In an era that was characterized by stalwarts of Indian film industry such as Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand, Meena Kumari, Nargis and many others, Madhubala left an indelible mark on Indian cinema with her petite beauty and vivacious charm. Born to Muslim parents who originally lived in Afghanistan, Madhubala retained a strong loyalty to her father until her death in 1969. This loyalty cost her heavily at different times during her acting career but she never had any regrets. Although her life was cut short far too soon, Madhubala created a sensation in the movie industry with her versatile performances.
Madhubala was born in 1933 in Delhi and christened Mumtaz Jahan Begum Dehlavi. But rarely do people know her but any other than her screen name. Her first screen entry was at the age of nine and success followed quickly at 16 years of age with her stunning performance in the evergreen movie "Mahal". Although she was paired against Ashok Kumar who was a well established 'star' at this point, Madhubala not only held her own but also won critical acclaim for her sensitive performance in a role that was considered difficult to assay. Some of the scenes and songs from this epic 'thriller' movie are still played in many households across India.
Madhubala 's health was fragile in the later years of her career owing to a ventricular defect in the heart. But she never allowed her poor health to dampen her enthusiasm for work or craving for popular and critical acclaim. In fact, the actress never disclosed her serious heart ailment to the world until ill health on the sets of a movie forced her to bring it to the open. Even her closest co-workers were quite unaware that the peppy, zestful Madhubala did not enjoy perfect health.
Although the media and many critics hinted that Madhubala's beauty outshone her talent, her co-stars emphatically disagreed. Dilip Kumar, with whom Madhubala was linked romantically, stated that her full talent was never uncovered. He believed that she was truly the greatest actress in the history of Indian cinema. The pressure to earn for her large family led this great performer to make many ill advised decisions when it came to choosing films. However, her presence earned the 'blockbuster' tag for many classics that are still watched today, the most well known being Mughal-E-Azam.
Madhubala never got to perform in a Hollywood venture although film maker Frank Capra tried his best to discuss such an opportunity with her. But she did achieve international acclaim with a Theatre Arts magazine article that called her "The Biggest Star in the World."
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