Madhubala , whose real name is Mumtaz Jahan Nehlavi , was born on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 1933. Perhaps this day was not intended for her by chance – Madhubala was rightfully recognized as one of the most beloved romantic heroines of India. But her life was not able to end with a happy ending, like many of her films. This year the actress would have turned 88 years old … Her untimely death has been compared to the tragic deaths of such famous actresses as Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, Carol Lombard and Mina Kumari.
Madhubala ‘s unique appeal was known all over the world, and she was featured in many American magazines, including the world famous LIFE magazine . Legendary filmmaker Frank Capra sought to bring mysterious Indian beauty to Hollywood and launch Madhubala’s international career, but his efforts were quickly stopped by the girl’s conservative father. In India, she was filmed by great directors, she played with eminent actors, from Dilip Kumar to Dev Anand , and at the peak of her career she married singer and actor Kishore Kumar… For many years Madhubala has been the queen of Bollywood and the conqueror of the hearts of millions of viewers. But why was her life so short and could her death be prevented?
Madhubala was born into a traditional Muslim family from Delhi. During childbirth, her older sister Madhur Bhushan noticed that the baby was “blue” – a serious sign of cyanosis and insufficient oxygen perfusion. Madhubala had a ventricular septal defect (VSD), a disorder colloquially called a “hole in the heart,” meaning a congenital heart defect. 1 in 500 babies are born with this defect. The condition of the VSD was first described in 1879 and at the time of the birth of the actress, there was no cure for the disease. However, Madhubala grew up to be a beautiful young woman whose fragility was known to only a few.
The young beauty rose to fame in 1949 at the age of 16 in the film directed by Kamal Amrohi Mansion / Mahal , where her partner was Ashok Kumar. And then success after success followed and turned Madhubala into a star with a rare versatility and dedication, behind which there was growing fatigue and weakness. Her condition was not known until 1954, when during the filming of Bahut Din Hue she began to vomit blood. This incident blew up the media and the public learned the truth. The mid-1950s brought Madhubala a series of setbacks, earning her the nickname “box office poison” . Thanks to the meticulousness of the journalists, the actress’s illness was no longer a family secret.
Unbeknownst to her family, that same year, on the other side of the world at the University of Minnesota, Dr. Walt Lillhay was about to fight the disease. After years of research in this area, on the morning of March 26, 1954, Lillhey performed the first operation on a child with a ventricular septal defect. The operation was successful and brought hope to thousands of families whose children suffered from this ailment.
Meanwhile, in Bombay, Madhubala ‘s career was revived and reached new dazzling heights. The Driving Machine / Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958) and Barsaat Ki Raat (1960) took her to the top of her career. “The Great Mogul” / Mughal-e Azam (1961) is a cult epic that took a lot of health and strength from the young actress. Many are still convinced that shooting in this film brought her death closer.
Madhubala died on February 23, 1969 at the age of 36.
During the filming of the famous song “Bekas pe karam kijiye” Madhubala fully lived the suffering of the heroine. The plea for the mercy of the courtesan Anarkali, who was chained in the prison of the palace, was real. Director K. Asif actually chained Madhubala in heavy metal chains that lacerated her skin. Her exhaustion and despair that viewers saw in the song are actually real to the VSD patient. Such an amount of physical activity affected the health of the actress and now her last only hope was Dr. Lillhey.
In 1960, Madhubala sought treatment in London, but the doctors refused her. Lillhey performed operations only on children and doctors in the West simply did not know how to operate on an adult. The first heart transplant operation in an adult will be done only 7 years later, in 1967 … Madhubala returned to her homeland without a single chance of recovery, but did not lose heart, but, on the contrary, began to prepare for her first directorial debut, the film Farz Aur Ishq .
In 1960, Madhubala sought treatment in London, but the doctors refused her. Lillhey performed operations only on children and doctors in the West simply did not know how to operate on an adult. The first heart transplant operation in an adult will be done only 7 years later, in 1967 … Madhubala returned to her homeland without a single chance of recovery, but did not lose heart, but, on the contrary, began to prepare for her first directorial debut, the film Farz Aur Ishq .
