Madhubala was a legendarily beautiful and talented actress in the younger days of Bollywood. Renowned for her immensely beautiful features, Madhubala was the heartthrob of millions of fans not only in India but also all over the world.
Madhubala acted prominently in tragic-romantic roles and worked in the Hindi film industry for over 20 years in the Hindi cinema, from 1942 to 1964.
Madhubala is still regarded as one of the most influential female personalities and impressive actresses from the Bollywood film industry.
About Madhubala
Bio | |
| Real Name | Begum Mumtaz Jahan Dehlavi |
| Nickname | Venus Queen |
| Date of Birth | 14th February 1933 |
| Age (at the time of Death) | 36 years |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Religion | Islam |
| Place of Birth | Delhi |
Physical Stats | |
| Height | 5 ft 4" (163 cm) approximately |
| Weight | 117 lbs (55 kg) approximately |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
Family & Relationships | |
| Father | Attaullah Khan (Film Producer) |
| Mother | Begum Ayesha Mumtaz Jahan |
| Sisters |
|
| Marital Status | Married |
| Husband | Kishore Kumar (Actor) |
Career | |
| Profession | Actress/Film Producer |
| Famous for | Basant (1942). Rajputani (1946), Neel Kamal, Dil Ki Rani (1947), Lal Dupatta, Amar Prem (1948), Singar, Paras, Mahal, Dulari (1949), Pardes, Madhubala, Hanste Aansoo (1950), Saiyan, Nazneen, Badal (1951), Sangdil (1952) Rail Ka Dibba, (1953), Bahut Din Huye (1954), Naata, Mr & Mrs '55 (1955), Shirin Farhad (1956), Gateway Of India (1957), Kala Pani, Howrah Bridge, Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958), Kal Hamara Hai, Insaan Jaag Utha (1959), Mughal-E-Azam (1960), Passport, Jhumroo (1961), Half Ticket (1962), Sharabi (1964), Jwala (1971) |
| First Movie | Child Artist - Basant (1942) Lead Role - Neel Kamal (1947) |
| Hobbies | Driving |
Madhubala, whose real name was Begum Mumtaz Jahan Dehlavi, remains one of the legendary and memorable actresses in the entire Indian film industry. With a career spanning over 2 decades Madhubala became one of the most celebrated actresses in Bollywood, in its growing stages.
Madhubala’s age was just 36 years when she passed away on 23rd February, 1969, as Madhubala was born on 14th of February in 1933 in Delhi. Madhubala’s height was around 5 ft 4 inches (163 cm) while Madhubala’s weight was around 55 kg (117 lbs). In her spare time, Madhubala loved driving as her hobby.
Madhubala’s father was producer Attaullah Khan, while Madhubala’s mother was Begum Ayesha Mumtaz Jahan. Madhubala had 8 siblings – 2 brothers and 5 sisters, including Chanchal, the actress, Madhur Bhushan (Zahida), who was a renowned playback singer, as well as Kainz Balsara, Shahida Kazi and Altaf Kowal.
Although Madhubala had a strong relationship with veteran actor Dilip Kumar at the time the duo failed to get married due to numerous unforeseen and unfortunate events. However, Madhubala finally married legendary actor Kishore Kumar, in 1960.
In her long career as an actress, Madhubala was praised for many of her film roles. However, posthumously, she has been conferred with several accolades and honors. Despite having passed away over 40 years ago, Madhubala remains one of the most popular actress celebrity in the Indian film industry. Madhubala was ranked amongst Rediff.com-sponsored International Womens’ Day Special “Bollywood’s Best Actresses” list.
Two of her most popular films, ‘Mughal-E-Azam’ and ‘Half Ticket’, were digitally remastered and presented in colorized version in 2004 and 2012, years after her demise. The Government of India also recognized her as one of the most influential personalities in India and issued a limited-pack postage stamp with her likeness in March of 2008. Madhubala and Nargis Dutt are the only two Indian film actresses to have been bestowed this honor till now.
Apart from this, Madame Tussauds unveiled a wax statue of Madhubala dressed in her memorable role of Anarkal in the legendary super hit ‘Mughal-E-Azam’ movie, in December of 2017.
Interesting Facts About Madhubala
- It is unknown if Madhubala was a smoker or if she drank alcohol.
- Madhubala earned the title of ‘Venus of the Indian Screen’ owing to her incomparable beauty.
- Madhubala’s screen name was a suggestion by popular actress of the time, Devika Rani.
- Madhubala comes from a poor Pathan Muslim family, and suffered tragedies in her childhood as two of her brothers and three sisters passed away at a young age.
- Madhubala entered the film industry to support her family as her house was destroyed in the 1944 Bombay blast.
- Madhubala became a superstar after her performance in ‘Mahal’ (1949).
- Madhubala was even offered a role in Hollywood by famed director Frank Capra, however her strict father would not allow her to travel abroad.
- Madhubala’s stringent father was the reason she could not attend the shoot for ‘Naya Daur’ (1957) in Bhopal, which resulted in the producers filing a court case against her and her beau, Dilip Kumar, had to testify against her as a witness in the case.
- Although popular actors Bharat Bhushan and Pradeep Kumar had proposed her for marriage, Madhubala tied the knot with Kishore Kumar after he converted to Islam and took the name Abdul Karim.
- Madhubala as also the producer for films such as ‘Naata’ (1955) and ‘Mahlon Ke Khwab’ (1960), apart from being the lead actress in them too.
- Madhubala’s greatest performance is considered in the legendary super hit ‘Mughal-E-Azam’, which spurred her to stardom in the industry.
- Madhubala passed away from complications of the birth defect which has developed a hole in her heart on 23rd February 1969.
