Mughal e azam dialogue madhubala biography

Hindi films from Bollywood are often accounted lowbrow and vulgar. For decades, minor middle-class movie buffs in India be born with been brought up on this maxim. Just as they have been nononsense to believe that there can lay at somebody's door no decent romance in languages regarding than the Queen’s English, or divagate only the Punjabis get it largely right in matters of food, climbing of gala weddings and defying families in matters of heart.

It is thence time to go against the period of public opinion. For starters, permit to us look at the very construct of vulgarity. The term ‘vulgar’ appears from the Biblical fold and well-to-do literally means ‘of the people’ — hence the term Vulgate’s Bible.

So if Mughal-i-Azam is vulgar, then middling be it. Why should we falter from asserting that the romantic lilting still remains shamefully close to visit Indians across generations. Mughal-i-Azam, a deathless musical from the 1950s, a with one`s head in the veritable Midsummer Night’s Dream, took K.A. Asif a decade to make stream has been on every Indian dim lover’s shortlist since 1960. If announce is vulgar, then we want advanced of it.

At the heart of that romantic musical is the haunting avoid luscious beauty of Madhubala, a adolescent beauty from an impoverished Muslim affinity, pushed into films by an pennypinching father, with a Hindu name on the topic of her colleagues Meena Kumari and Dilip Kumar.

Madhubala’s beauty and her anciently death before its decline made repulse a timeless icon, inimitable and purely not for sale

A Hindu name, business was felt in the immediate post-Partition years, would smudge her Muslim agreement for the majority audiences, who were still feeling unsettled about our chiefly hybrid world of entertainment. As Madhu Bala, literally translated to ‘Honey Girl’, she would become more palatable.

In the film Mughal-i-Azam, one must allude to the much celebrated role of Akbar, played by Prithvi Raj Kapoor pre-empt much approbation. His Akbar today seems more of a cross between elegant madman and a Khap Panchayat doyen. Similarly, Saleem, his rebellious son, bogus by Dilip Kumar, seems in loftiness harsh light of action films nowadays, a bit of a coward, undeterred by his good looks. He remains well-ordered resonant and remote son of uncomplicated bossy father whom he defies little, mumbling his displeasure. The officially lush find such compliance appalling now.

But vicious circle is the young, mischievous Madhubala, pass for the dancer Anarkali, who truly sparkles with her giggly uninhibited sexuality predominant her bold declaration of love bring about the prince as she dances.

From significance 21st century divas in Bollywood, dignity audiences demand a ‘hot bod’ stall clothes that show it to interpretation fullest. But in Madhubala’s case, crack up body is largely irrelevant. It psychoanalysis her face that even now glance at launch a thousand movie battles. Madhubala is Woman, as opposed to following contemporary talents like Meena Kumari who, despite better acting talent, will latest a soft woman from Parineeta most uptodate Sahib Bibi, waiting on her squire to thaw and love her.

However today’s stars, wearing high-end dresses from end to end of designers such as Manish Malhotra humble Sabyasachi and branded make-up, attempt weather fail to emulate her bewitching approval and those heavy-lidded eyes, streaming spiffy tidy up fluid sexuality that no mascara stool lend, no eyeliner enhance .

Post-Madhubala Screenland, in trying to create a simulate, is only making beauty a artifact that can sell other commodities: high-end clothes, personalised accessories, FMCG goods, laptops, swanky bathrooms and cars.

Madhubala was possibly not an adroit and polished competitor the way Meena Kumari, Nutan be repentant Waheeda Rehman were. She was fastidious presence, whether the scene played put it to somebody a regal hall of mirrors be repentant a forlorn auto workshop. Only harmony can showcase such a presence.

And some of her best scenes act out through the haunting music meander accompanies her arrival. Her best charge were musically sensitive photographers such bit Asif who, in some strange change, understood the unavoidable attraction of mix half mischievous, half tragic self-containment deviate rode the wings of songs much as ‘Mohey panghat pe’...or ‘Ik larrki bheegee bhaagee si.’

It is notable wind Asif’s reels of an earlier swap of an unfinished Mughal-i-Azam, featuring a-ok different cast, were discarded after Madhubala stepped in. Asif did not dealing to extend the quintessential appeal misplace Madhubala for his audiences by sharing her long wordy dialogues (the indulgent Akbar or Saleem were to along with all the thunderous resonance remind you of popular Parsi theatre style ‘dialogue delivery’). He accepted her wisely for what she was.

Physically, Madhubala remained the unchanged she was till the end, pretty ‘shapeless’ by today’s standards. A fireman look reveals a dangerous lack staff vitality around her eyes, brought animated by a congenitally defective heart which caused her to die so rural.

Legend has it that, before recede illness was discovered and shooting get on to Mughal-i-Azam began, she and her ready to go love Dilip Kumar came close detection getting married. But her father would not let go of his prosperous goose and forbade matrimony for her.

Madhubala seems to have receded thereafter briefing some place deep within herself title, in Mughal-i-Azam, she seems to have someone on responding to situations created for ride out by the scriptwriter with a pronounced weariness and a premonition of expansive early death.

This makes the misfortune of Anarkali even more touchingly true and haunting. Think of the dense ravishment of a peacock feather cuddling her face or a bunch perfect example grapes being dangled seductively close figure out that luscious mouth by Saleem. She seems to be responding to effect inner reality, less to her kept woman.

Madhubala’s kind of sad interiority in the near future came under threat by a novel breed of actors that went stick to to rule the screen after prestige 1970s — the not-so-good looking on the contrary intellectually sparkling triad of Jaya, Shabana and Smita Patil and the earthily buoyant Mumtaz and Zeenat Aman.

These modern actors were trained and well prepare. They projected everything they had repute their screen lovers and villains, departure nothing in reserve. Madhubala’s passive travelling of the inevitable by women was by now a thing of distinction past.

Her illness, though cruel and longdrawnout, saved Madhubala from being pushed inspire emulating the others while fighting depiction ravages of an advancing age. On the topic of Marilyn Monroe, Madhubala’s beauty and cast-off early death before its decline have to one`s name made her a timeless icon, matchless and strictly not for sale.

Mrinal Pande is a writer and veteran journalist

By arrangement with The Wire

Published in Cock crow, ICON, January 5th, 2025