Madhubala's stardom personal life and controversies:-

Madhubala (February 14, 1933 - February 23, 1969) is one of the most gorgeous actresses to have graced the screens of Bollywood. She has made an incredible contribution to the Indian film industry. Well, in this article, we will present you with the biography of Indian actress Madhubala.

Born as Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi on the February 14, 1933, Madhubala was the fifth child of the Pashtun Muslim family. A Muslim holy man had once predicted that this girl would make a name for herself and become a prominent personality. She would earn loads of wealth and fortune, but unfortunately won't be able to enjoy a happy life and die at a very young age. To know the complete life history of Madhubala, read on… Madhubala is an epitome of beauty, who had an unbeatable charm. She is admired for her looks and work even by the present day generations. Madhubala's father named Ataullah Khan, on hearing the words of the Muslim holy man, planned to migrate to Bombay (now Mumbai) for leading a better life. Things were not smooth and the family had to struggle a lot for a year. Madhubala entered into the Indian film industry as a child artist. At that time, she was known as Baby.

Personal life and controversies :-

In their 19

62 book Self-Portrait, Harish Booch and Karing Doyle commented that like other stars, Madhubala prefers a veiled secrecy around her and is seldom seen in social gatherings or public functions"  and went on to say that ontrary to general belief, Madhubala is rather simple and unassuming" .This is echoed in Madhubala's sister's interview with the Filmfare: "(Madhubala) became a craze because she was never seen in public. She wasn’t allowed to attend any function, any premiere. She had no friends. But she never resisted, she was obedient. Being protective, my father earned the reputation of being domineering". Dilip Kumar added, "She was extremely popular ... and I think the only star for whom people thronged outside the gates. Very often when shooting was over, there’d be a vast crowd standing at the gates just to have a look at Madhu ... It wasn’t so for anyone else. That was her personal effect on fans. Her personality was vivacious." But, "she was aware of her beauty," reminisces B. K. Karanjia, former Filmfare editor and a close friend of both Madhubala and her father, "and because there were so many in love with her, she used to play one against the other. But it was out of innocence rather than shrewd calculation." Dev Anand recalled in a similar way: "he liked to flirt innocently and was great fun." However, with Dilip Kumar she had a long association.

Dilip Kumar and Madhubala first met on the set of Jwar Bhata (1944), and worked together again on the film Har Singaar (1949), which was shelved. Their relationship began two years later during the filming of Tarana (1951). They became a romantic pair appearing in a total of four films together. Actor Shammi Kapoor recalled that "Dilip Kumar would drive down from Bombay to meet Madhubala ... she was committed to Dilip ... he even flew to Bombay to spend Eid with her, taking time off from his shooting stint ..." "They even got engaged", said Madhubala's sister. But, Madhubala's father Ataullah Khan did not give them permission to marry. Dilip Kumar said, "She was a very, very obedient daughter", and who, in spite of the success, fame and wealth, submitted to the domination of her father and more often than not paid for his mistakes. "This inability to leave her family was her greatest drawback", believed Shammi Kapoor, "for it had to be done at some time." The Naya Daur (1957 film) court case happened in 1956 when Dilip Kumar testified against Madhubala and her father in favor of the director B.R. Chopra in open court. This struck a fatal blow to the Dilip-Madhubala relationship as it ended any chance of reconciliation between Dilip Kumar and Madhubala'a father. Reflecting on this, while Dilip Kumar said he was "trapped", Shammi Kapoor felt "this was something which went beyond him (Dilip) and he couldn’t control the whole situation ... However, Madhubala's sister Madhur Bhushan claimed that "(Madhubala) said she would marry him (Dilip), provided he apologised to her father. He refused, so Madhubala left him. That one 'sorry' could have changed her life.

Madhubala married Kishore Kumar in 1960 after Kishore Kumar converted to Islam and took up the name Karim Abdul, and according to Leena Chandavarkar (Kishore's fourth wife): "When she realized Dilip was not going to marry her, on the rebound and just to prove to him that she could get whomsoever she wanted, she went and married a man she did not even know properly." B. K. Karanjia assumed that "Madhubala may have felt that perhaps this was her best chance" because by this time she became seriously ill, and was about to stop working completely; however, he added that "it was a most unlikely union, and not a happy one either."  Madhubala’s illness was known to Kishore, but like all the others, he did not realize its gravity; Ataullah Khan did not approve of his son-in-law at all, but he had lost the courage to disapprove. Ashok Kumar reminisced in a Filmfareinterview: "She suffered a lot and her illness made her very bad-tempered. She often fought with Kishore, and would take off to her father's house where she spent most of her time." Madhubala's sister echoes this view albeit in a slightly different tone: "After marriage they flew to London where the doctor told her she had only two years to live. After that Kishore left her at our house saying, ‘I can’t look after her. I’m on outdoors often’. But she wanted to be with him. He’d visit her once in two months though. Maybe he wanted to detach himself from her so that the final separation wouldn’t hurt. But he never abused her as was reported. He bore her medical expenses. They remained married for nine years."

However, Madhubala's love-life continued to be the subject of media speculation. Mohan Deep wrote an unofficial biography of Madhubala titled Mystery and Mystique of Madhubala, published in 1996, where he claims that Kishore Kumar regularly whipped Madhubala, who would show her lashes to Shakti Samanta. Mohan Deep also questions whether Madhubala was really ill or whether her ailing was a fiction. Shammi Kapoor, a long-term colleague of Madhubala, refuted Mohan Deep's claims, which he described as being "in bad taste". Paidi Jairaj, and Shakti Samanta, both of whom worked with Madhubala, rejected Deep's biography emphasizing the glaring difference between fact and fiction, and film journalist M.S.M. Desai, who had worked as a journalist on Madhubala's sets, questioned Deep's method of research saying, "Mohan Deep was not around at the time of Madhubala, so how is he capable of writing about her without resorting to hearsay?

"MADHUBALA WAS SAD WHEN DILIP KUMAR GOT MARRIED"

Msdhubala  first fell in love with Premnath. The relationship lasted six months. It broke on grounds of religion. He asked her to convert and she refused. The next relationship was with Dilip Kumar. She met Bhaijan (Dilip Kumar) on the sets of Tarana. They later worked in Sangdil, Amar and Mughal-e-Azam.  It was a nine year long affair. They even got engaged. Unki apa aayee thi, chunni lekar (his sister had come with a chunni as is the custom). dilip kumar was also a Pathan. Contrary to reports, madhubala's father never stopped her from getting married. We already had enough money by then and were financially secure. madubala and dilip kumar looked made for each other. He’d often come home. He has even seen madhubala's sister in  school uniform. He was respectful towards us children and addressed us with ‘aap’. The two would go for a drive or sit in the room and talk. ‘‘The breakup with Dilip Kumar happened due to the court case during Naya Daur in the mid ’50s. The unit was to shoot somewhere in Gwalior.  During the shooting of another film Jabeen Jaleel, at the same location, a mob had attacked the women and even torn their clothes off. My father was wary and just asked that the locale be changed. It’s not that he didn’t let her go outdoors. madhubala had shot in Mahableshwar, Hyderabad and other places before. dilip kumar called my father ‘a dictator’ in court and sided with the Chopras (late BR Chopra was the director). Darare padh gayee, rishtey toot gaye (relationships were broken).‘‘We love and respect dilip kumar but madhubala's sister  have just one question, ‘Aapki mohabbat yahan thi, aapki chahat yahan thi, phir aapne aisa kyun kiya (why didn’t you side with your love)?’ dilip kumar could’ve simply said let’s change the location. Or remained neutral. madhubala used to cry a lot those days. They had conversations on the phone trying to patch up. He kept saying, ‘Leave your father and I’ll marry you’. She’d say, ‘I’ll marry you but just come home, say sorry and hug him’. It was zid (ego) which destroyed their love. But madhubala's father never asked her to break the engagement or ever demanded an apology from him.

STARDOM:-

After showing her potential as a talented child artist for five years, Madhubala got her first big role as a leading lady due to her mentor Kidar Sharma. It was in his film Neel Kamal (1947) opposite the iconic Raj Kapoor and since then there was no looking back. She became a star within a few days with the release of Mahal (1949) opposite Ashok Kumar, followed by few movies like Dulari and Daulat releasing in the same year. With the advent of the 50s she blossomed and was considered to be the “Venus” of Indian cinema, with hits likeBeqasoor (1950), Tarana (1951), Mr. and Mrs. 55 (1955). Owing to her alluring beauty, she was perfect for romantic roles and did a few in Chalti ka Naam Gaadi (1958) and Half Ticket (1962). During her career she has worked with all the leading male stars of her time, like Pradeep Kumar, Dev Anand, Shammi Kapoor, Rehman and others. She rose to the pinnacle of glory when she featured in the grand Mughal-e-Azam (1960) opposite the superstar Dilip Kumar. The movie is still remembered as a cult movie in the romantic genre. Her stardom transcended the borders and an article was written on her success in the Theatre Arts in August 1962. Frank Kapra, the American director, also offered her prominent roles in Hollywood, which he declined because of her father’s unwillingness.

Prolonged illness:-

According to close sources, Madhubala was born with ventricular septal disease (a disorder of the heart) but the effects were only seen in 1954 on the sets of Bahut Dinn Huey. After marriage, she was even taken to London and was given only two years of survival left. Further, due to long hours of shooting and the demand of the role, she used to neglect treatment routine, which caused her health to deteriorate. She spent her last nine years on bed, but still managed to finish her work. Kishore Kumar wasn’t ready to take her responsibilities due to his work pressure. In 1969, she also set out to direct a movie Farz aur Ishq, which was never made. According to doctors, critical heart surgeries also could not save her live.

THE LAST YEARS OF MADHUBALA AS HER SISTER SAYS :-

‘‘On the rebound Apa got involved with Kishore Kumar who was going through a divorce with Ruma Devi Guha Thakurta (actor-singer). What attracted her to Kishore? Maybe it was his singing or maybe his ability to make her laugh. Their love affair went on for three years through Chalti Ka Naam Gadi and Half Ticket. They got married in 1960, when she was 27. After marriage they flew to London where the doctor told her she had only two years to live. After that Kishore left her at our house saying, ‘I can’t look after her. I’m on outdoors often’. But she wanted to be with him. He’d visit her once in two months though. Maybe he wanted to detach himself from her so that the final separation wouldn’t hurt. But he never abused her as was reported. He bore her medical expenses. They remained married for nine years.  ‘‘The hole in her heart (ventricular septal defect) was detected when she was shooting for SS Vasan’s Chalak in Madras 1954. She had vomited blood. She was advised bed rest for three months but continued working as her films would suffer. While shooting for Mughal-e-Azam she was tied with chains and had to walk around with them. That was stressful. By the end of the day her hands would turn blue. She’d even refuse food saying that she had to look anguished and weary for the jail scenes. The ‘feather scene’ between her and Bhaijan (considered the most romantic in Hindi cinema) was shot after the breakup. ‘‘Due to her ailment, her body would produce extra blood. So it would spill out from the nose and mouth. The doctor would come home and extract bottles of blood. She also suffered from pulmonary pressure of the lungs. She coughed all the time. Every four to five hours she had to be given oxygen or else would get breathless. She was confined to bed for nine years and was reduced to just bones and skin. She’d keep crying, ‘Mujhe zinda rehna hai, mujhe marna nahin hai, doctor kab ilaaj nikalenge (I want to live, I don’t want to die, wonder when the doctors will find a cure)’. 

‘‘During her last days, I was suffering from chicken pox and so was advised to stay away from her. But when the doctor said that she was sinking, 
I rushed up to see her. But she had passed away (February 23, 1969). She was only 36 to my 19.‘‘Though Bhaijan never visited her when she was unwell, he flew down from Madras to pay his last respects at the kabrastan (cemetery). Food was sent from his home to ours for three days (as is the custom). ‘‘I remember when Bhaijan married Saira Banu, Apa was sad because she loved him. She’d say, ‘Unke naseeb mein woh (Saira Banu) thi, main nahin’. But she’d also say, ‘He’s got married to a very pretty girl. She’s so devoted. I’m very happy for him’. But a vacuum remained in her heart. A few years back her tomb was demolished as it was in a Wahabi (a Muslim sect that doesn’t allow building of tombs) cemetery. They wiped away the last memories of a legend.’

 Death:-

The breathtaking beauty breathed her last on 23 February 1969 at a premature age of 36. She was buried at the Santa Cruz cemetery along with her diary, but the last remnant of the beauty, her grave, was wiped away due to religious reasons in 2010.

Even after 80 years of her death, this beautiful actress is liked by many. In 2004 and 2012, her cult movies likeMughal-e-Azam and Half Ticket were released again with digital modifications. In 2008, a postage stamp was released in her honour.Others media reports claimed Madhubala had died due to the utter hardship that she endured during the shooting of K.Asif’s classic MUGHAL-E AZAM. According to reports K.Asif to explore authenticity had used genuine iron chains for the shooting of the song Bekas Pe Karam Kijiye...the burden of these chains played havoc as the amount of physical exertion made Madhubala weak and pale and ultimately took her life. 
However Madhubala’s elder sister Madhur Bhushan turns down all these reports and revealed the real truth about Madhubala’s death in an interview. 
She said, "It may stun readers but the fact is that Madhubala lived a life more than she was expected to live because at birth she was detected of Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD), a disorder colloquially referred to as a ‘hole in the heart.’"
"What was most disturbing is that when she was born of this disease there was no medication but thankfully she survived and it was only during the shooting of BAHUT DIN HUE (1954) when Madhubala vomited blood on the set doctors came to know about her dreadful disease." 
Luckily by than Dr. Clarence Walt Lillehei, an American surgeon who pioneered open-heart surgery, had operated a baby suffering from VSD successfully, she informed.
She added, "Hence we took Madhubala to London for treatment but surgeons declined to operate her as the operation was successful only for kids and for adults research was in progress. Thus we returned disappointed and few years later Madhubal bid adieu." .” [“I am not an apparition, I am reality.”]
“” [“I am not an apparition, I am reality.”]

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