MADHUBALA

SHE COULD GIVE THE MOON A COMPLEX

BY ALI PETER JOHN

Thank God, the higher – ups, the people in power who decide and define the destinies of even the most extraordinary Indians take the right decisions sometimes. They take their own time in most cases, but what can these poor powerful people do? They are so busy with so many other burning (literally) and petty (most of them) and trivial (it is their main job) issues and problems to tackle.

Now, just take the case of Madhubala, unanimously accepted as the most beautiful woman to have illuminated the film scene in India. She had a glorious but unfortunately short career during which she proved that she was created for immortality. Madhubala died in 1969 when she was just thirty- six and almost forty- years after her death, the Indian Postal Department decided to issue a stamp in her honour. I personally think a major part of the credit for this “miracle to happen goes to the media, especially to the various television channels which keep telecasting some of her best films which in most cases end up in raising their TRPs and bringing in the ads and the money that comes with them. This specially happens when Madhubala’s starrers like ‘Chalti Ka Naam Gadi’, ‘Mahal’ and the all-time classic ‘Mughal-e-Azam’ are shown and people of all ages, even the teenagers of today sit glued to their couches and watch Madhubala enrapturing them, enchanting then and entertaining them like very few actresses have and can ever.

Today, more than ever before the DVD’s of her films are best sellers in every corner of the country and even in Pakistan and several countries in the Gulf. There is a huge demand for her photographs which are sold in all the hi-fi shops haunted by youngsters. The sales of the DVD’s, her photographs and audio cassettes of most of her films have doubled ever since the coloured version of ‘Mughal-e-Azam’ in which she stood the might of actors like Prithviraj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar was released all over the world. All her songs, especially from ‘Mahal’, ‘Howrah Bridge’, ‘Chalti Ka Naam Gadi’ and above all ‘Mughal-e-Azam’ catch the fancy of people of all generations. Madhubala, the actress had that rare power to inspire directors to come up with their best, cinematographers to capture ethereal beauty at its best, music directors and song writers to create divine music which lasts now and will last for ever. She also had the power to give a major complex to all her male stars. There have been many women who have come to films to try and make it as other Madhubalas, but not one of them has even come near the eye brow of her beautiful eyes.

Madhubala was without doubt the most beautiful Hindi film heroine and perhaps the most underrated actress with her beauty attracting more attention than her performances. She was brilliant in comedy with her sense of comic timing spot on and she came up with performances of high dramatic calibre in Amar (1954) and the unforgettable “Mughal-e-Azam” (1960).

Born in abject poverty, the 5th of 11 children, Madhubala began life in the film world as a child star, Baby Mumtaz, in films like Bombay Talkies’s “Basant” (1942). It was Kidar Sharma who gave her a break as heroine opposite Raj Kapoor in “Neel Kamal” (1947).

However it was with the Bombay Talkies suspense thriller “Mahal” (1949) that Madhubala became a star. Aaega aanewala from the film remains her signature song till today! A spate of films followed opposite the top leading men of the day - Ashok Kumar, Rehman, Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand but by the mid 1950s when some of her major films like Mehboob Khan's “Amar” flopped, Madhubala, the most beautiful actress in the country was declared 'box office poison!' Further, she got involved with Dilip Kumar and this took its toll on her as she could not face her father's opposition of him and ultimately had to bow out of “Naya Daur” (1957) opposite him following a scandalous court case.

She however bounced back with a string of hits in the 1958-60 period – “Phagun” (1958), “Howrah Bridge” (1958), “Kala Pani” (1958), “Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi” (1958) - all among her more memorable films and of course “Mughal-e-Azam” (1960).

As the club dancer in “Howrah Bridge” Madhubala never looked more beautiful or alluring as she swayed to the seductive notes of “Aaiye mehrbaan”. And she matched Kishore Kumar step by step in his madcap antics in “Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi”. However it was “Mughal-e-Azam” that saw perhaps her greatest performance as the doomed courtesan Anarkali. The film showed off the finely modulated depth she could bring to her performances if given the opportunity. It is an outstanding performance in an outstanding film.

Tragically she was diagnosed as having a hole in her heart and her illness to cut short. She also plunged into a loveless marriage with Kishore Kumar and lingered on for nine years till her death in 1969.

She did have the odd release in this period like “Passport” (1961), “Half Ticket” (1962) and “Sharabi” (1964) but they were mostly old films that managed to limp towards release. In fact, “Jwala” was released almost two years after her death in 1971! She did try making a comeback opposite Raj Kapoor in 1964 but collapsed on the sets on the very first day of shooting and the film was shelved.

Even today the very mention of the name Madhubala conjures up the image of those dancing eyes, that lopsided smile and so much more...

Some of the best writers and poets of the fifties and sixties tried their best to describe the beauty of Madhubala in words and failed. Even now we still find the best of writers and poets struggling in vain to describe her ethereal beauty and the mesmerizing magic she worked. Her films shown on Television still have the highest TRPs. Her black and white photographs are still bestsellers at shops like Archies. Today filmmakers are still trying to find another Madhubala, but they have found everyone but Madhubala.

There have been books written about the actress who achieved what no other actress has at 36 which is the age at which she died on February 23rd, 1969. As we try to imagine the life she must have lived while she ruled we also wonder how she would have looked and what she would have done in 84 years.

There are many aspects of her life besides her beauty, that the everlasting story about her love story with Dilip Kumar is what keeps her alive and will for time to come.

An extract from the biography of Dilip Kumar in his biography “Substance and Shadow” published by Hay House India speaks about one of the greatest real life romantic stories of the film industry. “Was I in love with Madhubala as the newspapers and magazines reported at that time? As an answer to this oft-repeated question straight from the horse’s mouth, I must admit that I was attracted to her both as a fine co-star and as a person who had some of the attributes I hoped to find in a woman at that age and time. We had viewers admiring our pairing in “Taranaa” and our working relationship was warm and cordial. She, as I said earlier, was very sprightly and vivacious and, as such, she could draw me out of my shyness and reticence effortlessly. She filled a void that was crying out to be filled – not by an intellectually sharp woman but a spirited woman whose liveliness and charm were the ideal panacea for the wound that was taking its own time to heal.

The announcement of our pairing in “Mughal-e-Azam” made sensational news in the early 1950s because of the rumors about our emotional involvement. In fact, K Asif (the film’s director) was ecstatic with the wide publicity and trade enquiries he got from the announcement. It was not anticipated or planned that it would be in production for such a long period as it was and Asif was aware of Madhu’s feelings for me because she had confided in him during one of their intimate talks. And, he was equally aware of my nature as a man who made no haste in taking critical personal or professional decisions. As was his wont, he took it upon himself to act as the catalyst and went to the extent of encouraging her in vain to pin me down somehow. He went on to advise her that the best way to draw a commitment from an honourable and principled Pathan, brought up on old world values, was to draw him into physical intimacy.

In retrospect, I feel he did what any selfish director would have done for his own gain of creating riveting screen chemistry between actors who are known to be emotionally involved. Also, I sensed Asif was seriously trying to mend the situation for her when matters began to sour between us, thanks to her father’s attempt to make the proposed marriage a business venture. The outcome was that half way through the production of ‘Mughal-e-Azam’, we were not even talking to each other. The classic scene with the feather coming between our lips, which set a million imaginations on fire, was shot when we had completely stopped even greeting each other. It should, in all fairness, go down in the annals of film history as a tribute to the artistry of two professionally committed actors who kept aside personal differences and fulfilled the director’s vision of a sensitive, arresting and sensuous screen moment to perfection. Contrary to popular notions, her father, Ataullah Khan, was not opposed to her marrying me. He had his own production company and he was only too glad to have two stars under the same roof. Had I not seen the whole business from my own point of view, it would have been just what he wanted, that is, Dilip Kumar and Madhubala holding hands and singing duets in his productions till the end of our careers. When I learned about his plans from Madhu, I explained to both of them that I had my own way of functioning and selecting projects and I would not show any laxity even if it were my own production house. It must have tilted the apple cart for him and he successfully convinced Madhu that I was being rude and presumptuous. I told her in all sincerity and honesty that I did not mean any offence and it was in her interest and mine as artistes to keep our professional options away from any personal considerations. She was naturally inclined to agree with her father and she persisted in trying to convince me that it would all be sorted out once we married. My instincts, however, predicted a situation in which I would be trapped and all the hard work and dedication I had invested in my career would be blown away by a hapless surrender to someone else’s dictates and strategies. I had many upfront discussions with her father and she, not surprisingly, remained neutral and unmoved by my dilemma. The scenario was not very pleasant and it was heading inevitably to a dead end. In the circumstances, therefore, it seemed best that we did not decide to marry or even give each other a chance to rethink because my resolve by then had become strongly against a union that would not be good for either of us.”

There have been other books written on Madhubala, most of them only interested in her romance with “the king of tragedy” with some of them ending up in being rejected by her family. But, it is very strange that no attempt has been made to make an assessment of her contribution to Hindi cinema as not only one of the most beautiful actresses, but also as a consummate actress. And now when everyone seems to be making biopics on subjects like Kishore Kumar (her husband) and Sanjay Dutt , why can’t some brave writers and a sensitive director make a biopic on her ? But then the big question that arises is, where will they find an actress who can look as beautiful as Madhubala?