Madhubala

Madhubala (14 February 1933 – 23 February 1969), born Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi, was a popular Indian Hindi/Hindustani film actress who appeared in classic films of Hindi Cinema. Madhubala was popularly known as The Venus of Indian Cinema and The Beauty with Tragedy. She was active between 1942-1964.She made her screen debut at the age of 9, with the film Basant (1942) as Baby Mumtaz, and in 1947, made her acting debut with Raj Kapoor at the age of 14 with the film Neel Kamal (1947).In a career spanning more than two decades, she appeared in around 74 films of variety of genres, with actors such as Dev Anand, Dilip Kumar, Kishore Kumar, Guru Dutt and many more as her co-stars. She was nominated for a Filmfare Award for Best Actress in 1960 for her performance in Mughal-e-Azam (1960).In 1951, she also caught the interest of Hollywood when ace photographer James Burke visited India and photographed her for Life Magazine. In their feature of her, Life, called her the biggest star in the international film industry. She was photographed extensively for this feature by James Burke. She was an avid fan of Hollywood, and while visiting Bombay, Frank Capra was keen in giving her a break in Hollywood but her father refused.Often drawing comparisons with Marilyn Monroe, Madhubala received wide recognition for her performances in films such as Mahal (1949), Amar (1954), Mr. & Mrs. 55 (1955), Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958), Mughal-e-Azam (1960) and Barsaat Ki Raat (1960). Madhubalas performance in Mughal-e-Azam established her as an iconic actress of Hindi Cinema. Her last film Jwala, although shot in the 1950s, was released in 1971.Madhubala had a long relationship with actor Dilip Kumar, but instead she married her Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi co-star Kishore Kumar. Together they had worked in films such as Dhake Ki Malmal (1956), Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958), Jhumroo (1961), Half Ticket (1962). Their marriage lasted for nine years and ended on 23 February 1969, when Madhubala died from a prolonged illness at the age of 36.

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