Madhubala’s 88th Birthday: Five decades till now, and still living in our hearts, as the netizens and her fans will dedicate their magical words full of love and compassion.
Bollywood’s most beautiful actress Madhubala would have celebrated her 88th birthday on February 14 if she would have been alive. The ‘Venus of India’ passed away at the early age of 36 but behind her, she left some of her iconic songs and films that hold the potential of setting a benchmark till now.
Madhubala, an epitome of art and was often called the ‘Marilyn Monroe of Indian Cinema.’ She was famous for her stellar dance performance and acting.
She played the role of Anarkali in Mughal-E-Azam in 1960, and with that, she marked a touchstone and raised the bar for this iconic role of Anarkali. Before 1960, Mughal E Azam was made twice, but it was in the year 1960 that everyone went gaga as it had the stellar casting of Ajit, Prithviraj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, and Durga Khote..
She was referred to as the “Venus of the Indian screen”, her comparison to the goddess of love is obvious. Moreover, she was born on a day – 14 February – when the world celebrates love. But love always exacerbated her life.
Reminiscing the journey of Madhubala
Madhubala was born on 14th February, 1933 in Delhi to Ataullah Khan and Ayesha Begum. She was the fifth of eleven siblings. Madhubala was a true prodigy. Born in a turbulent situation, she wanted to work from a very early age in order to provide for the family after their house was burned down in the 1944 Bombay Explosion.
Her debut film was ‘Basant’ which was released in 1942, Madhubala was just 9 years old at that time and was recognised as ‘Baby Mumtaz’. Interestingly, she became friends with another famous child actor of that era, ‘Baby Mahjabeen’
However, Madhubala’s first few films were not that hit at the box-office and she was in desperate need of a hit to revive her career. ‘Lal Dupatta’ was her first successful film but her big break came through Kamal Amrohi’s ‘Mahal’.
The leading lady made a few headlines when she was casted in ‘Hanste Aansoo’, the first ever Bollywood film which got Adults Only certification from the Censor Board.
This heartthrob of millions was a true global superstar. Many Hollywood magazines featured this super talented actress. Reportedly, Academy Award winning director Frank Capra wanted to cast Madhubala in a film but the actress refused.
She married legendary playback singer Kishore Kumar back in 1960. Madhubala breathed her last on 23rd February 1969 after a prolonged illness. She was diagnosed with Ventricular Septal defect due to which the renowned star left the world at the age of 36.
