Madhubala was an Indian actress who worked in Hindi films. She appeared in over 60 films. Born on 14th February 1933, she passed away on 23rd February 1969. Her real name was Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlvi. She was active in films from 1942 to 1964.
Born and raised in Delhi, she moved to Bombay with her family when she was 8 years old. She started her career as a child artist and then took on heroine roles in the late 1940s. Madhubala gained fame in films like Neel Kamal (1947) with Raj Kumar, Amar (1954) with Dilip Kumar, Mahal (1949) with Ashok Kumar, Badal (1951) with Prem Nath, and Tarana (1951) with Dilip Kumar. Other notable films include Mr. and Mrs. 55 (1955), Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958), Half Ticket (1962), Howrah Bridge, Kala Pani with Dev Anand, and Barsaat Ki Raat (1960). Her best film was Mughal-e-Azam, where she portrayed Anarkali, earning her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress.
Her last film was Sharabi (1964). Madhubala had a seven-year relationship with Dilip Kumar, but they did not marry. She later married Kishore Kumar. Madhubala suffered from breathlessness caused by ventricular septal defect, which ultimately led to her death.
Madhubala was considered the most beautiful actress of her time, with the camera often failing to do justice to her beauty. She was called the Venus of the Indian Screen. Ashok Kumar once said that Madhubala was the finest actress he ever worked with. Dilip Kumar, in his autobiography, wrote, “She was a vivacious artiste… so instantaneous in her responses that the scenes became riveting even when they were being filmed. She was an artiste who could keep pace and meet the level of involvement demanded by the script.”
David Cort said that “Madhubala was the ideal of the free Indian woman, or what India hopes the free Indian woman will be.”

Madhubala had the shortest career among her contemporaries. Her screen time in leading roles was always equal to that of her male co-stars, a rare thing. People were so mesmerized by Madhubala’s beauty that they often overlooked her talent. Shammi Kapoor stated that “Madhubala was a highly underrated actress in spite of performing consistently well in her films.”
Madhubala’s talents were first fully recognized after the release of Mughal-e-Azam (1960). Her dramatic portrayal of Anarkali was the finest female performance of the time. Madhubala could communicate more with her delicately raised eyebrows than most performers could with a raised voice. She symbolized ultimate beauty and was referred to as the “living Taj Mahal” and the “Indian Marilyn Monroe.” Sadly, she never found love in real life and died at the age of 36.
The Hindustan Times reported that “Madhubala was by far the most iconic silver screen goddess India has produced. In the decades following her death, she has emerged as one of the most celebrated personalities in Indian cinema, and her reputation has endured.”
There were other beautiful actresses like Vyjayantimala, Nalini Jayawant, and Waheeda Rehman, but Madhubala was simply unparalleled in beauty. Who can forget Madhubala singing in Lata’s voice, Aayega Aanewala in the film Mahal (1949)?
(The views expressed are the writer’s own.)

Radhakanta Seth is an Income tax officer in Sambalpur. He is a Freelance writer and his articles have been published in some Oriya dailies like Sambad, Samaj, Dharitri and English dailies like The Telegraph and in a sociological journal ‘Folklore’ published from Kolkata.