On February 14, 1933, a new life was brought into this world. Her name was Mumtaz Dehlavi Khan and little did she know the woman that she would grow up to become.
She was born into a poor family. With her father unemployed, Mumtaz turned to acting at the tender age of eight years old. With film studios in their backyard, in Malad, India, they would audition and soon she snagged the role in Basant as Baby Mumtaz.
She was often compared to Marilyn Monroe and after several movies, Mumtaz was renamed Madhubala by her close friend, Devika Rani. The name fit her perfectly; for, she was a honey sweet teenager on the verge of womanhood with a signature lopsided grin.
At seventeen years old, Madhubala signed on to act in the movie Tarana and never looked back. On the set, she met and fell in love with heartthrob, Dilip Kumar.
Once, however, the bubbly actress’ talent did not quite rise to the occasion. This was the time when, in her personal life, her love affair with Dilip Kumar was at its peak. She was shooting for Guru Dutt’s Mr. and Mrs. 55 at Mehboob Studio. Abrar Alvi, the film’s scriptwriter; narrates the incident, The scene to be shot had Lalita Pawar showing Madhubala a photograph of her husband in a compromising position with another woman. It was a ruse to make the heroine file for divorce. Since we didn’t have the relevant photograph at the time of the shoot we borrowed a photograph of the same size, from Mehboob Khan’s office, with the intention of inserting the right later on. Now, it so happened that the one we borrowed was a photograph of Dilip Kumar. When Madhu saw it she just refused to do the scene. ‘I can’t concentrate,’ she pleaded. ‘Please get another photograph.’ No amount of cajoling helped. Ultimately, we had to do as she wished. (Chowdhury 18 & 19).
Without distraction, Madhubala faced Dilip Kumar in Mughal-E-Azam; which took ten years to make. By then, Madhubala’s father, Ataullah Khan, had become a domineering stage father and he did his best to keep Dilip away from Madhubala. However, like Romeo and Juliet, Dilip and Madhubala found ways to see each other; sometimes a mutual friend’s home and if not; there was always on set.
They found ways and means of meeting each other, away from Ataullah Khan’s disapproving eye sometimes in Sushila Rani’s house, sometimes in her make-up room. (Chowdury 38).
B.R. Chopra signed Madhubala and Dilip Kumar; who were now considered a power-house team, to a new movie Nayar Daur in 1957. After signing the contract and filming some scenes, Ataullah refused to let his daughter go out of Bombay for some outdoor scenes. Even after it was pointed out to him that he had signed the contract in which outdoor scenes had been discussed. In breach of contract, Madhubala was dropped from the film in favor of Vyjantimala. This outraged Ataullah and he sued Chopra.
Chopra defended himself spiritedly, with Dilip Kumar supporting him and giving evidence against Madhubala and her father. Chopra declared that his film could not be made without the Bhopal schedule. “The judge,” narrates Chopra, “was a down-to-earth person. He said he would reserve his judgment till he had seen my film, to find out if what I had said was true.” (Chowdury 43).
The judge saw the film and said that filming in Bhopal was essential to the plot of the movie. Chopra did not hold any hard feelings towards Madhubala and they remained colleagues. This court battle ended her relationship with Dilip Kumar and Madhubala never recovered.
On the rebound, she married Kishore Kumar and was never accepted into his family with open arms. The marriage never worked and within a few weeks moved back home with her father and sisters.
Sadly, the marriage did not work. Again, there are varied reasons as to why the actress returned to her father’s house within weeks of signing on the dotted line. Some reveal that she confided to them about how unbearable she found Kishore’s miserly habits. But there are others who find his hard to believe. Abrar Alvi speaks in glowing terms of Kishore’s large-heartedness. “He never defaulted on payments and always paid generously. He was a very hospitable man and treated me to extravagant spreads, which included Bengali sweets. Madhu went back to her father’s house because her weak heart could not take the loud noise of the aeroplanes that flew low over Kishore’s house which was very close to the airport.” (Chowdhury 49).
Lower and lower did her spirits sink, for, many believe that she was still in love with Dilip Kumar and lower and lower did her health sink. She had kept her sickness a secret for so long. For many years, she had suffered from a hole in her heart and only her family knew. Many times, had she collapsed on set and they had only thought she was delicate. Madhubala had let them believe that, for, in Mughal-E-Azam, you can see her pain with the real chains that are on her in one scene and beads of sweat on her face in the scene where she and Nigar Sultana are singing a debate on love. She hid her sickness very well.
When Sushila Rani went to see her, the actress hugged her tight and sent a message for Baburao Patal, “Tell Uncle, it is never too late to visit the sick.” Tears spring to Sushila Rani’s eyes as she remembers this incident, even though decades have passed since then. Shakti Samanta, too, is visibly moved when he recalls how he got a phone call from her saying, “I want to meet you. Please come!” “When I went over, I found her very thin and unwell but with full make-up on. I asked her, ‘Madhu, why are you wearing make-up?’ And she replied, ‘Shakti, you have seen me in my best form. I could not let you see me as I am today.’ I found it difficult to check my tears. Such a fabulous person, such a great artiste and she was talking like this! She was very depressed.” (Chowdhury 57).
Ironically, after her Valentine’s Day Birthday, Madhubala died at the young age of thirty-six, on February 23, 1969 from a hole in her heart. Some say it was from a broken heart and others say it was from congenital heart disease. Alas, no one will ever know as Ataullah buried Madhubala along with her diary. Her secrets are safe with her.
Bibliography
(Chowdhury, Alpana. Madhubala: Masti & Magic. Rupa & Co 2003)
