She was called the Venus of the Indian screen, its definite love goddess, the most beautiful heroine ever. Mumtaz Attaullah Khan, popularly known as Madhubala, had a perfect blend of beauty and sensuality that worked on the audience. Little did anybody know that behind those dancing eyes and that lopsided smile lurked a lifetime of pain.

The fifth child of a Pathan father's brood of 11 children, her first stint with films came as a child star in 'Barsaat ' in 1942. At 16, she had a super successful film 'Mahal ' to her credit. 'Aayega Aanewala' heralded the arrival of a superstar. Success gave way to personal heartbreaks. Her relationship with Premnath fell apart when Dilip Kumar walked into her life.
 

Madhubala and Dilip Kumar first met on the set of Jwar Bhatta (1944), and worked together again on the set of Tarana (1951). At their first meeting, she was eighteen years old and he was twenty-nine. The legend goes that, as in Mughal-e-Azam, she sent him a note inside a flower, and he was amused and intrigued by this and engaged in a dalliance with her. However, her feelings for him were extremely serious. During the nine-year shooting of Mughal-e-Azam (1960), she wanted to marry Kumar, but he paid her little attention and finally married someone else, while continuing an affair with her. However, Madhubala's father dominated her and she could not oppose him and her affair with Dilip was cut short.  Madhubala and Kumar were forcibly separated. They were working on another film together at the time, and were unable to complete it.

Madhubala received simultaneous marriage proposals from three men and turned to Nargis, a close friend, for advice. Nargis suggested that Bharat Bhushan would respect her, as he was a widower, while Pradeep Kumar and Kishore Kumar were already married. However, she had already made up her mind on Kishore Kumar.

She accepted his proposal, as he was the first man who came into her life on the rebound during the filming of Chalti Ka Naam Gadi and Jhumroo. Her father had informed Kishore that Madhubala would be flying to London for a complicated operation, and that he could marry her on her return. Kishore, however, knew she wanted to get married before she died, and he wanted to fulfill her desire.

They had a civil ceremony in 1960. His parents refused to attend the wedding and never really accepted Madhubala, as they thought she had broken their son's marriage.

All of a sudden, her life began to disintegrate. All her films, even the major ones like Mehboob Khan's 'Amar', started flopping and she became box-office poison. She was thrown out of B.R.Chopra's 'Naya Daur' after a scandalous court case. Not only that, she was diagnosed as having a hole in her heart.

But the fighter that she was, she turned her career around with a row of hits like - 'Phagun', 'Howrah Bridge', 'Chalti Ka Naam Gadi', 'Kaala Paani', 'Barsaat Ki Raat'. Around this time she plunged into a loveless marriage with singing star Kishore Kumar. Her film 'Mughal-E- Azam' showed off the finely modulated depths of Madhubala's creative ability, but her pain-wracked body forced her to cut short her career.

Madhubala's heart problem was discovered in a routine check-up in 1950 when heart surgery was not available. She had to put on a brave face, and her illness was kept a secret from the industry for many years. She frequently coughed up blood on the sets. She moved back to her bungalow a couple of weeks or so later because her in-laws attitude was upsetting her. She realised she had made a mistake in marrying Kishore. The doctors in London refused to operate on Madhubala, as they thought she would die during the operation. Even she did survive, it would only be for a year.She suffered for nine years, before she surrendered herself to death in 1969. She was buried with her diary at Santacruz Burial Ground by her family and Kishore Kumar.

She tried making a comeback opposite Raj Kapoor in Chalack (1964), but she collapsed on the first day of shooting and the film was shelved.  In this short life, she made over 70 films, and to this day remains one of the most enduring legends of Indian cinema.

ABOUT HER SELF :

Birth name : Begum Mumtaz Jehan Dehlavi
Nickname: Venus Queen
Date of Birth: 14 February 1933
Date of death: 23 February 1969
City: Delhi
Country: India
Father: Ataullah Khan
Siblings: she was fifth of eleven children
Children: none
Marital status: married
Spouse: Kishore Kumar
Other facts: dated Dilip Kumar
Occupation: bollywood actress
Debut Film: Baghdad Ka Chor

FILMOGRAPHY :

Jwala
Sharabi
Half Ticket
Boy Friend
Jhumroo
Passport
Mughal-E-Azam
Barsaat Ki Raat
Jaali Note
Mehlon Ke Khwab
Do Ustad
Insaan Jaag Utha
Kal Hamara Hai
Baghi Sipahi
Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi
Howrah Bridge
Kalapani
Phagun
Police
Ek Saal
Gateway of India
Yahudi Ki Ladki
Dhake Ki Malmal
Raj Hath
Shirin Farhad
Mr. & Mrs. '55
Naata
Naqab
Teerandaz
Amar
Bahut Din Huye
Armaan
Rail Ka Dibba
Sangdil
Saqi
Aaram
Badal
Khazana
Nadaan
Nazneen
Saiyan
Tarana
Beqasoor
Hanste Aansoo
Madhubala
Nirala
Nishana
Pardes
Apradhi
Daulat
Dulari
Imtihaan
Mahal
Neki Aur Badi
Paras
Singaar
Sipahiya
Amar Prem
Desh Sewa
Lal Dupatta
Parai Aag
Neel Kamal
Chittor Vijay
Dil-Ki-Rani (Sweet-Heart)
Khubsoorat Duniya
Mere Bhagwan
Saat Samundaron Ki Mallika
Phoolwari
Pujari
Rajputani
Dhanna Bhagat
Mumtaz Mahal
Basant
Shaheed-E-Mohabbat
Baghdad Ka Chor