was in an actual film shot. It is a testament to the acting abilities of Madhubala that she was able to portray her role with such clarity under these conditions. Ironically life also imitates art. As in the story Madhubala's character Anarkali is forced into the ruse of convincing Dilip Kumar's character Salim that she really does not love him.

The character of Anarkali was Madhubala's greatest role, in one of the greatest of Indian films ever made. Plagued by ill health, a broken heart, and the trappings of stardom, despite all the adversity she completed the film. She may have sensed that this film would be her ticket to immortality, a permanence and completeness on film, a certain sublime beauty, that had eluded her own private life. The role of Anarkali in Mugal E Azam is without a doubt considered one of the greatest portrayals and beautifully imaged roles on Indian film history.

The Broken Heart

By the end of filming for Mugal E Azam, Madhubala had been diagnosed with a congenital heart disease. Her condition was so advance that doctor's ordered her to stop working. Madhubala, completed the films she had all ready committed to and then retired. She was only 28 years old. It has been said that her father and Madhubala knew of her condition many years before, but the family kept it secret from the outside world. Today Madhubala's congenital heart condition is curable, but at that time her fate was sealed, she had a fatal disease.

Soon after Madhubala's break up with Dilip Kumar she married actor/singer Kishore Kumar. They starred together in a few well received comedies, most notably Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi. The Madhubala, Kishore Kumar marriage after its initial bliss turned stormy and unfullfilling. Madhubala's impending ill health, which confined her to her house, caused huge amounts of tension. Once surrounded by mass amounts of attention and fuss, able to vent her impetuous, boisterous personality through film roles and characterizations Madhubala found herself confined by a lone husband and household that seemed like a prison for her. Kishore Kumar recounts that they argued and bickered constantly, and that it was nearly impossible to quell his wife's, jealousy and frustrations for her tragic predicament. Her heart and spirit were greatly weakened and Madhubala both pushed loved ones away and craved their attention. She existed on the visits of family and friends. In the last few years of her life, she was confined to her bed. Madhubala passed away on February 23, 1969, she had just turned 36 years old.

The Screen Goddess

She is considered the most beautiful woman to have ever appeared on the Indian film screen. Her untimely death and tragic romance with Dilip Kumar has elevated her to mythical status. Yet Madhubala, the little eight year old girl Mumtaz Mahal, from the poor suburbs of Malad Bombay who rose to be a screen goddess is little is actually known. Her life lives on, recounted by friends, acquaintances, and family. She had no official biographer, and those who knew her intimately have kept a code of silence as to her most private thoughts and deeds. Some less than credible journalists have claimed that Madhubala was very promiscuous, and possessed many lovers. These tales all seem to be part of the wild imagination of these journalists speculation. It is well recounted that Madhubala was vivacious and flirtatious, yet this is no proof of indiscretion. All the evidence points to Madhubala being a child/woman well aware of her power over men and playing with it to be innocently flirtatious all the name of girlish fun.

Madhubala had the same power over the camera as she did with men. Her eyes spoke, her lopsided smile enchanted, she had that ineffable magic that lit up the screen with her presence. It is undeniable that she was not only a great beauty, but a natural actress who was as much at home with tragedy as with comedy. Her name still evokes magic with those familiar with Indian film. Every cinema has their legends, Hollywood has Greta Garbo, Marylyn Monroe, and James Dean, Japanese cinema has Toshiro Mifune, French cinema has Jean Gaban and Brigit Bardot. Indian cinema has its mythical queen also, her name was Madhubala.