Madhubala birth anniversary: Here are some lesser-known facts about the legendary actor

Yesteryear actress Madhubala’s birth anniversary falls today. The iconic diva was born on 14 February, 1933. A part of hit classics such as Mahal,  Chalti Ka Naam Gadi and Mughal-e-Azam, Madhubala’s beauty and charm has continued capture the imagination of people.

Decades after her death in 1969, the Jhumroo star is still regarded as one of the most charming and versatile actors of Hindi cinema. From her well-publicised personal life, to her tragic death at the age of 36, the vivacious star remains etched in the minds of people.

This year, on the legendary actor’s birth anniversary, here are some lesser known facts about Madhubala:

―    She was born as Begum Mumtaz Jehan Dehlavi to Ataullah Khan and Ayesha Begum in New Delhi.

―    Madhubala was the fifth of eleven siblings and started working in films since the age of nine.

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―    Her first film as a child artiste was the 1942 movie Basant, where she was credited as Baby Mumtaz.

―    While she was working as a child artiste, she became good friends with another young actor, Baby Mehjabeen, who was later known as Meena Kumari.

―    The young star caught the attention of actor-producer Devika Rani, who persuaded her to change her name to Madhubala.

―    Her first film was Neel Kamal with Raj Kapoor in 1947.

―    The accomplished beauty, who was also called Venus of Bollywood and India’s Marilyn Monroe, went through a lean phase, before she got her big break in the 1949 supernatural drama Mahal.

―    Post the success of Mahal, Madhubala gave several hits one after the other. She was paired with leading actors of the era including Dev Anand, Dilip Kumar and Ashok Kumar in films such as Kala Pani, Tarana and Howrah Bridge.

―    Reports say that she was offered a film by Hollywood director Frank Capra, but refused.

―    She was prone to giggling at the most inopportune times while shooting for her films.

― She was also a great dog-lover and had 18 dogs at one point of time, as per reports.

―    She was only nominated once for the Filmfare Best Actress Award in 1961. The nomination was for her portrayal of the courtesan Anarkali in Mughal-e-Azam.

―    Her romance with Mughal-e-Azam actor Dilip Kumar ended due to her father’s interference. The Howrah Bridge actor then accepted Kishore Kumar’s marriage proposal.

―    She was diagnosed with Ventricular Septal Defect at the age of 27. According to reports, doctors in London had told her that she had only two years left.

―    The Venus of Bollywood passed away on 23 February, 1969, due to the illness. She remains beloved by generations of film lovers.