By Jagmohan Singh Barhok
On Her Birth Anniversary
Madhubala, born Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi to Ataullah Khan, began her career at an early age like Noorjehan, Suraiya, Nargis Dutt & Meena Kumari to supplement her family income with film “Basant” in (1942) then barely 14. She played daughter to Mumtaz Shanti. The starlet switched to lead roles with 1947 drama “Neel Kamal” directed by Kidar Sharma featuring Raj Kapoor .She rose to prominence with Kamal Amrohi’s 1949 magnum opus “Mahal”, a suspense thriller dealing with incarnation.The film prodced with a budget of 9 lakh grossed 150 lakhs.The success of the film came like a shot in the arm both to Madhubala & singer Lata Mangeshkar whose song “Aayega Aayega Aanewla” under the music score Khemchan Prakash did wonders.The film opened floodgates of opportunities for the budding actress as well.
Madhubala was cast opposite Dilip Kumar in ” Tarana” & later in “Sangdil”( 1952) followed by Mehboob Khan’s “Amar” ( 1954) opposite Dilip Kumar ,a film that paved way for her eventual successful career in films.She played a social worker; her role was highgly acclaimed with some soulful numbers -“Na Milta Gham Tau Barbadi Ke Afsaane Kahan Jaaye” & ” Insaaf Ka Mandir Hai Ye Bhagwaan Ka Ghar Hai” under the baton Naushad.Her “Rail Ka Dibba” & ” Bahut Din Hue” failed to do well on the box office. Guru Dutt’s “Mr.& Mrs. 55” portrayed her as a progressive young woman.Written by Abrar Alvi under the music score of O. P. Nayyar, the film was declared a huge success with a number “Preetan Aan Milo” being the pick of the lot to boast. Bibhuti Mitra & O. P. Nayyar ‘s musical bonanza ” Phagun” “Ek Pardesi Mera Dil Le Gaya”,”Tum Roothke Mat Jaana”, & “Piya Piya, Na Laage Mora Jiya” (Asha Bhosle-Rafi) was followed by Dev Anand,Nalini Jaywant starrer “Kala Pani” proving another hit with many a foot tapping numbers like- “Hum Bekhudi Mein Tum Ko Pukaare Chale Gaye”,”Achchha Ji Main Haari Chalo Maan Jaao Na”,”Dilwale Ab Teri Gali Tak Aa Pahunche” & Nazar Laagi Raja Tore Bangle Par” under the music score SD Burman.
Madhubala was now a name to reckon with & was rightly bestowed with the title “Venus of Hindi films”. Shakti Samanta’s “Howrah Bridge” did wonders for the actress with the sensuous club number “Aaiye Meharbaan, baithiye jaane-jaan,shauq se lijiye ji, ishq ke imtehaan” with the lissome beauty descending majestically, dancing voluptuously straight into the hearts of the cine-goers.It was followed by another successful hit “Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi” in the same year followed by K. Asif’s epic historical extravaganza” Mughal-E-Azam” featuring Prithviraj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Nigar Sultana & Ajit coming up with their best ever performances.K.Asif completed the film under duress as both Dilip Kumar & Madhubala were not on talking terms.Yet he conceived a romantic story with awesome precision & more gloss than glass.It was the highest grossing films of the sixties, immortalizing Madhubala as an actress.The film boasts of many memorable sequences like the one in which Madhubala is given an intoxicated flower to make Dilip Kumar unconscious ,with “Is Rang Mein Koi Jee Le Magar, Marne Ka Use Gham Kya Hoga, Jab raat Hai Aisi matwali Phir Subeh Ka Aalam Kya Hoga” playing in the background.
The splendour, dialogue, music and excellently marvellous camera work deserves a huge applause in making it a memorably masterpiece film. It would be injustice with many if we did not mention music composer Roshan’s song studded “Barsaat Ki Raat” (1960 ) portraying the actress look exotically sensuous in the famous rain drench ed song sequence “Surkh aanchal ko dabakar jo nichoda usne,dil pe jalta hua ek teer sa chhoda usne, aag pani me lagate huye halaat ki raat, zindagi bhar nahi bhulegi”. The film is remembered for popularizing the romantic musical genre in Hindi films. Her last & first ever colour film “Jwala” produced & directed by M. V. Raman starring Sunil Dutt,Pran ,Sohrab Modi was released posthumously in 1971 with a lovely song “Dekho Ji Aankho Me Dekho, Aankhein Hamari Sapne Tumhare” rendered by Lata Mangeshkar under the music score by SJK.
Love, as we all know, is a tender feeling and a fine sentiment.it is born out of genuine & spontaneous appreciation for one’s object of love. It is never motivated or inspired by a bad intention. It indeed is an irony or tragedy that the legendary actress was denied love at many stages in life when she needed it most. Nature love and life form an invisible trinity-the outcome of which is universal generation: this is one of the primordial laws of the Divine Architect. Not every heart is destined for love. The loss of love, some believe, can be repaired with another. But on this front, too, she was not lucky enough. None of her love affairs could culminate into marriage. Madhubala’s father Ataullah khan played a villain in her career throughout, many opined. For him she was a hen that laid golden eggs. He wanted her to get married to Kamal Amrohi, but she refused as he was already married. She loved Dilip Kumar & wanted to marry him but Attaullah Khan created bad blood between them, causing her ouster from B.R,Chopra’s “Naya Daur”,and also from the latter’s life .She married Kishore Kumar and yet remained childless. The pain & pangs of early love and not conceiving remined embeded in her soul. She took to heavy drinking & smoking. However, it would be preposterous to conclude anything for sure.
Surprisingly & interestingly ,too, although many writers and poets wrote & sung endless hymns in praise of her beauty , & she earned huge adulation & enthralled millions of cine-goers, the mesmerizing ‘Venus of Hindi films’, as she was commonly called, was not bestowed with any award, excepting a single nomination for her performance in “Mughal-e-Azam”, not converting into a win.
Born this day in 1933 in Delhi.
