Madhubala (born Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi (14 February 1933 – 23 February 1969) was an Indian actress who worked in Hindi films. The country’s highest-paid star in the 1950s, Madhubala appeared in over 70 films—ranging from slapstick comedies to historical dramas—in a two-decade-long career. Long after her death, she remains a Bollywood icon, particularly noted for her beauty and unconventional screen persona. In 2013, an Eastern Eye poll named her as the 24th greatest Bollywood star of all time.
Born and raised in Delhi, Madhubala relocated to Bombay (now Mumbai) with her family when she was 8 years old and shortly after began playing minor roles, starting with Basant (1942). She progressed to leading roles in the late 1940s and earned success with the dramas Neel Kamal (1947) and Amar (1954), the horror films Mahal (1949), and the romantic films Badal (1951) and Tarana (1951). Following a brief setback, Madhubala found continued success with her roles in the comedies Mr. & Mrs. ’55 (1955), Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958) and Half Ticket (1962), the crime films Howrah Bridge and Kala Pani (both 1958), and the musical Barsaat Ki Raat (1960).
Madhubala’s portrayal of Anarkali in the historical epic drama Mughal-e-Azam (1960)—the highest-grossing film in India at the time—earned her widespread critical acclaim and her only nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress; critics have since described her performance as one of the finest in Indian cinematic history. She worked sporadically in film in the 1960s, making her final appearance in the drama Sharabi (1964). Additionally, she produced three films under her production house Madhubala Private Ltd., which she co-founded in 1953.
Despite maintaining strong privacy, Madhubala earned significant media coverage for her charity work and personal life. In the early 1950s, she had a highly-publicized relationship with actor Dilip Kumar that ended amidst the Naya Daur court case (1956–57). She married actor-singer Kishore Kumar in 1960. Throughout her adult life, Madhubala suffered from recurring bouts of breathlessness and hemoptysis caused by a ventricular septal defect, ultimately leading to her death at the age of 36, in 1969.
Early life
Madhubala was born as Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi in Delhi, British India, on 14 February 1933. She was the fifth of eleven children of Ataullah Khan and Aayesha Begum. At least four of Madhubala’s siblings died as infants; her sisters who survived until adulthood were Kaneez Fatima (b. 1925), Altaf (b. 1930), Chanchal (b. 1934) and Zahida (b. 1949). Khan, who belonged to the Yusufzai tribe of Pashtuns from Peshawar Valley, originating from Swabi District, North-West Frontier Province was an employee at the Imperial Tobacco Company. Unknown to her family members, Madhubala was born with a ventricular septal defect, a congenital heart disorder that had no treatment at the time.
Madhubala spent most of her childhood in Delhi and grew up without any health issues. Owing to the orthodox ideas of their Muslim father, neither Madhubala nor any of her sisters except Zahida attended school. Madhubala nevertheless learnt Urdu, and Hindi, as well as her native language, Pashto, under her father’s guidance. An avid movie viewer since the beginning, she used to perform her favorite scenes in front of her mother and spend her time dancing and imitating film characters to entertain herself. Despite her conservative upbringing, she aimed to become a film actor—which her father strictly disapproved of.
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Khan’s decision changed in 1940 after he got fired from his job for misbehaving with a senior officer. Madhubala’s mother feared ostracism if they allowed their young daughter to work in the entertainment industry, but Khan remained adamant. Soon Madhubala was employed at the All India Radio station to sing compositions of Khurshid Anwar. The seven-year-old continued working there for months and became acquainted with Rai Bahadur Chunnilal, the general manager of the studio Bombay Talkies, situated in Bombay. Chunnilal took an immediate liking to Madhubala and suggested Khan to visit Bombay for better employment opportunities.
Personal life
Born in an orthodox Muslim family, Madhubala was deeply religious and practiced Islam since her childhood. After securing her family financially in the late 1940s, she rented a bungalow on Peddar Road in Bombay and named it “Arabian Villa”. It became her permanent residence until her death. She learned to drive at the age of 12 and by adulthood was the owner of five cars: Buick, Chevrolet, Station wagon, Hillman, and Town & Country (which was owned by only two people in India at that time, the other one being the Maharaja of Gwalior). As a native speaker of three Hindustani languages, she began learning English in 1950 from former actress Sushila Rani Patel and grew fluent in the language in three months. She also kept eighteen Alsatian dogs as pets at Arabian Villa.
In 1950, Madhubala was diagnosed with an incurable ventricular septal defect in her heart; the diagnosis was not made public as it could jeopardize her career.
Madhubala Age Death Husband Family Biography & More
| Bio/Wiki | |
|---|---|
| Real name | Begum Mumtaz Jehan Dehlavi |
| Names earned | • The Venus of Indian Cinema • The Marilyn Monroe of Bollywood • The Beauty With Tragedy |
| Profession(s) | • Actor • Producer |
| Physical Stats & More | |
| Height (approx.) | in centimeters– 170 cm in meters– 1.70 m in feet & inches– 5’ 7” |
| Weight (approx.) | in kilograms– 55 kg in pounds– 121 lbs |
| Figure Measurements (approx.) | 34-26-30 |
| Eye Colour | Black |
| Hair Colour | Black |
| Career | |
| Debut | As an actor • Film: Basant (1942) as ‘Manju’ (child actor)  As a producer • Film: Naata (1955)  |
| Last Film | Sharabi (1964) |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 14 February 1933 (Tuesday) |
| Birthplace | Delhi, British India |
| Date of Death | 23 February 1969 |
| Place of Death | Bombay (now Mumbai), Maharashtra, India |
| Age (at the time of death) | 36 Years |
| Death Cause | Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) (Hole in the Heart) |
| Zodiac sign | Aquarius |
| Nationality | • British Indian (1933-1947) • Indian (1947-1969) |
| Hometown | Delhi, India |
| School | Madhubala did not attend any school, but she was taught at home by an English tutor. |
| Religion | Islam |
| Controversies | Charity Sparks Religious Backlash Reportedly, in 1950, Madhubala donated Rs. 5000 each to the Jammu and Kashmir relief fund and children suffering from poliomyelitis. She further donated an amount of Rs. 50,000 to the refugees from East Bengal. She received wide media coverage for the donations but faced criticism due to different religious beliefs. Received a Lawsuit Over an Advance Payment When Madhubala’s father, Ataullah Khan, denied her outdoor shooting with Dilip Kumar in Bhopal for the film ‘Naya Daur'(1957), B.R. Chopra sued her for the advanced money that she received for this movie. Dilip Kumar also testified against Madhubala and her father in the court in favour of Chopra. |
| Relationships & More | |
| Marital Status (at the time of death) | Married |
| Affairs/Boyfriends | • Prem Nath • Dilip Kumar • Kishore Kumar |
| Marriage Date | Year, 1960 |
| Family | |
| Husband/Spouse | Kishore Kumar |
| Children | Madhubala had no children. |
| Parents | Father– Ataullah Khan (worked with ‘Imperial Tobacco Company’ in Peshawar) Mother– Ayesha Begum |
| Siblings | Brother– None Sister– 7 • Altaf • Chanchal • Kaneez Fatema • Shahida Kazi  • Madhur Bhushan (Zahida)  Note: According to sources, Madhubala’s parents had 11 children, four boys and seven girls; however, the boys couldn’t survive. |
| Favourites | |
| Food | Chaat, Ragda Pattice, Pani Puri |
| Dessert | Kulfi |
| Jewellery | Gold and Kundan |
| Song | ‘Rulake Gaya Sapna Mera’ from the film “Jewel Thief” (1967) |
| Style Quotient | |
| Car Collection | Madhubala’s impressive car collection included a Hillman, Buick, and Station Wagon, among other swanky cars. |
Acting career
Early work and switch to adult roles (1942–1947)
In the summer of 1941, Khan, Madhubala, and other family members relocated to Bombay and settled in a cowshed present in the Malad suburbs of Bombay. Following approval from the studio executives, Chunnilal signed Madhubala to a juvenile role in Bombay Talkies’ production, Basant (1942), at a salary of ₹150. Released in July 1942, Basant became a major success commercially, but although Madhubala’s work garnered appreciation, the studio dropped her contract as it did not require a child actor at that time. Disappointed, Khan had to once again return his family to Delhi. He subsequently found low-paid temporary jobs in the city but continued to struggle financially.
In 1944, Bombay Talkies’ head Devika Rani sent for Khan to summon Madhubala for the role in Jwar Bhata (1944). Madhubala did not get the role but Khan now decided to settle permanently in Bombay seeing a prospect in films. The family again returned to their temporary residence in Malad and Madhubala along with her father began paying frequent visits to film studios throughout the city in search of work. She was soon signed to a three-year contract with Chandulal Shah’s studio Ranjit Movietone, on a monthly payment of ₹300. Her income led to Khan shifting the family to a neighboring rented house in Malad.
In April 1944, the rented house was destroyed in a dock explosion; Madhubala and her family survived only because they had gone to a local theatre. After shifting into her friend’s house, Madhubala continued her film career, playing minor roles in five of Ranjit’s films: Mumtaz Mahal (1944), Dhanna Bhagat (1945), Rajputani (1946), Phoolwari (1946) and Pujari (1946); she was credited as “Baby Mumtaz” in all of them. She faced numerous problems in these years; during the shoot of Phoolwari in 1945, Madhubala vomited blood, which forewarned her illness that was slowly taking root. In 1946, she had to borrow money from a film producer for the treatment of her pregnant mother. Eager to establish a foothold in the industry, in November 1946, Madhubala began shooting for two of Mohan Sinha’s directorial ventures, Chittor Vijay and Mere Bhagwaan, which were supposed to be her introduction to the silver screen in adult roles.
Madhubala’s first project in a lead role was Sohrab Modi’s Daulat, but it was shelved indefinitely (and would not be revived until the next year). Her debut as a leading lady came in Kidar Sharma’s drama Neel Kamal, in which she starred opposite debutante Raj Kapoor and Begum Para. She was offered the film after Sharma’s first choice, actress Kamla Chatterjee, died. Released in March 1947, Neel Kamal was popular with the audience and garnered wide public recognition for Madhubala. She then reteamed with Kapoor in Chittor Vijay and Dil Ki Rani, both of which were released in 1947, and in Amar Prem, which came out the following year. These films were unsuccessful ventures that failed to propel her career ahead. During this period, she had to charge a relatively lesser amount than her usual fee to attract more offers. To secure her family financially, Madhubala quickly signed 24 films. Impressed by her work in Neel Kamal, in which Madhubala was credited as “Mumtaz”, Devika Rani suggested her to take up “Madhubala” as her professional name.
Rise to prominence and stardom (1948–1957)
Madhubala found her first critical and commercial success in the drama Lal Dupatta, which The Indian Express mentioned as a breakthrough for her. Baburao Patel described the film as “the first milestone of her maturity in screen acting.” She received further positive reviews for her supporting parts in Parai Aag (1948), Paras and Singaar (both 1949). In 1949, Madhubala played a femme fatale in Kamal Amrohi’s Mahal—the first horror film of Indian cinema. Several actresses including Suraiya were considered for the role but Amrohi insisted on casting Madhubala. Her character was that of Kamini, a servant girl in an ancient mansion, whose pretensions of an apparition lead to disastrous consequences. The film was produced on a modest budget due to financial constraints, with trade analysts predicting it to be a failure owing to its unconventional subject. Mahal was released in October 1949 and proved to be an immensely popular film among audiences. In Beyond the Boundaries of Bollywood, Rachel Dwyer noted that Madhubala’s ignorance among the audience added to the mysterious nature of her character. The film, which would be Madhubala’s first of many collaborations with actor and brother-in-law Ashok Kumar, emerged as the third biggest box-office success of the year, resulting in her signing a string of starring roles opposite the leading actors of the time.
Mughal-e-Azam and continued commercial success (1958–1962)
Madhubala began the year 1958 with Raj Khosla’s Kala Pani, in which she co-starred with Dev Anand and Nalini Jaywant, playing an intrepid journalist investigating a 15-year-old murder. She was then cast as Edna opposite Ashok Kumar in Howrah Bridge (1958), her first collaboration with director Shakti Samanta. Madhubala waived her fees to play the role of an Anglo-Indian cabaret dancer, which marked a departure from her previous portrayals of sophisticated characters. Both Howrah Bridge and Kala Pani begot positive reviews for her and became two of the year’s top-grossing films. She followed this success with the box office hit Phagun (1958). In her final release of 1958, Madhubala portrayed a wealthy city woman involved in a love affair with Kishore Kumar in Satyen Bose’s comedy Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi—one of the biggest money-making films of the 1950s. Dinesh Raheja of Rediff.com referred to it as the “fifties jest-setter”, adding that Madhubala “exudes oodles of charisma and her giggles are infectious.” Writing for the same portral in 2012, columnist Rinki Roy mentioned Madhubala’s character in Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi as “a top favourite”: “Her breezy performance stands out as that rare example of an independent, urban woman. For me, Madhubala is the face of the original celluloid diva.”
Sabbaticals and final work (1964–1969)
Following a sabbatical of two years, Madhubala completed Sharabi in 1964; the film would go on to become her final release in her lifetime. Baburao Patel, writing for Mother India, praised Madhubala’s performance for “reviving the old heartache”. An editor for Rediff.com called Sharabi a “fitting finale to a luminous career, showing the actress at her most beautiful and her most effective, a heroine destined not to age in any of our eyes.”
Two years after Madhubala’s death, one of her incomplete works, Jwala (1971) was released. Co-starring Sunil Dutt and Sohrab Modi, the film was mainly completed with the help of body doubles. It marked Madhubala’s final screen role.
Philanthropy
She performed actively in charity, which led editor Baburao Patel to call her the “queen of charity”. In 1950, she donated ₹5,000 each to children suffering from poliomyelitis to the Jammu and Kashmir relief fund, and ₹50,000 for the refugees from East Bengal. Madhubala’s donation sparked off a major controversy due to her religious beliefs and received wide coverage in the media at that time. Subsequently, she kept her charity work guarded and donated anonymously. In 1954, it was revealed that Madhubala had been regularly giving monthly bonuses to the lower staff of her studios. She also gifted a camera crane to the Film and Television Institute of India in 1962, which is operational even today.
Relationships and marriage
Madhubala’s first relationship was with her Badal co-star Prem Nath, in early 1951. They dated for six months before differences were figured out due to religion—Nath was a Hindu. Although the relationship fizzled out soon, Nath nevertheless remained close to Madhubala and her father Ataullah Khan for the rest of their lives. Also in 1951, Madhubala began a romance with actor Dilip Kumar, whom she had earlier met working on Jwar Bhata (1944). Their affair went on to receive wide media attention throughout the decade. It had a positive impact on Madhubala and her friends have recalled the following few years as the happiest of her life.
Health deterioration and final years
Soon after their marriage in 1960, Madhubala and Kishore Kumar traveled to London along with her doctor Rustom Jal Vakil, combining their honeymoon with the specialized treatment of Madhubala’s heart disease, which was aggravating rapidly. In London, doctors refused to operate on her, fearing complications, and instead advised Madhubala to avoid any kind of stress and anxiety. She was dissuaded from having any children and given a life expectancy of two years.
Madhubala and Kishore subsequently returned to Bombay and she shifted to Kishore’s home in Bandra. Her health continued declining and she now frequently quarreled with her husband. Ashok Kumar (Kishore’s elder brother) recalled that her sickness turned her into a “bad-tempered” person and she spent most of her time in her father’s house. To escape the bitterness of her in-laws due to religious differences, Madhubala later moved into Kishore’s newly bought flat at Quarter Deck in Bandra. However, Kishore stayed in the flat only for a short period and then left her with a nurse and a driver.
Although he was bearing all her medical expenses, Madhubala felt abandoned and returned to her own house within less than two months of her marriage. For the rest of her life, he visited her occasionally, which Madhubala’s sister Madhur Bhushan thought was possibly to “detach himself from her so that the final separation wouldn’t hurt.” In late June 1966, Madhubala seemed to have partly recovered and decided to return to film again with J. K. Nanda’s Chalaak, opposite Raj Kapoor, which had been unfinished since she left the industry.
Her comeback was welcomed by the media, but Madhubala immediately fainted as the shoot began; the film was thus never completed. She was subsequently hospitalized in the Breach Candy Hospital, where she met her former boyfriend Dilip Kumar, and returned home after being discharged. To alleviate her insomnia, Madhubala used hypnosis on Ashok’s suggestion, but it further exacerbated her problems.
Madhubala spent her final years bedridden and lost a lot of weight. Her particular fascination was Urdu poetry and she regularly watched her films (particularly Mughal-e-Azam) on a home projector. She grew very reclusive, meeting only Geeta Dutt and Waheeda Rehman from the film industry in those days. She had to undergo an exchange transfusion almost every week. Her body began producing excess blood that would spill out of her nose and mouth; Vakil had to thus extract the blood to prevent complications, and an oxygen cylinder had to be kept by her side as she often suffered from hypoxia. After the Chalaak incident, Madhubala turned her attention to film direction and began preparing for her directorial debut, titled Farz aur Ishq, in February 1969.
Death
By early 1969, Madhubala’s health was in serious and major decline: she had just contracted jaundice and on urinalysis was diagnosed as having hematuria. Madhubala suffered a heart attack at midnight on 22 February. After struggling for a few hours amongst her family members and Kishore, she died at 9:30 a.m. on 23 February, only nine days after turning 36. Madhubala and her personal diary were buried at Juhu Muslim Cemetery in Santacruz, Bombay. Her tomb was built with marble and inscriptions including aayats from Quran and verse dedications.
Public image
Madhubala was one of the most celebrated film stars in India from the late 1940s to early 1960s. In 1951, James Burke photographed her for a feature in the American magazine Life, which described her as the biggest star in the Indian film industry at that time. Her fame reached beyond India as well: director Frank Capra offered her a break in Hollywood (which her father declined) and in August 1952, David Cort of Theatre Arts Magazine wrote of her as “the biggest star in the world—and she’s not in the Beverley Hills.” Cort estimated Madhubala’s Indian and Pakistani fan base equal to the combined population of the contemporary United States and Western Europe and also reported her popularity in countries such as Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia, and East Africa. Along with Nargis, she also had a large fan following in Greece.