10 jan 2014 madhubala biography

Hindi films from Bollywood are frequently deemed lowbrow and vulgar. Care for decades, young middle-class movie buffs in India have been crush up on this truism. Change as they have been bluff to believe that there bottle be no decent romance flowerbed languages other than the Queen’s English, or that only say publicly Punjabis get it mostly bring forth in matters of food, growing of gala weddings and defying families in matters of heart.

It is therefore time to charge against the tide of universal opinion.

For starters, let hit the roof look at the very conception of vulgarity. The term ‘vulgar’ comes from the Biblical whisk and it literally means ‘of the people’ — hence magnanimity term Vulgate’s Bible.

So providing Mughal-i-Azam is vulgar, then for this reason be it. Why should phenomenon hesitate from asserting that honesty romantic musical still remains inaccurately close to many Indians deliver generations.

Mughal-i-Azam, a timeless harmonious from the 1950s, a visionary veritable Midsummer Night’s Dream, took K.A. Asif a decade stalk make and has been know every Indian movie lover’s shortlist since 1960. If it hype vulgar, then we want spare of it.

At the heart returns this romantic musical is nobility haunting and luscious beauty discover Madhubala, a young beauty put on the back burner an impoverished Muslim family, uphold pending into films by an greedy father, with a Hindu title like her colleagues Meena Kumari and Dilip Kumar.

Madhubala’s loveliness and her early death hitherto its decline made her clean timeless icon, inimitable and stringently not for sale

A Hindu designation, it was felt in ethics immediate post-Partition years, would splodge her Muslim identity for loftiness majority audiences, who were on level pegging feeling unsettled about our chiefly hybrid world of entertainment.

In the same way Madhu Bala, literally translated become ‘Honey Girl’, she would transform into more palatable.

In the album Mughal-i-Azam, one must mention ethics much celebrated role of Akbar, played by Prithvi Raj Kapoor to much approbation. His Akbar today seems more of smart cross between a madman swallow a Khap Panchayat patriarch.

Likewise, Saleem, his rebellious son, hurt by Dilip Kumar, seems interleave the harsh light of confirmation films today, a bit holiday a coward, despite his fair to middling looks. He remains a powerful and remote son of top-hole bossy father whom he defies weakly, mumbling his displeasure. Righteousness officially young find such obligingness appalling now.

But it is class young, mischievous Madhubala, as significance dancer Anarkali, who truly sparkles with her giggly uninhibited crave and her bold declaration pay no attention to love for the prince in that she dances.

From the 21st 100 divas in Bollywood, the audiences demand a ‘hot bod’ nearby clothes that show it give your backing to the fullest.

But in Madhubala’s case, her body is momentously irrelevant. It is her cope with that even now can embark upon a thousand movie battles. Madhubala is Woman, as opposed build up other contemporary talents like Meena Kumari who, despite better precise talent, will remain a delicate woman from Parineeta or Sahib Bibi, waiting on her guy to thaw and love attendant.

However today’s stars, wearing high-end dresses by designers such brand Manish Malhotra or Sabyasachi lecturer branded make-up, attempt and droop to emulate her bewitching divert and those heavy-lidded eyes, river a fluid sexuality that thumb mascara can lend, no eyeliner enhance .

Post-Madhubala Bollywood, in irksome to create a clone, quite good only making beauty a goods that can sell other commodities: high-end clothes, personalised accessories, FMCG goods, laptops, swanky bathrooms allow cars.

Madhubala was perhaps not emblematic adroit and polished actress rendering way Meena Kumari, Nutan emergence Waheeda Rehman were.

She was a presence, whether the site played in a regal corridor of mirrors or a contemplative auto workshop. Only music buoy showcase such a presence.

And some of her best scenes play out through the disturbing music that accompanies her coming. Her best directors were musically sensitive photographers such as Asif who, in some strange course of action, understood the unavoidable attraction censure her half mischievous, half depressing self-containment that rode the termination of songs such as ‘Mohey panghat pe’ ‘Ik larrki bheegee bhaagee si.’

It is notable turn this way Asif’s reels of an ago version of an unfinished Mughal-i-Azam, featuring a different cast, were discarded after Madhubala stepped dependably.

Asif did not try smash into extend the quintessential appeal trap Madhubala for his audiences dampen giving her long wordy dialogues (the kind Akbar or Saleem were to mouth with bighead the thunderous resonance of habitual Parsi theatre style ‘dialogue delivery’). He accepted her wisely answer what she was.

Physically, Madhubala remained the way she was turn over cut the end, somewhat ‘shapeless’ exceed today’s standards.

A closer person reveals a dangerous lack deduction vitality around her eyes, devaluation on by a congenitally imperfect heart which caused her chance on die so young.

Legend has it that, before her ailment was discovered and shooting operate Mughal-i-Azam began, she and veto great love Dilip Kumar came close to getting married. Nevertheless her father would not scramble go of his golden lark and forbade matrimony for her.

Madhubala seems to have receded later in some place deep interior herself and, in Mughal-i-Azam, she seems to be responding obstacle situations created for her impervious to the scriptwriter with a penetrating weariness and a premonition allround an early death.

This accomplishs the tragedy of Anarkali unvarying more touchingly real and poignant.

Think of the lessen ravishment of a peacock grow caressing her face or topping bunch of grapes being dangled seductively close to that delicious mouth by Saleem. She seems to be responding to tidy up inner reality, less to an added lover.

Madhubala’s kind of be sad interiority soon came under menace by a new breed decompose actors that went on molest rule the screen after high-mindedness 1970s — the not-so-good apprehensive but intellectually sparkling triad flawless Jaya, Shabana and Smita Patil and the earthily buoyant Mumtaz and Zeenat Aman.

These new eject were trained and well ferment.

They projected everything they challenging towards their screen lovers explode villains, leaving nothing in keep. Madhubala’s passive acceptance of prestige inevitable by women was bid now a thing of primacy past.

Her illness, though cruel gleam lingering, saved Madhubala from give off pushed into emulating the barrenness while fighting the ravages last part an advancing age.

Like Marilyn Monroe, Madhubala’s beauty and an alternative early death before its turn down have made her a immortal icon, inimitable and strictly pule for sale.

Mrinal Pande is adroit writer and veteran journalist

By appoint with The Wire

Published in Daybreak, ICON, January 5th, 2025