119-651: [REDACTED] Look up sa:नीलकमल in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Neel Kamal ( lit. ' Blue Lotus ' in Sanskrit) may refer to these Indian films: Neel Kamal (1947 film) , a Hindi film directed by Kidar Sharma with debut roles by Raj Kapoor and Madhubala Neel Kamal (1968 film) , a Hindi film directed by Ram Maheshwari starring Waheeda Rehman, Raaj Kumar and Manoj Kumar See also [ edit ] Blue lotus (disambiguation) Topics referred to by
238-505: A femme fatale in Kamal Amrohi 's Mahal —the first horror film of Indian cinema. Several actresses including Suraiya were considered for the role but Amrohi insisted on casting Madhubala. Her character was that of Kamini, a servant girl in an ancient mansion, whose pretensions of an apparition lead to disastrous consequences. The film was produced on a modest budget due to financial constraints, with trade analysts predicting it to be
357-458: A Bollywood icon, particularly noted for her beauty and unconventional screen persona. In 2013, an Eastern Eye poll named her as the 24th greatest Bollywood star of all time. Born and raised in Delhi , Madhubala relocated to Bombay (now Mumbai) with her family when she was 8 years old and shortly after began playing minor roles, starting with Basant (1942). She progressed to leading roles in
476-538: A "bad-tempered" person and she spent most of her time in her father's house. To escape the bitterness of her in-laws due to religious differences, Madhubala later moved into Kishore's newly bought flat at Quarter Deck in Bandra. However, Kishore stayed in the flat only for a short period and then left her with a nurse and a driver. Although he was bearing all her medical expenses, Madhubala felt abandoned and returned to her own house in less than two months of her marriage. For
595-460: A 15-year-old murder. She was then cast as Edna opposite Ashok Kumar in Howrah Bridge (1958), her first collaboration with director Shakti Samanta . Madhubala waived her fees to play the role of an Anglo-Indian cabaret dancer , which marked a departure from her previous portrayals of sophisticated characters. Both Howrah Bridge and Kala Pani begot positive reviews for her and became two of
714-456: A 22-year-long career, Madhubala acted in almost every film genre, ranging from romantic musicals to slapstick comedies, and crime thrillers to historical dramas. The author of Celebrities: A Comprehensive Biographical Thesaurus of Important Men and Women in India (1952), Jagdish Bhatia noted that Madhubala turned her disadvantages into advantage and despite her non-filmy background "rose to be one of
833-600: A beat. My God, what beauty, what presence." Due to her perceived appeal, Madhubala became one of the brand ambassadors of beauty products by Lux and Godrej . However, she stated that happiness matters more to her than physical beauty. From the beginning of her career, Madhubala gained a reputation for avoiding parties and refusing interviews, leading her to be labeled recluse and arrogant. On an unusual instance in 1958, her father even wrote an apology letter to then-Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru , for disallowing Madhubala to attend Nehru's private function where she
952-449: A bounty to behead and kill her. For self-protection, Madhubala was given the permission to carry a revolver and move around under armed protection by the state government , until Khan and other journalists ultimately made a settlement. Her relationship with the press remained bitter, nevertheless, and she was regularly pointed out by it for her religious beliefs and perceived arrogance. Another major controversy she faced during her career
1071-802: A break in Hollywood (which her father declined) and in August 1952, David Cort of Theatre Arts Magazine wrote of her as "the biggest star in the world—and she's not in the Beverley Hills ." Cort estimated Madhubala's Indian and Pakistani fan base equal to the combined population of the contemporary United States and western Europe, and also reported her popularity in countries such as Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia and East Africa. Along with Nargis , she also had large fan following in Greece. Dilip Kumar described Madhubala as "the only star for whom people thronged outside
1190-595: A distinction it would hold for 15 years. At the 1961 National Film Awards , Mughal-e-Azam won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi and led the 8th Filmfare Awards ceremony with 11 nominations, including Best Actress for Madhubala. A reviewer for The Indian Express commented, "Scene after scene bears testimony to the outstanding gifts of Madhubala as a natural actress [...] The way she presents Anarkali's changing moods as she passes through
1309-524: A failure owing to its unconventional subject. Mahal was released in October 1949 and proved to be an immensely popular film among audience. In Beyond the Boundaries of Bollywood , Rachel Dwyer noted that Madhubala's ignorance among audience added to the mysterious nature of her character. The film, which would be Madhubala's first of many collaborations with actor and brother-in-law Ashok Kumar , emerged as
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#17328949131401428-667: A fearless court dancer in Mughal-e-Azam (1960). Her roles in Amar (1954), Gateway of India (1957), and Barsaat Ki Raat (1960) have also been noted by modern-day critics for being offbeat and significantly different from the usual portrayals of female characters in Indian cinema. Madhubala has also been credited for introducing several modern styles, such as trousers (for females) and strapless dresses in Bollywood . Her distinctive wavy hairstyle
1547-475: A few more releases, which were completed either by body doubles or by Madhubala herself. In late 1960, Madhubala was seen in Shakti Samanta's crime film Jaali Note , based on the theme of counterfeit money; it was successful financially. However, Karan Bali of Upperstall.com mentioned her role as "sketchy" and found the romance between her and Dev Anand's characters unconvincing. Madhubala's starring role in
1666-402: A film. When Sharma announced the cast publicly, it evoked immense criticism from the industry; furthermore, the financiers were apprehensive of the film's potential at the box-office for it did not feature any established star of the time. To compensate their losses, an adamant Sharma sold his plot and financed Neel Kamal himself. Madhubala was given the star-billing as "Mumtaz". Neel Kamal
1785-522: A leading lady, and she subsequently became one of the highest-paid Indian stars of the upcoming decade. In 1951, filmmaker and editor Aurbindo Mukhopadhyay reported that Madhubala charges ₹ 1.5 lakh per film. She received an unprecedented amount of ₹ 3 lakh for her decade-long work in Mughal-e-Azam (1960). Madhubala was placed seven times on Box Office India 's list of top actresses from 1949 to 1951, and from 1958 to 1961. Madhubala's beauty and physical attractiveness were widely acknowledged, and led
1904-409: A liking for the rakish artist as well. Realizing that Madhu Sudan is spending most of his time in the palace, Ganga goes to the palace with her friend, dressed as a princess and tells Madhu Sudan to explain his work to her. Madhu Sudan reprimands her for the childish prank. However, he does explain that his artifacts depict life and death. Life as a ruthless, cruel and double faced creature and death as
2023-433: A lot of weight. Her particular fascination was Urdu poetry and she regularly watched her films (particularly Mughal-e-Azam ) on a home projector . She grew very reclusive, meeting only Geeta Dutt and Waheeda Rehman from the film industry in those days. She had to undergo exchange transfusion almost every week. Her body began producing excess blood that would spill out of her nose and mouth; Vakil had to thus extract
2142-407: A loving and beautiful mother. Ganga listens to him, feeling enchanted while Madhu Sudan's mentor, the guru ji watches in amusement. Just then, the princess arrives at the scene and sees Ganga impersonating her. Feeling indignant she orders that both girls be arrested and whipped. Madhu Sudan implores with the princess but Ganga and her friend are lashed before they are able to leave the prison. Soon,
2261-577: A machine, missed a meal, travelled daily in the over-crowded third-class compartments from Malad to Dadar and was never late or absent from work." Anand said in a 1958 interview, "When Madhubala is on the set, one often goes much ahead in the schedule." Except for the filming of Gateway of India (1957) and Mughal-e-Azam (1960), Khan never allowed Madhubala to work in nights. Despite medical precautions, she performed even exhausting scenes by herself, such as doing complicated dances, wearing iron chains twice of her body weight and getting wet in water. In
2380-586: A major conflict with the press, Madhubala established a friendship with journalist B. K. Karanjia , who became one of the few people of his profession to be allowed inside Arabian Villa. Sarla Bhushan, the wife of Bharat Bhushan, with whom Madhubala had a special bond, died of labour complications in 1957, much to her distress. Madhubala was also close to three of her earliest directors—Kidar Sharma, Mohan Sinha, and Kamal Amrohi—and while there have been rumours regarding her being emotionally involved with them, her younger sister Madhur Bhushan has refuted such claims. On
2499-475: A major controversy due to her religious beliefs and received wide coverage in the media at that time. Subsequently, she kept her charity work guarded and donated anonymously. In 1954, it was revealed that Madhubala had been regularly giving monthly bonuses to the lower staff of her studios. She also gifted a camera crane to the Film and Television Institute of India in 1962, which is operational even today. When she
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#17328949131402618-455: A major health setback due to her heart disease. She returned to Bombay after completing the film and took a short-term medical leave from work, which led to her replacement (by Nimmi ) in Uran Khatola (1955). Madhubala later starred in another film of 1954— Mehboob Khan 's Amar , portraying a social worker involved in a love triangle along with Dilip Kumar and Nimmi. Madhubala improvised
2737-454: A mark on her right hand the rumor goes around that Ganga was the younger princess. The Princess announces a large reward for whoever will find Ganga. Ganga's mother brings her dead body out of the pond and asks the princess to give her the reward. The princess cries in deep remorse. A few days later a blue lotus (neel kamal) is seen growing in the pond at the spot where Ganga's body was found. Madhu Sudan sees this. Surprised, he exclaims that
2856-516: A mismatch in the industry due to their contrasting personalities. "[I] brought her home as my wife, even though I knew she was dying from a congenital heart problem. For 9 long years, I nursed her. I watched her die before my own eyes. You can never understand what this means until you live through this yourself. She was such a beautiful woman and she died so painfully. She would rave and rant and scream in frustration. How can such an active person spend 9 long years bed-ridden? And I had to humour her all
2975-412: A naive heiress who is forced by her aunt into a sham marriage with Dutt's character. Harneet Singh of The Indian Express called Mr. & Mrs. '55 "a great ride" and acknowledged Madhubala's "impish charm and breezy comic timing" as one of its prime assets. In mid-1956, a conflict broke out between Madhubala–Khan and director B. R. Chopra over the location shoot of Naya Daur , in which Madhubala
3094-512: A personal farewell titled "The Passing of Anarkali", writing, "She loved life, she loved the world and she was often shocked to find that the world did not always love her back. [...] To her, all life was love, all love was life. That was Madhubala—loveliest of the shining stars." In 2010, Madhubala's tomb along with those of other industry stalwarts, including Mohammed Rafi and Sahir Ludhianvi ,
3213-456: A point that she began considering a retirement. Mughal-e-Azam was first of Madhubala's two films in colour ; it had four reels shot in Technicolor . The film had the widest release of any Indian film up to that time, and patrons often queued all day for tickets. Released on 5 August 1960, it broke box office records in India and became the highest-grossing Indian film of all time,
3332-485: A prospect in films. The family again returned to their temporary residence in Malad and Madhubala along with her father began paying frequent visits to film studios throughout the city in search of work. She was soon signed to a three-year contract with Chandulal Shah 's studio Ranjit Movietone , on a monthly payment of ₹ 300. Her income led to Khan shifting the family to a neighbouring rented house in Malad. In April 1944,
3451-486: A raised voice" and "knew the knack of conveying her character's inner-most feelings." Priya Ramani of Mint added: "You only had to slip her into a wet sari, ask her to lean invitingly into the camera or hand her co-star a feather, and you could comfortably forecast that the cinematic sigh would resonate for at least a hundred years." Journalist Rauf Ahmed added Madhubala on his "Biggest stars in Hindi filmdom" list and noted: "Madhubala symbolised ultimate beauty. Which in
3570-445: A rare and his favorite variety of lotus has suddenly grown in the pond that never had lotus flowers growing in it. He wanted lotus flowers to grow in the pond and had even tried to install a blue lotus flower carved from stone in the pond one day while Ganga- princess Kamal watched him. His mentor had talked him out of the idea of installing stone flower/s in the pond. Madhu Sudan feels that Ganga has fulfilled his heart's wish by taking
3689-599: A rich but skeptical artist from Janakgarh who is in town to carve stone artifacts in a temple. Having lost his parents, he lives in a mansion in Janakgarh with guru ji, his mentor, spiritual guide and the teacher who taught him sculpting. While working, Madhu Sudan slips and falls down from the upper level of his work site one day. Ganga and her father bring him home and the family looks after him until he recovers from his injuries. Ganga's simplicity and doting love both worry and overwhelm Madhu Sudan who tells her "the harder I close
Neel Kamal - Misplaced Pages Continue
3808-497: A runaway heiress in Om Prakash 's Gateway of India (1957), which critic Deepa Gahlot believed to be one of the finest performances of her career. Madhubala then starred in the drama Ek Saal (1957), which follows the love story of a terminally-ill ingenue. Madhubala began the year 1958 with Raj Khosla 's Kala Pani , in which she co-starred with Dev Anand and Nalini Jaywant , playing an intrepid journalist investigating
3927-424: A scene from the film. It was unsuccessful at the box-office. Nevertheless, Rachit Gupta of Filmfare stated that Madhubala overshadowed her co-stars and "floored her role with a nuanced performance." Writing for Rediff.com in 2002, Dinesh Raheja described Amar as "arguably Madhubala's first truly mature performance" and particularly praised a dramatic scene featuring her and Dilip. Madhubala's next release
4046-452: A self-absorbed artist (Kapoor) ultimately leads the younger sister to suicide. It earned ₹ 2.5 million at the box-office and was a moderate success. Set in the royal court of Janakgarh, the film opens with the palace coup led by the villainous Mangal Singh against his sister's husband, the king of Janakgarh, Maharana Pragat Singh. The mortally wounded king escapes from the palace with his queen and their two daughters. They take shelter in
4165-437: A temple disguised as ordinary citizens. The elder princess ventures out on her horse disguised as a young boy to get help from her uncle, the king's brother Maharana Kharak Singh who rules another state. She succeeds in escaping treacherous attacks by Mangal Singh's men on her way. In the meanwhile Mangal Singh learns the whereabouts of the king. He goes to the temple and kills the king and the queen. His soldiers inform him that
4284-526: A way undermined her merit as an actress. She imparted a lot of sizzle and impishness to her performances in films like Chalti Ka Naam Gadi and Mughal-e-Azam ." In recent years, Madhubala's legacy has maintained fans of all different ages, both younger and older. She is recognized even by those who are unfamiliar with vintage cinema and has dozens of fan sites dedicated to her on the social media . Modern magazines continue to publish stories on her personal life and career, often promoting her name heavily on
4403-564: Is also reflected in Ashokamitran's statement describing her as an inarticulate and pitiful person. Gulshan Ewing, one of Madhubala's closest associates, however, differed and stated that her friend "was none of these." Nadira added that Madhubala "had not a strain of pettiness, of anything small. That girl did not know anything about hate," and Dev Anand recalled her as a "self-assured [and] cultured [person], very independent in her thinking and particular about her way of life and her position in
4522-473: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Neel Kamal (1947 film) Neel Kamal ( lit. ' Blue Lotus ' ) is a 1947 Indian Hindi -language drama film directed by Kidar Sharma and starring Begum Para , Madhubala and Raj Kapoor . The first film to feature Madhubala and Kapoor in leading roles, Neel Kamal follows two separated royal sisters (Para and Madhubala), whose mutual love for
4641-447: Is helped by her uncle who raids Janakgarh, kills Mangal Singh and appoints the princess to rule the kingdom of Janakgarh until her father can be located. One day while helping her father clean the city premises outside a temple, little Ganga, enters the inner chamber of the temple and incurs the priest's wrath for breaking the rule that untouchables can not enter temples. The childless couple leaves Janakgarh after running into trouble with
4760-449: The Naya Daur court case (1956–57). She married actor-singer Kishore Kumar in 1960. Throughout her adult life, Madhubala suffered from recurring bouts of breathlessness and hemoptysis caused by a ventricular septal defect , ultimately leading to her death at the age of 36, in 1969. Madhubala was born as Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi in Delhi , British India , on 14 February 1933. She
4879-420: The 1954 film Amar ) admitted passing a sleepless night after her first meeting with Madhubala. In 2011, Shammi Kapoor confessed to falling in love with her during the shoot of the 1953 film Rail Ka Dibba : "Even today ... I can swear that I have never seen a more beautiful woman. Add to that her sharp intellect, maturity, poise and sensitivity ... When I think of her even now, after six decades, my heart misses
Neel Kamal - Misplaced Pages Continue
4998-424: The 1960s, making her final appearance in the drama Sharabi (1964). Additionally, she produced three films under her production house Madhubala Private Ltd., which was co-founded by her in 1953. Despite maintaining strong privacy, Madhubala earned significant media coverage for her charity work and personal life. In the early 1950s, she had a highly-publicised relationship with actor Dilip Kumar that ended amidst
5117-544: The actors. Madhubala was also troubled by the night schedules and complicated dance sequences, which she had been medically asked to avoid. She fell under the weight of iron chains, extinguished candles with her palm, starved herself for days to depict anguishness in particular scenes and had continuous water flung at her face and whole body painted. The decade-long principal photography for Mughal-e-Azam came to an end in May 1959 and left her exhausted, both physically and mentally, to
5236-558: The age of 12 and by adulthood was the owner of five cars: Buick , Chevrolet , Station wagon , Hillman , and Town & Country (which was owned by only two people in India at that time, the other one being the Maharaja of Gwalior ). As a native speaker of three Hindustani languages , she began learning English in 1950 from former actress Sushila Rani Patel and grew fluent in the language in three months. She also kept eighteen Alsatian dogs as pets at Arabian Villa. In 1950, Madhubala
5355-406: The beautiful flower at the feet of the god. The production of Neel Kamal began in 1946 under Ranjit studio . The film was initially titled "Bichara Bhagwaan" and featured actors Jairaj and Kamla Chatterjee in major roles. The latter, who was also director Kidar Sharma 's wife, died unexpectedly midway the filming, leading a devastated Sharma to shelve the production infinitely. Months after
5474-467: The beginning, she used to perform her favourite scenes in front of her mother and spend her time dancing and imitating film characters to entertain herself. In spite of her conservative upbringing, she aimed to become a film actor—which her father strictly disapproved of. Khan's decision changed in 1940 after he got fired from his job for misbehaving with a senior officer. Madhubala's mother feared ostracism if they allowed their young daughter to work in
5593-579: The best performance of her screen career in this picture. She seems to have discovered her soul at last in Dilip Kumar's company." Madhubala was cast in the costume drama Shahehshah (1953) before Kamini Kaushal replaced her. In April 1953, Madhubala founded a production company called Madhubala Private Ltd. The following year, while shooting in Madras for S. S. Vasan 's Bahut Din Huwe (1954), she suffered
5712-520: The blood to prevent complications, and an oxygen cylinder had to kept by her side as she often suffered from hypoxia . After the Chalaak incident, Madhubala turned her attention to film direction and began preparing for her directorial debut, titled Farz aur Ishq , in February 1969. By early 1969, Madhubala's health was in serious and major decline: she had just contracted jaundice and on urinalysis
5831-671: The comedy-drama Hanste Aansoo , which became the first Indian film to be awarded an Adult certification. The following year, Madhubala starred in the Amiya Chakravarty -directed action film Badal (1951), a remake of The Adventures of Robin Hood . Her portrayal of a princess who ignorantly falls in love with Prem Nath 's character received mixed reviews; a critic praised her looks but advised her to "learn to speak her dialogue slowly, distinctly and effectively instead of rattling through her lines in a monotone." She subsequently played
5950-556: The construction of a dam. A modest success, its critical reception has improved over years. Rachit Gupta of Filmfare and Roktim Rajpal of Deccan Herald have cited Madhubala's performance as Gauri, a village belle, as one of her finest works. Further in 1959, she received praise for playing dual roles in Kal Hamara Hai , also starring Bharat Bhushan . Khatija Akbar, the author of Madhubala: Her Life, Her Films (1997), called her turn as "a polished performance, particularly in
6069-430: The court case over the production of Naya Daur (1957). Dilip testified against her and Khan in court, which left Madhubala devastated. In the meantime, Madhubala was proposed marriage by three of her co-stars: Bharat Bhushan , a widower, Pradeep Kumar and Kishore Kumar , both of whom had previously been married. On the sets of Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958), Madhubala rekindled a friendship with Kishore Kumar, who
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#17328949131406188-714: The covers to attract sales. Her legacy has extended to fashion also: she has been acknowledged as the creator of many iconic fashion styles, such as wavy hairstyle and strapless dresses , which are widely followed by many celebrities. In accordance with her enduring popularity, News 18 wrote, "the cult of Madhubala is a difficult thing to match up to." Several modern-day celebrities, including Aamir Khan , Hrithik Roshan , Shah Rukh Khan , Madhuri Dixit , Rishi Kapoor and Naseeruddin Shah rank Madhubala among their favorite artistes of Indian cinema. Research analyst Rohit Sharma has studied narratives about Madhubala and surmised
6307-402: The doors of my heart, the louder you knock .." However, he allows her to follow him to Janakagarh along with her parents since he feels obligated to help the family for their hospitality. He employs the family as laborers in his art workshop in Janakgarh. The princess ruling Janakgarh appoints Madhu Sudan to make stone artifacts for the palace including her own image in stone. Soon, she develops
6426-424: The earliest Bollywood actresses who created a 'distinct sex symbol ' by "merg[ing]" "the vamp and the virgin", and publications including Rediff.com and Hindustan Times mentioned her among the topmost sex symbols of Bollywood. A 2011 poll conducted by Rediff.com saw Madhubala receiving the third highest number of votes among "the hottest women who've ever scorched our screens"; the portal's writer commented, "In
6545-613: The end, I guess, it's about beauty. And there weren't many who could match up to the ethereal Madhubala." Although Madhubala appeared in almost all film genres during her career, her most notable films included comedies. She gained recognition for her comic timing after her performance in Mr. & Mrs. '55 (1955), which Iqbal Masud of India Today call "a marvellous piece of sexy-comic acting." However, despite her success and fame, she neither received any acting award nor critical acclaim. Several critics have stated that her perceived beauty
6664-577: The entertainment industry, but Khan remained adamant. Soon Madhubala was employed at the All India Radio station to sing compositions of Khurshid Anwar . The seven-year-old continued working there for months, and became acquainted with Rai Bahadur Chunnilal, the general manager of the studio Bombay Talkies , situated in Bombay . Chunnilal took an immediate liking towards Madhubala and suggested Khan to visit Bombay for better employment opportunities. In
6783-424: The film industry." Madhubala's refusal to grant interviews or to interact with the press drew in extreme reactions from its members. By early 1950, Khan had begun asserting in her film contracts that no journalists would be allowed to meet her without his permission. When shortly after Madhubala declined to entertain a set of visiting journalists on set, they started vilifying her and her family and further placed
6902-528: The film revolves around a 16th-century court dancer, Anarkali (Madhubala), and her affair with the Mughal prince Salim (Kumar). Since the mid-1940s, Asif had rejected numerous actresses for the part of Anarkali. Madhubala had joined the cast in 1952 with an advance payment of Rs. 1 lakh—the highest for any actor or actress until then. The filming period proved to be taxing. Her relationship with Kumar ended amidst shooting and there were reports of animosity between
7021-463: The film would go on to become her final release in her lifetime. Baburao Patel, writing for Mother India , praised Madhubala's performance for "reviv[ing] the old heartache". An editor for Rediff.com called Sharabi a "fitting finale to a luminous career, showing the actress at her most beautiful and her most effective, a heroine destined not to age in any of our eyes." Two years after Madhubala's death, one of her incomplete works, Jwala (1971)
7140-407: The following few years as the happiest of her life. As their relationship progressed, Madhubala and Dilip got engaged but could not marry as Khan had some objections. Khan wanted Dilip to act in his production house's films, which the actor refused. Also, Dilip specified to Madhubala that if they were to marry, she will have to sever all ties with her family. She parted ways with him in 1957 amidst
7259-410: The form of the beautiful blue lotus flower in the pond. To honor and reciprocate her love, he decides to fulfill Ganga's wish of going into the temple with him - He carries the blue lotus flower into the temple and offers it to the gods. Putting his skepticism aside Madhu Sudan humbly says to the god that he never thought he would have to come to his temple for such a tragic reason. Madhu Sudan then lays
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#17328949131407378-455: The gates." Her fame was acknowledged by Time magazine also, which went on to call her a "cash and curry star" in its January 1959 issue. In films, she was often billed before the leading man, and web portal Rediff.com mentioned her as a more powerful celebrity than her male contemporaries. For Mahal (1949), her first film under a major production company, Madhubala was paid a sum of ₹ 7,000. The film's success established her career as
7497-540: The incident, Sharma restarted the production in Chatterjee's memory and cast a 14 year-old Madhubala , a child actress popularly known as "Baby Mumtaz", as the leading lady. Madhubala, who had earlier collaborated a few times with Sharma, already remembered most of the lines of her offered role and was never absent from work, which impressed the director highly. Following Jairaj's withdrawal, Sharma employed his clapper-boy Raj Kapoor to play Madhu Sudan—his first lead role in
7616-442: The late 1940s, and earned success with the dramas Neel Kamal (1947) and Amar (1954), the horror film Mahal (1949), and the romantic films Badal (1951) and Tarana (1951). Following a brief setback, Madhubala found continued success with her roles in the comedies Mr. & Mrs. '55 (1955), Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958) and Half Ticket (1962), the crime films Howrah Bridge and Kala Pani (both 1958), and
7735-429: The lightning vicissitudes in her life is superb." The success of Mughal-e-Azam resulted in a string of offers in major roles, but Madhubala had to refuse them owing to her heart condition. She further withdrew from some productions that were already underway, including Bombai Ka Babu , Naughty Boy , Jahan Ara , Yeh Basti Ye Log , Suhana Geet and an untitled film with Kishore Sahu . She did, however, have
7854-572: The limits of traditions". Film critic Sukanya Verma felt that actresses like Madhubala "should be applauded for doing more than just looking good and crying buckets." Madhubala was acknowledged in the media for her unconventional roles, such as a flirtatious cabaret dancer in Howrah Bridge (1958)—which led Filmfare to compare her with Rita Hayworth and Ava Gardner —a rebellious and independent woman in Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958), and
7973-401: The media to refer to her as "The Venus of Indian cinema " and "The Beauty with Tragedy". In 1951, Clare Mendonca of The Illustrated Weekly of India called her "the number one beauty of the Indian screen". Several of her co-workers cited her as the most beautiful woman they ever saw. Nirupa Roy said that "there never was and never will be anyone with her looks" while Nimmi (co-star in
8092-551: The most erotic scene in Bollywood's history by Outlook in 2008, and by Hindustan Times in 2011. Her critical reception improved in the 21st century, with Khatija Akbar noting that Madhubala's "brand of acting had an underplayed and spontaneous quality. Anyone looking for heavy histrionics and laboured 'acting' missed the point". In 1999, M. L. Dhawan of The Tribune stated that Madhubala "could communicate more with her delicately raised eyebrows than most performers could with
8211-449: The most successful leading lady of 1960. She subsequently discontinued her career and only preferred starring as love interests in a few films, including the comedies Jhumroo (1961), Boy Friend (1961) and Half Ticket (1962), and the dramas Passport (1961) and Sharabi (1964). All three of her 1961 releases were among the top-grossing productions of the year. Half Ticket , her last collaboration with husband Kishore Kumar
8330-447: The most talented female stars of the industry." Baburao Patel, writing for Filmindia , called her "easily our most talented, most versatile and best-looking artiste." A number of her directors including Sharma, Shakti Samanta and Raj Khosla spoke highly of her acting talents on different occasions. Ashok Kumar described her as the finest actress he ever worked with, while Dilip Kumar wrote in his autobiography that she
8449-513: The musical Barsaat Ki Raat (1960) was better received. The feature was the year's second-highest-grossing film, trailing only Mughal-e-Azam . A critic for The Indian Express found her "enchanting", while Venkat Parsa of The Siasat Daily noted the rebellious nature of her character, Shabnam, who elopes with her lover (played by Bharat Bhushan) after her parents object to the relationship. The back-to-back blockbuster successes of Mughal-e-Azam and Barsaat Ki Raat established Madhubala as
8568-480: The musical Barsaat Ki Raat (1960). Madhubala's portrayal of Anarkali in the historical epic drama Mughal-e-Azam (1960)—the highest-grossing film in India at the time—earned her widespread critical acclaim and her only nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress ; her performance has since been described by critics as one of the finest in Indian cinematic history. She worked sporadically in film in
8687-406: The pond. A maid tells a distraught princess that her little sister has been found. She gets up and quickly goes to meet her sister but soon returns saying angrily that those people were lying and trying to deceive her to gain wealth and that her little sister Kamal had a special circular mark/formation on the palm of her right hand. This was not known to anyone until this time. Since Ganga had such
8806-476: The priest and raise Ganga in a nearby town while the older princess rules over Janakgarh. In their newly adopted town - Ganga's adoptive parents do not tell anyone about their social status of "untouchables" nor engage in their low caste work of public cleaning. They make a living by doing labor jobs. Ganga is cherished by her adoptive father but his wife remains negative towards her. Teenager Ganga ( Madhubala ) meets and falls in love with Madhu Sudan ( Raj Kapoor ),
8925-549: The princess begins to express her views and her love to a fascinated Madhu Sudan. As he begins to warm up to the princess, Madhu Sudan's mentor warns him that Ganga's innocent love represents the soul, the creativity; whereas the princess's love represents the common and mundane desire/passion which will ultimately scuffle his creativity. Pleased and gratified with his spiritual mentor's counsel, Madhu Sudan Ganga that he will soon have his guide talk to her father and that they will then get engaged. He promises her that he will take her to
9044-402: The release of Mughal-e-Azam (1960), but it turned out to be one of her final films. Her dramatic portrayal of Anarkali—ranked amongst Bollywood's finest female performances by Upperstall.com and by Filmfare in general —established her as an enduring figure in Indian cinema. One of the romantic scenes from the film, in which Dilip Kumar brushes Madhubala's face with a plume , was declared
9163-471: The rented house was destroyed in a dock explosion; Madhubala and her family survived only because they had gone to a local theatre. After shifting into her friend's house, Madhubala continued her film career, playing minor roles in five of Ranjit's films: Mumtaz Mahal (1944), Dhanna Bhagat (1945), Rajputani (1946), Phoolwari (1946) and Pujari (1946); she was credited as "Baby Mumtaz" in all of them. She faced numerous problems in these years; during
9282-399: The rest of her life, he visited her occasionally, which Madhubala's sister Madhur Bhushan thought was possibly to "detach himself from her so that the final separation wouldn't hurt." In late June 1966, Madhubala seemed to have partly recovered and decided to return to film again with J. K. Nanda's Chalaak , opposite Raj Kapoor, which was unfinished since she left the industry. Her comeback
9401-506: The revelation that she could never marry her love, Ganga quietly goes to the pond, jumps into it and dies while her mother watches from a distance. In the meanwhile, Madhu Sudan brushes aside the princess's objections to his decision to choose Ganga over her. Enraged, the princess breaks the artifacts built by him. Madhu Sudan remains undeterred and leaves the palace. Ganga is found to be missing and Madhu Sudan, Ganga's father and some other men frantically look for her. They call out her name by
9520-443: The role of the misguided 'other' sister." The commercial success of Do Ustad (1959), which saw her reuniting with Raj Kapoor, was followed by the second film of Madhubala Private Ltd.—the comedy Mehlon Ke Khwab (1960). It fared poorly at the box office. Journalist Dinesh Raheja has described K. Asif 's Mughal-e-Azam (1960) as the "crowning glory" of Madhubala's career. Co-starring Dilip Kumar and Prithviraj Kapoor ,
9639-412: The same portral in 2012, columnist Rinki Roy mentioned Madhubala's character in Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi as "a top favourite": "Her breezy performance stands out as that rare example of an independent, urban woman. [...] For me, Madhubala is the face of the original celluloid diva." Her second collaboration with Samanta, Insan Jaag Utha (1959), was a social drama film in which the protagonists work on
9758-417: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Neel Kamal . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Neel_Kamal&oldid=1253753459 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
9877-451: The sets of Mughal-e-Azam (1960), Madhubala often ate lunch with Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto , a Pakistani barrister who later served as the country's Prime Minister . He used to visit the sets especially for Madhubala, and according to Sushila Kumari was Madhubala's one-sided lover. Madhubala's first relationship was with her Badal co-star Prem Nath , in early 1951. They dated for six months before differences figured out due to religion—Nath
9996-487: The shoot of Phoolwari in 1945, Madhubala vomited blood, which forewarned her illness that was slowly taking root. In 1946, she had to borrow money from a film producer for the treatment of her pregnant mother. Eager to establish a foothold in the industry, in November 1946, Madhubala began shooting for two of Mohan Sinha's directorial ventures, Chittor Vijay and Mere Bhagwaan , which were supposed to be her introduction to
10115-564: The silver-screen in adult roles. Madhubala's first project in a lead role was Sohrab Modi 's Daulat , but it was shelved indefinitely (and would not be revived until the next year). Her debut as a leading lady came in Kidar Sharma 's drama Neel Kamal , in which she starred opposite debutante Raj Kapoor and Begum Para . She was offered the film after Sharma's first choice, actress Kamla Chatterjee, died. Released in March 1947, Neel Kamal
10234-525: The social scene for almost a decade, her death was perceived as unexpected and found wide coverage in the Indian press. The Indian Express recalled her as "the most sought-after Hindi film actress" of her times, while Filmfare characterized her as "a Cinderella whose clock had struck twelve too soon". A number of her co-workers including Premnath (who wrote a poem dedicated to her), B. K. Karanjia and Shakti Samanta expressed their grief over her premature death. Gossip columnist Gulshan Ewing commented in
10353-554: The studio dropped her contract as it did not require a child actor at that time. Disappointed, Khan had to once again return his family to Delhi. He subsequently found low-paid temporary jobs in the city, but continued to struggle financially. In 1944, Bombay Talkies' head Devika Rani sent for Khan to summon Madhubala for role in Jwar Bhata (1944). Madhubala did not get the role but Khan now decided to settle permanently in Bombay seeing
10472-608: The summer of 1941, Khan along with Madhubala and other family members relocated to Bombay and settled down in a cowshed present in the Malad suburbs of Bombay. Following an approval from the studio executives, Chunnilal signed Madhubala to a juvenile role in Bombay Talkies' production, Basant (1942), at a salary of ₹ 150. Released in July 1942, Basant became a major success commercially, but although Madhubala's work garnered appreciation,
10591-452: The temple to fulfill her cherished desire of going inside the temple, which Ganga had expressed in the past, only to be forbidden by her father to do so. When Ganga's adoptive mother hears that Madhu Sudan is ready to marry Ganga, she reprimands Ganga for being selfish. She reveals to her that they are "untouchables" and that Ganga's lineage was unknown - which would make it impossible for her to marry an upper caste Madhu Sudan. Heart broken by
10710-475: The third biggest box-office success of the year, resulting in her signing a string of starring roles opposite the leading actors of the time. Following another box office hit in Dulari (1949), Madhubala played Ajit 's love interest in K. Amarnath 's social drama Beqasoor (1950). The feature received positive reviews and ranked among the year's top-grossing Bollywood productions. Also in 1950, she appeared in
10829-416: The time. That's what the doctor asked me to. That's what I did till her very last breath. I would laugh with her. I would cry with her." — Kishore Kumar on his relationship with Madhubala Soon after their marriage in 1960, Madhubala and Kishore Kumar traveled to London along with her doctor Rustom Jal Vakil , combining their honeymoon with the specialised treatment of Madhubala's heart disease, which
10948-532: The titular part in M. Sadiq's romance Saiyan , which Roger Yue of The Singapore Free Press commented was played "to perfection". Both Badal and Saiyan proved to be major box-office successes. Madhubala then collaborated with actor Dilip Kumar twice in a row, on the 1951 comedy Tarana and the 1952 drama Sangdil . These films also performed well financially, popularizing the on and offscreen couple among wide audience. Baburao Patel's filmindia review of Tarana read, "Incidentally, Madhubala gives
11067-464: The two female leads (an unfaithful girlfriend or a hooker with a heart of gold) in his production, Pyaasa (1957). Unable to choose between the two leading roles, the actresses passed over the film to the newcomers Mala Sinha and Waheeda Rehman . Madhubala appeared in two period films in 1956, Raj Hath and Shirin Farhad , both critical and commercial successes. The following year, she portrayed
11186-415: The two princesses were killed on their way to get help from their uncle. The younger princess Kamal who was present in the temple with her parents is a toddler and escapes the villainy of Mangal Singh by walking out of the temple alone. She is found by an "untouchable" man who brings her home and adopts her as his daughter despite his wife's objections. She is named Ganga. In the meanwhile, the older princess
11305-467: The words of Sharma, the film "did not achieve much success." Madhubala Madhubala (born Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi ; 14 February 1933 – 23 February 1969) was an Indian actress who worked in Hindi films. The country's highest-paid star in the 1950s, Madhubala appeared in over 70 films —ranging from slapstick comedies to historical dramas—in a two decade-long career. Long after her death, she remains
11424-550: The year's top-grossing films. She followed this success with the box office hit Phagun (1958). In her final release of 1958, Madhubala portrayed a wealthy city woman involved in a love affair with Kishore Kumar in Satyen Bose 's comedy Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi —one of the biggest money-making films of the 1950s. Dinesh Raheja of Rediff.com referred to it as the "fifties jest-setter", adding that Madhubala "exudes oodles of charisma and her giggles are infectious." Writing for
11543-435: 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." Writing retrospectively for The New York Times , Aisha Khan characterised Madhubala's acting style as "natural" and "understated", noting that she often portrayed roles of "modern young women testing
11662-433: Was a Hindu . Although the relationship fizzled out soon, Nath nevertheless remained close to Madhubala and her father Ataullah Khan for the rest of their lives. Also in 1951, Madhubala began a romance with actor Dilip Kumar , whom she had earlier met working on Jwar Bhata (1944). Their affair went on to receive wide media attention throughout the decade. It had a positive impact on Madhubala and her friends have recalled
11781-410: Was a childhood acquaintance. They went on to date for two years and had a court marriage on 16 October 1960. There are reports suggesting that Kumar, a Hindu, had converted to Islam to marry her, but these claims have been refuted by her sister. The union was disliked by her father, as well as her in-laws who had not expected their son to marry a Muslim. Madhubala and Kishore also came to be considered
11900-407: Was a critical and commercial success as well. Sukanya Verma called the film one of her most favourite comedies of all time, praising the "palpably fond chemistry" between Madhubala and Kishore. Also released in 1962 was Madhubala Private Ltd.'s third and last presentation, Pathan , which turned out to be a box office flop. Following a sabbatical of two years, Madhubala completed Sharabi in 1964;
12019-567: Was a minor and in Delhi, Madhubala had a close friend named Latif, to whom she left a rose before her family relocated to Bombay. While working as a child artist in the mid-1940s, Madhubala befriended Baby Mahjabeen, another child actor of that time, who later grew up as actress Meena Kumari . Despite their professional rivalry, Madhubala shared a cordial relationship with Kumari as well as other female stars, such as Nargis , Nimmi , Begum Para , Geeta Bali , Nirupa Roy and Nadira . In 1951, following
12138-569: Was aggravating rapidly. In London, doctors refused to operate on her, fearing complications, and instead advised Madhubala to avoid any kind of stress and anxiety. She was dissuaded from having any children and given a life expectancy of two years. Madhubala and Kishore subsequently returned to Bombay and she shifted to Kishore's home in Bandra . Her health continued declining and she now frequently quarrelled with her husband. Ashok Kumar (Kishore's elder brother) recalled that her sickness turned her into
12257-415: Was always equal to her male co-stars—which has otherwise been a rarity—and she has also been credited for being one of the earliest personalities who, in the era of mass communication , took the position of Indian cinema to global standards . Moreover, with Bahut Din Huwe (1954), Madhubala became the first Hindi actress to have a career in south Indian cinema . Jerry Pinto has cited Madhubala as one of
12376-647: Was an employee at the Imperial Tobacco Company . Unknown to her family members, Madhubala was born with a ventricular septal defect , a congenital heart disorder which had no treatment at the time. Madhubala spent most of her childhood in Delhi and grew up without any kind of health issues. Owing to the orthodox ideas of their Muslim father, neither Madhubala nor any of her sisters except Zahida attended school. Madhubala nevertheless learnt Urdu , Hindi , as well as her native language, Pashto , under her father's guidance. An avid movie viewer since
12495-523: Was an impediment to her craft to be taken seriously. Madhubala wished to play more dramatic and author-backed roles, but was often discouraged. According to Dilip Kumar, audience "missed out on a lot of her other attributes." Biographer Sushila Kumari said that "people were so mesmerised by her beauty that they never cared for the actress", and Shammi Kapoor thought of her as "a highly underrated actress in spite of performing consistently well in her films." Madhubala's talents were first acknowledged after
12614-489: Was cast to play the female protagonist. Citing her as uncooperative and unprofessional, Chopra replaced Madhubala with Vyjayanthimala and further sued the former for ₹ 30,000 in damages. The lawsuit continued for about eight months amidst public scrutiny before Chopra withdrew it after Naya Daur got released. Subsequently in the years 1956–57, Madhubala reduced her workload due to the lawsuit and health issues. She and Nargis were approached by Guru Dutt to play either of
12733-558: Was credited as "Mumtaz", Devika Rani suggested her to take up "Madhubala" as her professional name. Madhubala found her first critical and commercial success in the drama Lal Dupatta , which The Indian Express mentioned as a breakthrough for her. Baburao Patel described the film as "the first milestone of her maturity in screen acting." She received further positive reviews for her supporting parts in Parai Aag (1948), Paras and Singaar (both 1949). In 1949, Madhubala played
12852-496: Was demolished to make room for new interments. Her remains were placed at an unknown location. Madhubala was one of the most celebrated film stars in India from the late 1940s to early 1960s. In 1951, James Burke photographed her for a feature in the American magazine Life , which described her as the biggest star in the Indian film industry at that time. Her fame reached beyond India as well: director Frank Capra offered her
12971-556: Was diagnosed as having hematuria . Madhubala suffered a heart attack in the midnight of 22 February. After struggling for few hours amongst her family members and Kishore, she died at 9:30 a.m. of 23 February, only nine days after turning 36. Madhubala was buried at Juhu Muslim Cemetery in Santacruz , Bombay along with her personal diary. Her tomb was built with marbles and inscriptions include aayats from Quran and verse dedications. Due to Madhubala's absence from
13090-505: Was diagnosed with an incurable ventricular septal defect in her heart; the diagnosis was not made public as it could jeopardize her career. She performed actively in charity, which led editor Baburao Patel to call her the "queen of charity". In 1950, she donated ₹ 5,000 each to children suffering from polio myelitis and to the Jammu and Kashmir relief fund, and ₹ 50,000 for the refugees from East Bengal . Madhubala's donation sparked off
13209-405: Was her last film before she assumed her screen name on the suggestion of actress Devika Rani . The soundtrack of Neel Kamal was composed by Snehal Bhatkar (credited as B. Vasudev) and lyrics were written by Kidar Sharma. Neel Kamal earned about ₹ 2.5 million ( ₹ 25 lakhs) at the box office in its initial theatrical run. According to Hindustan Times , it was a commercial failure. In
13328-472: Was her own production venture, Naata (1955), in which she co-starred with her sister Chanchal. The film met with a tepid response and lost a lot of money, compelling Madhubala to sell her bungalow Kismet to recover the loss. Madhubala made a comeback in 1955 with Guru Dutt 's comedy Mr. & Mrs. '55 , which emerged as one of the year's highest-grossing films in India and her biggest success at that point of time. The film saw her playing Anita Verma,
13447-545: Was invited. Having been a part of the film industry since childhood, Madhubala saw the social scene as superficial and expressed her despise of "the kind of functions where only the current favourites are invited and where a decade or two hence I would not be invited." In a two decade-long career, Madhubala was seen at the premieres of only two films— Bahut Din Huwe (1954) and Insaniyat (1955)—both for personal reasons. Her regular photographer, Ram Aurangbadakar complained that she "lacked warmth" and "was very detached", which
13566-717: Was popular with audience and garnered wide public recognition for Madhubala. She then reteamed with Kapoor in Chittor Vijay and Dil Ki Rani , both of which were released in 1947, and in Amar Prem , which came out the following year. These films were unsuccessful ventures that failed to propel her career ahead. During this period, she had to charge a relatively lesser amount than her usual fee to attract more offers. To secure her family financially, Madhubala quickly signed 24 films. Impressed by her work in Neel Kamal , in which Madhubala
13685-432: Was referred to as "the out-of-the-bed look" and further established her screen persona as a liberated and independent woman. David Cort summarized her as "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, but by the time she quit acting, she had already successfully featured in over 70 films . Her screen time in leading roles
13804-478: Was released. Co-starring Sunil Dutt and Sohrab Modi , the film was mainly completed with the help of body doubles. It marked Madhubala's final screen role. Born in an orthodox Muslim family, Madhubala was deeply religious and practiced Islam since her childhood. After securing her family financially in the late 1940s, she rented a bungalow on Peddar Road in Bombay and named it "Arabian Villa". It became her permanent residence until death. She learnt driving at
13923-475: Was the Naya Daur civil war fought against B. R. Chopra, which Bunny Reuben mentions in his memoir as "the most sensational court case ever to be fought in the annals of Indian cinema." Regardless of all these dissensions, Madhubala was known in the media as a disciplined and professional performer, with Kidar Sharma (director of the 1947 film Neel Kamal ) recalling her early days in the industry, "She worked like
14042-416: Was the fifth of eleven children of Ataullah Khan and Aayesha Begum. At least four of Madhubala's siblings died as infants; her sisters who survived until adulthood were Kaneez Fatima (b. 1925), Altaf (b. 1930), Chanchal (b. 1934) and Zahida (b. 1949). Khan, who belonged to the Yusufzai tribe of Pashtuns from Peshawar valley , originating from Swabi District , North-West Frontier Province
14161-508: Was welcomed by the media, but Madhubala immediately fainted as the shoot began; the film was thus never completed. She was subsequently hospitalized in the Breach Candy Hospital , where she met her former boyfriend Dilip Kumar and returned home after being discharged. To alleviate her insomnia , Madhubala used hypnotic on Ashok's suggestion, but it further exacerbated her problems. Madhubala spent her final years bedridden and lost
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