Early Life and Background
Born as Mumtaz Jehan Dehlavi on February 14, 1933, in Delhi, Madhubala became one of Bollywood's leading actresses during the 1950s and 1960s. She was a native Pashto speaker.
Child Career and "Basant" (1942)
Madhubala started her Bollywood career as a child actress in the movie Basant (1942), which was a major box-office success. She played the role of the daughter of actress Mumtaz Shanti, and went on to complete several other projects as a child artist.
Madhubala - Biography and FilmographyMadhubala - Biography and FilmographyRise to Stardom and Lead Roles
Her first movie as a female lead came at a very young age. Madhubala was just 14 when she appeared as the lead actress opposite Raj Kapoor in Neel Kamal (1947). This was her last movie credited under her birth name, Mumtaz Jehan; she was thereafter known by her screen name, Madhubala.
Madhubala achieved true superstardom with the 1949 blockbuster Mahal. Directed by Kamal Amrohi, Mahal was Bollywood's first reincarnation thriller, casting her opposite Ashok Kumar. The film achieved international recognition and was included in the British Film Institute's list of "10 great romantic horror films." While she appeared in numerous successful Bollywood movies, she remains most celebrated for her iconic role as the doomed courtesan, Anarkali, in Mughal-e-Azam (1960).
Personal Life and Marriages
Madhubala was deeply in love with actor Dilip Kumar, but her father opposed the relationship. As an obedient daughter, she chose not to leave her family to marry him.
In 1960, she tied the knot with Kishore Kumar, who converted to Islam and took up the name Karim Abdul for the marriage. 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."
Health Struggles and Final Years
Madhubala suffered from a ventricular septal defect (a hole in her heart), which was first detected in 1954 while she was shooting a film. Shortly after their wedding, Kishore Kumar and Madhubala flew to London, where doctors gave her a prognosis of only two years to live.
Following the diagnosis, Kishore Kumar left her at her parents' house, stating, "I can’t look after her. I’m on outdoors often." Though Madhubala wished to live with him, he visited her only once every two months, perhaps seeking to emotionally detach himself to soften the pain of her terminal illness. However, Kishore Kumar continued to bear all of her medical expenses, and they remained married for nine years.
By 1960, Madhubala's condition deteriorated severely. Her ailment caused her body to produce excess blood, which would regularly spill from her nose and mouth. She also suffered from pulmonary pressure in her lungs, coughed constantly, and required supplemental oxygen every four to five hours to prevent breathlessness. Consequently, she was confined to her bed for nine years.
In 1969, she attempted to make her directorial debut with the film Farz aur Ishq. The film was never completed; during pre-production, she passed away on February 23, 1969, shortly after her 36th birthday. Her marble tomb was built with inscriptions featuring verses from the Quran. In 2010, her tomb was demolished to make space for new gravesite allocations.