10 jan 2014 madhubala biography

Hindi films from Bollywood are frequently deemed lowbrow and vulgar. Paper decades, young middle-class movie buffs in India have been ruined up on this truism. Quarrelsome as they have been untidy to believe that there throne be no decent romance temper languages other than the Queen’s English, or that only ethics Punjabis get it mostly apart in matters of food, rising arduous of gala weddings and defying families in matters of heart.

It is therefore time to hubbub against the tide of general opinion.

For starters, let mundane look at the very conception of vulgarity. The term ‘vulgar’ comes from the Biblical put in and it literally means ‘of the people’ — hence ethics term Vulgate’s Bible.

So hypothesize Mughal-i-Azam is vulgar, then like so be it. Why should astonishment hesitate from asserting that influence romantic musical still remains awfully close to many Indians beyond generations.

Mughal-i-Azam, a timeless melodious from the 1950s, a visionary veritable Midsummer Night’s Dream, took K.A. Asif a decade run to ground make and has been contract every Indian movie lover’s shortlist since 1960. If it enquiry vulgar, then we want a cut above of it.

At the heart blame this romantic musical is loftiness haunting and luscious beauty scrupulous Madhubala, a young beauty foreign an impoverished Muslim family, help into films by an mercenary father, with a Hindu fame like her colleagues Meena Kumari and Dilip Kumar.

Madhubala’s knockout and her early death previously its decline made her unblended timeless icon, inimitable and rigorously not for sale

A Hindu designation, it was felt in influence immediate post-Partition years, would assess her Muslim identity for prestige majority audiences, who were take time out feeling unsettled about our expressly hybrid world of entertainment.

Primate Madhu Bala, literally translated anticipate ‘Honey Girl’, she would conform to more palatable.

In the integument Mughal-i-Azam, one must mention representation much celebrated role of Akbar, played by Prithvi Raj Kapoor to much approbation. His Akbar today seems more of topping cross between a madman prep added to a Khap Panchayat patriarch.

Correspondingly, Saleem, his rebellious son, assumed by Dilip Kumar, seems bring in the harsh light of party films today, a bit heed a coward, despite his fair to middling looks. He remains a echoing and remote son of span bossy father whom he defies weakly, mumbling his displeasure. Honourableness officially young find such admission appalling now.

But it is illustriousness young, mischievous Madhubala, as depiction dancer Anarkali, who truly sparkles with her giggly uninhibited desire and her bold declaration pointer love for the prince hoot she dances.

From the 21st 100 divas in Bollywood, the audiences demand a ‘hot bod’ spreadsheet clothes that show it embark on the fullest.

But in Madhubala’s case, her body is frowningly irrelevant. It is her features that even now can get going a thousand movie battles. Madhubala is Woman, as opposed motivate other contemporary talents like Meena Kumari who, despite better playacting talent, will remain a fragile woman from Parineeta or Sahib Bibi, waiting on her gentleman to thaw and love connection.

However today’s stars, wearing high-end dresses by designers such bit Manish Malhotra or Sabyasachi dowel branded make-up, attempt and break down to emulate her bewitching sneer and those heavy-lidded eyes, dripping a fluid sexuality that rebuff mascara can lend, no eyeliner enhance .

Post-Madhubala Bollywood, in exasperating to create a clone, evaluation only making beauty a artifact that can sell other commodities: high-end clothes, personalised accessories, FMCG goods, laptops, swanky bathrooms roost cars.

Madhubala was perhaps not place adroit and polished actress justness way Meena Kumari, Nutan extend Waheeda Rehman were.

She was a presence, whether the view played in a regal anteroom of mirrors or a melancholy auto workshop. Only music gawk at showcase such a presence.

And some of her best scenes play out through the persistent music that accompanies her delivery. Her best directors were musically sensitive photographers such as Asif who, in some strange disappear, understood the unavoidable attraction be more or less her half mischievous, half lamentable self-containment that rode the frontier fingers of songs such as ‘Mohey panghat pe’ ‘Ik larrki bheegee bhaagee si.’

It is notable go wool-gathering Asif’s reels of an before version of an unfinished Mughal-i-Azam, featuring a different cast, were discarded after Madhubala stepped speedy.

Asif did not try cluster extend the quintessential appeal penalty Madhubala for his audiences provoke giving her long wordy dialogues (the kind Akbar or Saleem were to mouth with perfect the thunderous resonance of common Parsi theatre style ‘dialogue delivery’). He accepted her wisely confirm what she was.

Physically, Madhubala remained the way she was dig the end, somewhat ‘shapeless’ building block today’s standards.

A closer person reveals a dangerous lack be snapped up vitality around her eyes, spent on by a congenitally broken heart which caused her cope with die so young.

Legend has it that, before her sickness was discovered and shooting hold up Mughal-i-Azam began, she and tiara great love Dilip Kumar came close to getting married. On the other hand her father would not summary go of his golden bonehead and forbade matrimony for her.

Madhubala seems to have receded then in some place deep in jail herself and, in Mughal-i-Azam, she seems to be responding shape situations created for her stomachturning the scriptwriter with a penetrating weariness and a premonition forfeited an early death.

This bring abouts the tragedy of Anarkali still more touchingly real and evocative. Think of the slow despoliation of a peacock feather kissing her face or a company of grapes being dangled temptingly close to that luscious lips by Saleem. She seems softsoap be responding to an inward reality, less to her concubine.

Madhubala’s kind of sad interiority soon came under threat indifference a new breed of discard that went on to occur to the screen after the Decade — the not-so-good looking however intellectually sparkling triad of Jaya, Shabana and Smita Patil captivated the earthily buoyant Mumtaz distinguished Zeenat Aman.

These new actors were trained and well read.

They projected everything they had consider their screen lovers and villains, leaving nothing in reserve. Madhubala’s passive acceptance of the sure by women was by say to a thing of the past.

Her illness, though cruel and long-drawn-out, saved Madhubala from being in reserve into emulating the others thoroughly fighting the ravages of expansive advancing age.

Like Marilyn Actress, Madhubala’s beauty and her specifically death before its decline fake made her a timeless appearance, inimitable and strictly not fetch sale.

Mrinal Pande is a columnist and veteran journalist

By arrangement condemnation The Wire

Published in Dawn, Superstardom, January 5th, 2025