Madhubala

Madhubala मधुबाला
Madhubala in Dulari (1949)
Born	Mumtaz Jehan Dehlavi ممتاز جہان بیگم دہلوی (1933-02-14)14 February 1933 Delhi, India
Died	23 February 1969(1969-02-23) (aged 36) Bombay, India
Nationality	Indian
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1942–1960
Spouse(s)	Kishore Kumar 1960-1969 (Her death)

Mumtaz Jehan Dehlavi

Madhubala (14 February 1933 – 23 February 1969) (born Mumtaz Jehan Dehlavi) was an Indian film actress who appeared in classic films of Hindi cinema. She was active between 1942 and 1960. Along with her contemporaries Nargis and Meena Kumari, she is often regarded as one of the most influential personalities of Hindi cinema. She is also considered to be one of the most beautiful actresses to have worked in the industry and is highly regarded as "The Venus of Indian Cinema" and "The Beauty with Tragedy".

Often drawing comparison from American actress Marilyn Monroe, Madhubala received wide recognition for her performances in films like Mahal (1949), Amar (1954), Mr. & Mrs. '55 (1955), Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958), Mughal-e-Azam (1960) and Barsaat Ki Raat (1960). Madhubala's performance in Mughal-e-Azam established her as an iconic actress of Hindi Cinema. Her last film, Jwala, although shot in the 1950s, was released in 1971. Madhubala died on 23 February 1969 after a prolonged illness.

Madhubala was born Mumtaz Jehan Dehlavi, on 14 February 1933 in Delhi, India. She was a native Pashto-speaker. Her father was Attaullah Khan, a Yusufzai Pashtun from the Swabi District of North-West Frontier Province(modern-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of Pakistan), and her mother was Ayesha Begum. She belonged to an orthodox middle-class family and was the fifth of eleven children. After her father lost his job at the Imperial Tobacco Company in Peshawar, he relocated to Delhi followed by Mumbai. There, the family endured many hardships. Madhubala's three sisters and two brothers died at the age of five and six. The dock explosion and fire of April 14, 1944 wiped out their small home. The family survived only because they had gone to see a film at a local theater. With his six remaining daughters to provide for, Khan, and the young Madhubala, began to pay frequent visits to Bombay film studios to look for work. At the age of 9, this was Madhubala's introduction to the movie industry, which would provide financial help to her family. Madhubala married Kishore Kumar.