Mumtaz Shares Why Dilip Kumar Broke Up With Madhubala: 'She Couldn't Have Children'

Mumtaz reveals Dilip Kumar ended his relationship with Madhubala because she couldn't have children. The tragic love story still captivates Bollywood fans today.

The legendary on-screen and off-screen chemistry between Dilip Kumar and Madhubala continues to captivate fans, decades after their era-defining romance.

Source : IMDb

The legendary on-screen and off-screen chemistry between Dilip Kumar and Madhubala continues to captivate fans, decades after their era-defining romance. The two starred together in classics like 'Mughal-e-Azam', 'Tarana', 'Amar', and 'Sangdil', and their relationship has been the subject of fascination for generations.

In a recent interview with journalist Vickey Lalwani, veteran actress Mumtaz revealed a deeply personal reason behind their breakup, adding a new dimension to the narrative that has long surrounded their love story.

Not a Court Case, But a Medical Tragedy?

While Madhubala’s sister once said that a court case she filed against director B.R. Chopra caused the split between her and Dilip Kumar, Mumtaz has now shared a different version of events.

“She didn’t break up with him. He broke up with her because she couldn’t have children. Instead, he married Saira Banu, who is a very nice person and took such great care of him till his dying breath,” Mumtaz shared.

She added, “Nobody can ever doubt that Madhubala was madly in love with him. But Dilip saab ko aulaad chahiye thi (Dilip saab wanted a child). Maybe in that desperation, he chose to marry Saira. Madhubala told me this herself. I would visit her when she was unwell, and she would say, ‘If I ever loved anyone, it was Yusuf.’ She called him Yusuf. The doctor had warned her that she could die in childbirth due to her heart condition.”

"I Don’t Blame Dilip Saab": Mumtaz

Mumtaz expressed empathy for both Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu, saying, “I don’t blame Dilip saab. Every man wants a child. Even though he loved her, he might have thought, ‘Let me try with another woman.’ Tragically, he couldn’t have children with Saira either. I feel sorry for Saira—she’s a sweetheart. If they had a child, she might have had someone to take care of her now.”

A Tragic Love Story That Endured

Madhubala and Dilip Kumar’s romance lasted nearly a decade, and even after they went their separate ways, there remained a lingering bond. In his autobiography, Dilip Kumar recalled how shortly after his marriage to Saira Banu, Madhubala reached out to see him one last time.

“Soon after our nikah, while we were staying in Madras, I received a message from Madhubala that she wished to see me urgently. I told Saira as soon as we returned to Bombay, and she insisted I meet her since it must be something serious,” he wrote.

Madhubala later married Kishore Kumar, but her life was tragically cut short. She died in 1969 at the age of 36. Dilip Kumar lived on until 2021, passing away at the age of 98.