The Google doodle is celebrating the 86th birth anniversary of the Indian queen of the celluloid, Madhubala. Years after her tragic end, the actress remains one of the most cherished and remembered faces of Indian cinema
The Google doodle is celebrating Madhubala’s 86th birth anniversary today. The legendary actress, known for her beauty, grace and mesmerising talent, continues to live on in the hearts of several Indians five decades after her death. Madhubala’s enchanting performance in the Indian classic Mughal-e-Azam created an eternal legacy for the actress. She was a star then and she remains a star today.
Madhubala entered the world of Indian cinema at the age of nine, she played a small role in the 1942 film Basant. However, her real career started with Raj Kapoor’s 1947 Neel Kamal. The actress did over seventy films in her twenty-two year long career, she won many hearts but not many awards. She was only nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress once for her breathtaking performance in the 1960 blockbuster Mughal-e-Azam. In 1951, she received international recognition, when America’s Life magazine called her “the biggest star”.
In Madhubala’s biography, Khatija Akbar wrote of the similarities between Marilyn Monroe and Madhubala. He wrote, “There was a remarkable similarity in the soft vulnerability of their faces… The same abandoned to their laughter, head thrown back, that same incandescent glow”. Many view the actress as the Marilyn Monroe of Bollywood, owing to her immense beauty, short career and tragic end. Much like her iconic character Anarkali’s tragic demise in Mughal-e-Azam, Madhubala’s end was heartbreaking.
Recovering from a string of heartbreaks and a prolonged illness, Indian cinema’s most stunning actress breathed her last on February 23, 1969, at the age of 36. The day marked Indian cinema’s biggest loss.
