Madhubala Birth Anniversary: An Ode To Everlasting Beauty And Grace | IN PICS

Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi, Madhubala was ranked as one of the highest-paid entertainers in India in the post-independence era, that coincided with the rise of Indian cinema on global levels.

In a career spanning more than 20 years, Madhubala was predominantly active for only a decade but had appeared in over 60 films by the time of her death in 1969.

Madhubala, who was raised in an orthodox home and was quite devout, had been a practising Muslim her entire life. After financially protecting her family in the late 1940s, she rented a villa on Bombay's Peddar Road and gave it the name ‘Arabian Villa.’ It became her home for the rest of her life.

She learnt driving at the age of 12 and by adulthood was an owner of five cars Buick, Chevrolet, Station wagon, Hillman, and Town & Country (which was owned by only two people in India at that time, Maharaja of Gwalior and Madhubala).

As a native speaker of three Hindustani languages, she began learning English in 1950 from former actress Sushila Rani Patel and grew fluent in the language in three months. She also kept eighteen Alsatian dogs as pets in Arabian Villa.

During an interview to Filmfare, Madhubala once said, Now that I understand a few things around me, I feel as if I have been in love as long back as I can remember. It started perhaps with the dawn, the sunlit tree tops, the wind and the sound of living things.

Although she is well known for her love of Dilip Kumar and marriage to Kishore Kumar, it is less well known that her first love was Premnath. In addition to her on-screen persona, she was also referred to as the tragedy queen of Bollywood.

Madhubala is frequently referred to be India's Marilyn Monroe. Mughal-e-Azam, Mr. & Mrs. '55, Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi, Half Ticket, Howrah Bridge, Kala Pani, and Barsaat Ki Raat are just a few of the classic Hindi movies she has worked in. (All Image: Instagram).