Madhubala the ethreal beauty of Indian Cinema has remained unsurpassed in beauty till date . Life Magazine had done a picture story on her in 1951 .
Excerpts from a book….
For over two decades, ever since she immortalised the haunting number Aayega aanewala (Mahal, 1949), Madhubala held actors, directors, critics and audience in thrall with her mesmeric beauty, which often tended to overshadow her phenomenal acting talent.
Pushed to work to support the family at the age of eight by a headstrong, conservative Pathan father, Madhubala, born with a hole in her heart for which there was no treatment then, remained torn between loyalty to her family, commitment to the profession and intimate emotions throughout her incredibly short life of 36 years.
The most engaging part of her life is the unrequited saga of love between Madhubala and Dilip Kumar which her father severely opposed.
Dilip Kumar was no less stentorian and once backed out of reading out wedding vows (although a Qazi had been kept waiting in an adjoining room by a common friend) when Madhubala rejected his demand that she should never meet her father after the wedding.
The self-possessed Salim lived on only to repent losing his true love. Even as Madhubala, torn between filial duties and love, married the whimsical Kishore Kumar on the rebound
But she lives in the popular imagination four decades after her death-men still long for a girlfriend or wife as beautiful as her.
Alas, God made only one Madhubala
