Blast from the past: Madhubala’s tragic life in pictures

Marilyn Monroe and Madhubala

Though the lady died at a very early age and had a very short span in the industry, she still holds an important position in the history of Indian Cinema. She was then called at the Bollywood's Marilyn Monroe but unfortunately, the lady who gave her heart and soul to the Indian Film Industry never received an award for her contribution. Even for her performance as Anarkali in 'Mughal-e-Azam,' Madhubala did not receive an award till date.

Madhubala – Illness

This beautiful lady had a tragic death. She succumbed to her illness at the age of 36. She suffered Congenital heart disease, in simpler words, she had a hole in her heart. She was suffering from this disease since childhood but it online came to limelight when she puked blood on the sets of 'Bahut Din Huwe.' Till then, no one knew that gorgeous lady was so much in pain. Talking about her illness, it is said that Kishore Kumar distanced himself when he realized that Madhubala is suffering from such a grave illness. In one of the interviews, Madhubala's sister revealed that Kishore Kumar bought a house for Madhubalaat Carter Road in Mumbai at then dumped her there to spend her remaining life in loneliness.

Madhubala and Kishore Kumar

Following her split from Dilip Kumar, Madhubala tied the knot with Kishore Kumar in the year 1969. It is being said that this marriage was just a marriage of convenience. The lady married Kishore Kumar just out of vengeance, to show Dilip Kumar that she can marry anyone she wants. And when it comes to Kishore Kumar, reports suggest that he married her only for financial support.

Dilip Kumar and Madhubala

It is said that Madhubala was deeply in love with veteran actor Dilip Kumar. Their love was the talk topic of the town then, as the couple featured in films like Sangdil, Tarana, Amar and Mghal-E-Azam. The two were reportedly engaged too but unfortunately, their love never culminated into marriage. Reports suggest that it was because of Madhubala's father that the two had to split. Apparently, for a film named 'Naya Daur,' Dilip Kumar and Madhubala had to travel out-station for the shoot. Madhubala's father was not happy with this and he asked the lady to quit the film. This led to an ugly fight between the lovebirds as Madhubala wasn't ready to disobey her father's orders. Dilip Saab then asked Madhubala to quit her profession and marry him. The lady wasn't ready to do so and both of them then broke off ties from each other.

Madhubala – Successful Career

In the year 1947, at the age 14, Madhubala bagged her first role in the film named' Neel Kamal.' The movie was directed by Kidar Sharma. The beautiful lady got a chance to share screen space with Raj Kapoor which apparently was his debut film. Critics loved her work as a debutant marking it as the beginning of her successful career in Bollywood Industry. But, it was only after she featured in movie called 'Mahal' that she got recognition in the industry. After this, there was no looking back for Madhubala. She then delivered hit films like Dulari, Barsaat Ki Raat, Chalti Ka Naam Gadi and more.

Madhubala as Child Artist

As said earlier, Madhubala's father relocated to Mumbai from Peshawar in search of a job. He then became a frequent visitor to the Bombay Film Studios. He was accompanied by his little daughter Madhubala and that's when she got noticed. At the age of 9, Mudhubala then called Mumtaz featured as a child artist in the film named 'Basant.' The film was directed by Amiya Chakraborty and the female lady playing the lead role was called Mumtaz Shanti. Madhubala played the role of Mumtaz's daughter in the film and hence she was called baby Mumtaz. Later, she appeared in several films as a child artist.

Early Life

On February 14, 1933, Ayesha Begum gave birth to her fifth child and yes, that's when Madhubala was born. She was named as Mumtaz Jehan Dehlavi and her father was an employee at the Imperial Tobacco Company in Peshawar. Unfortunately, he lost his job and that's when he moved to Mumbai with family in search of some work. Madhubala then became the bread and butter earner for the family by venturing into films.