Madhubala

A bet of a thousand rupees was struck at a fashionable restaurant in Bom­bay—the subject of the bet being the beauteous Madhubala.

The two parties concerned were Ramesh Chandra, producer of “Meenar”, and the Cal­cutta distributor of the film.

The latter asked the producer if it would be possible to have Madhubabla—who had step­ped out of the heroine’s role in the picture due to illness and was replaced by Bina Rai—make a trip to Calcutta for the opening of the film there.

So certain was the distributor of the impossibility of the star accepting such an invitation, he took out a new thousand-rupee note scribbled the bet on it. Beneath this Ramesh Chandra, too, signified his participa­tion in the bet.

Thereupon, the distributor asked the pro­ducer how he intended to get Madhubala to accept the invitation.

“Well,” said ex-lawyer Ramesh Chandra archly, “Madhubala featured in the mahurat shot of my film. So I’ll just tell her that since the first shot of the film was of her, the open­ing of the film, too, should be by her!”

So saying, the clever producer pocketed the thousand-rupee note and walked out!

The sequel to this story can only be writ­ten after the film opens in Calcutta.

Will the lovely Madhubala go to Calcutta? Your guess is as good as ours. (Filmfare)

Madhubala

Time and again, actresses have been compared to Madhubala. Some are known for their close resemblance with Madhubala, others have tried to imitate her eternal charm and then there have been direct and indirect references to her on celluloid. Here is the list of few such actresses who have been compared to Madhubala for such reasons -

Yasmin

Yasmin

Pakistani actress Yasmin was one of the first actresses to be compared with Madhubala for her slight resemblance with the star. Yasmin made a slew of commercially successful films during the 1950s and 1960s including Aadmi (1958) and Baaghi (1956). However, she never rose to any great heights as a heroine.

Sona

Sona

B-grade Indian actress from the 70′s, Sona’s only claim to fame was her close resemblance with Madhubala. She was known as Madhubala look alike. She is ex-mafia kingpin Haji Mastan’s widow.

Chanchal

Chanchal in Mother India (1957)

Chanchal was Madhubala’s middle sister who was introduced by M. Sadiq in Pardes (1950), where Madhubala played the lead. Although she closely resembled Madhubala, she was mostly seen in supporting roles in films like Mother India (1957) etc. Chanchal also acted in 2 of the 3 films produced by Madhubala under the banner of Madhubala Private Limited – Naata (1955) and Mehlon Ke Khuwab (1960).

Madhur

Madhur

Youngest sister of Mahubala, Madhur also resembled Madhubala to certain extent. Madhur was introduced in 1976 opposite Vikram and Kabir Bedi in Saanjhi. The film never saw the light of day and became the first and last film of her career.

Madhuri Dixit

Madhuri Dixit

When Madhuri burst onto the scene in the 1980s many thought she had glimpses of Madhubala, more so because of her exuberant smile.

Kangana Ranaut

Kangana Ranaut

Kangana’s role in Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai (2010) had indirect references to actresses Sona and Madhubala.

Shammi Kapoor and Madhubala in Boy Friend (1961)

Shammi Kapoor was a tall, lanky, thin young man (“I had no shadow”), twenty-one-year-old and on the threshold of a career in films. A stint in the theatre had given him confidence, even a slightly superior attitude to “these film people”. He was at ease working with big directors like A.R. Kardar and Mahesh Kaul. There was no nervousness, no awe. While Jeevan Jyoti was being made, he signed his next film, Rail Ka Dibba. The heroine was Madhubala.

The confidence, the condescension and the ease, went sailing out as Shammi Kapoor beheld his co-star. It was impossible for him to take his eyes off her. Rapt and lost, Shammi did not know what had hit him. He became flustered. “I was very nervous working with her, so nervous that I’d forget my dialogue. When I looked at her, I was lost. I was tongue-tied. Yes, she had that effect on me. She knew it too, she could see it, and she helped me gradually. Within a month, I was in love.”

Madhubala was nineteen, but she had a maturity and poise that years of acting experience had given her. Shammi recalls it seemed to him like the poor girl had been working for two hundred years. He was madly in love and soon he was proposing marriage to her. “By the standards of today’s generation we were innocent and far less scheming. In our days falling in love meant getting married; today, ‘affairs’ start… I remember going home and crying to my mother, ‘I must marry her’.”

But it was 1952; attitudes were much more conservative and the difference in religion was not acceptable to his mother, who responded predictably: “Have you taken leave of your senses? She is a Muslim.”

Madhubala, moreover, was in love with Dilip Kumar, although in her own way she was extremely fond of Shammi. “Personally I think, the whole equation was different”, muses Shammi Kapoor: “With me, she felt motherly, she cared for me and she wanted to make something out of me. Dilip Kumar was ten years her senior and a very mature person. She looked up to him.” Recalling that big stars like Dilip Kumar and Premnath were in love with her, Shammi laughs: “They did not even know there was an entity called Shammi Kapoor on this canvas. After all, I was small fry.”

Shammi could not marry her, but he did marry the next person that he fell in love with, Geeta Bali. “Madhubala and Geeta had much in common. Both were impish, very alive and very vibrant.” Happy for him, Madhubala called and congratulated him.

Mahesh Kaul’s Jeevan Jyoti was Shammi Kapoor’s first film, but Rail Ka Dibba was his first release. The very first picture that he had signed was also with Madhubala called Hum, Turn our Woh, it had a mahurat but never went on the floors. Lekhraj Bhakri’s Naqab (1955) and Naresh Saigal’s Boy Friend (1961) were two more films they did together. As Shammi recollects: “When I did Rail Ka Dibba and Naqab with her, I was a nonentity. By the time Boy Friend came, I had established myself, my career and my style.” Boy Friend had the liltingly lovely number by Mohd. Rafi: Salaam aapki meethi nazar ko salaam. For another song situation, Dhire chal, dhire chal ai bheegi hawa…, Madhubala was shown sleeping, as Shammi moves around nearby, singing. The characteristic, flamboyant Shammi Kapoor style was in action — it was too novel a phenomenon, too fascinating. Curiosity got the better of Madhubala. “She would open one eye and watch me. Reminded to keep her eyes closed, she’d answer, `I can’t help it, I want to see what you are doing. Where did you learn it?’ ”

Shammi rates her Mr and Mrs ’55 as his favourite. “But her greatest performance will always remain that of Anarkali in Mughal-e-Azam. Shammi Kapoor’s tribute to his former co-star comes straight from the heart: “Madhubala was a very beautiful person both internally and externally. I had a very high regard and respect for her. Such people are just not made any longer, and I am being very honest when I say this. Geeta knew about it and my present wife also knows it. My life is an open book.” – Khatija Akbar