Author, poet and journalist Rajkumar Keswani shares lesser-known stories about Indian cinema’s most iconic film, which turns 60 this year
Kunal Guha (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 6, 2020)

When Madhubala first arrived on the sets of Mughal-e-Azam to essay her career-defining role of Anarkali, she brought her usual cheerful personality to work. Known to light up many a room, and to always leave her co-stars and crew rolling on the floor laughing, it dawned on her much later that not everyone was charmed by her ebullience. In fact, filmmaker K Asif found her a bit of a distraction. Soon enough, Madhubala’s shots began getting postponed and she went without shooting for several days. The actor was a little taken aback when, one day, Asif’s assistant Sultan Ahmed informed her that the filmmaker didn’t appreciate her behaviour and expected the cast “to take their job seriously”. The superstar accepted the feedback graciously, submitting to the filmmaker’s approach, and soon, the shoot commenced as planned.

It is anecdotes such as these that feature in plenty in poet, writer and journalist Rajkumar Keswani’s Daastan-e-Mughal-e-Azam, a literary tribute to the iconic film about unrequited love, which clocks 60 this year. Considered a milestone in Indian filmmaking, K Asif’s magnum opus took over 10 years to create. Keswani, who was 10 when it was released, remembers watching the film in Bhopal’s Bharat Talkies. “Those three hours in the theatre changed my life forever,” he says, adding that he was so charmed that he had memorised most of the film’s dialogues.

When he embarked on this project, Keswani’s passion for the film also drew him to follow the life of its director. Music director Naushad told him how Asif had started out as a tailor before going on to weave stories on celluloid when nudged in that direction by his brother-in-law and actor Nazir. In fact, the filmmaker also had a tailoring shop in Dadar’s Khodadad Circle at the time. “Famous heroes of the 1940s, Prem Adib and Jeevan [Narad of the screen], ran a restaurant in partnership in the same locality,” says Keswani about the neighbourhood, which was synonymous with tinseltown dreams at the time.

Most fans will know that development of the feature film began in 1944, but hit a roadblock during the time of Independence, only to commence again with a new cast in 1951. But few know about Asif’s struggle in casting for Anarkali’s role, after Nargis, his original choice, turned it down. Newspapers ads were published across the country, inviting women between the age of 16 and 22 to apply with photographs and biodata. Many actors approached the filmmaker for the role and Dilip Kumar, who was already cast as Salim, recommended the popular actor Vijaylaxmi. But the filmmaker didn’t find anyone suitable.

Asif had tried casting Madhubala for an earlier film, but her father Ataula Khan had set terms that weren’t agreeable with the director. “‘Keep your daughter in a showcase’, is what K Asif told him then,” says Keswani. He adds that the actor was cast as Anarkali only after she reached out to the filmmaker and agreed to work on his terms. “She arrived in her car and the meeting took place in the car itself. She asked him to forget his interaction with her father, and agreed to cooperate with him, because she really wanted to work with him.”

Maratha Mandir theatre, which had planned its gala launch with the release of Mughal-e-Azam had to launch with B R Chopra’s Sadhna (1958) since Asif’s film wasn’t completed by then. The theatre’s leasee owner Seth Mehtabchand Golcha set a clause for every filmmaker who wanted to screen his movie there: When Asif decides to release Mughal-e-Azam, their film would be replaced without notice. And when it did release, it even got travellers from Pakistan who would come only to watch the film. “In fact, Golcha had made special provisions for his Pakistani audience — they wouldn’t have to stand in queue to buy their tickets and could pick it up from inside the theatre itself,” says Keswani, adding that the theatre’s patrons also included filmmaker and actor Guru Dutt and Feroz Khan, who would turn up at Maratha Mandir to watch Mughal-e-Azam every week in the initial months.

“Shapoorji Mistry, the film’s financier, and who famously had several disagreements with Asif over his extravagant production, was no less in love with the director and the movie,” says Keswani. “Shapoorji seth was so obsessed with the dialogues that he would say them aloud as if in an elocution contest.”

Keswani’s book also includes 25 paintings by M F Husain, which were dedicated to Asif and his magnum opus. “Hussain made these paintings during his stay in London, as a guest of K Asif’s son Akbar Asif,” says Keswani of the works, which the renowned artist had gifted to Akbar’s daughter Haya Asif on her birthday.

It took Keswani 15 years to compile his research into a book, but stumbling upon gems about the film made the effort worthwhile. “I didn’t work like a scientist while writing and editing the book. I worked like a passionate lover,” he says. 

Madhur Bhushan, Madhubala’s youngest sibling, gives us an insight into the iconic star’s life and talks about her passion project – a biopic on her sister
Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; March 3, 2020)

Paeans have been written about her ethereal beauty and stardom, and odes dedicated to her spirit and passion for life. And yet, destiny was such that her beautiful life was laced with tragedy. At 36, after a nine-year battle with illness, she succumbed to death. Days after her 52nd death anniversary (February 23), Madhur Bhushan (originally Zahida), reminisces moments from her sister’s far too short life, and talks about why Madhubala’s story needs to be told.

She says, “Though she is remembered for her classic beauty, there was so much more to her than her beauty. I want to do something for her before I die. She continues to rule millions of hearts and her story needs to be told.”

However, Madhur’s dream of making this biopic hit a roadblock after her other siblings raised an objection over it. Reportedly, filmmaker Imtiaz Ali who had procured the rights from her for the biopic earlier, recently terminated the contract because of the same reason. But Madhur is not ready to give up on it, yet. “As of now, the biopic has come to a halt because my sisters have objected to it. I find it strange that they don’t want this to materialise…humne uska (Madhubala) namak khaaya hai. Usne apne behnon ko paala hain,” she says, adding, “With the help of my spiritual guru, Arvind Kumar Malviya, who’s idea this was, I want to make this biopic.” Madhur also plans to write a biography on her sister and title it ‘Nine Years of Madhubala’.

‘SHE ALWAYS TOLD OUR DAD, ‘ABBA, MUJHE FILMON MEIN JAANA HAI’
‘It was written in her fate...becoming an actress,’ says Madhur, recounting the turn of events that made a nine-year-old Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi land in Bollywood. From Baby Mumtaz to Madhubala, her journey could only be described as that of a dance of destiny. She made her acting debut as a child artiste at the age of nine with Basant (1942) and her first appearance as a lead actress was at 13, when she starred opposite Raj Kapoor in Neel Kamal (1947). It wasn’t long before, she became a star and a sensation. Madhur continues, “Madhu aapa was a cute little girl. She would sing, and dance in front of the mirror. She always told our dad (Ataullah Khan), ‘Abba, mujhe filmon mein jaana hai’. However, our father was averse to it because of his conservative background and the belief that girls should not join the industry. But life had plans of its own. Our father lost his job, and eventually, we had to move to Mumbai to survive. At one point, he relented to her wishes and started doing the rounds of studios with her. However, he never dreamt that she would become such a big star.”

With Mahal (1949), she caught the imagination of Bollywood. She became a star, overnight. She was around 16 then. So, did things change at home with this newfound stardom? “Never,” Madhur is quick to point out, adding, “We often felt, ‘Oh my God, she is so beautiful. How can we sit next to her?’ She would put us at ease by saying things like, ‘Main toh actress hoon na, isliye log mujhe mudd mudd kar dekhte hain. Tum actress bann jaoge toh tumhe bhi log mudkar mudkar dekhenge’. She never made us feel any less. She was such a loving daughter and an equally good sister. Unfortunate are those people who ill-treated her or left her to be by herself.”

‘SHE NEVER FELT THAT SHE WAS A STAR AND SHE DIDN’T BEHAVE LIKE ONE’
To the outside world she was an enigma, a mystery. People even said that she was a recluse, but what was the eternal beauty like in real life? Madhur gets nostalgic while taking us on a trip down memory lane. “Hum logon ke saath toh bohot hi masti karti thi — kabhi baal kaat diya, kabhi kuchh kar diya. She loved to have ice-cream and enjoyed listening to music. She would even go to theatres to watch movies wearing a burkha. If you would have met her, aapko aisa lagta hi nahi ki yeh actress hain. She never felt that she was a star and she didn’t behave like one. She wouldn’t wear any make-up; she didn’t need to because she was so pretty. She would only dress in whites and tie her hair up in a simple bun when not shooting. Madhu aapa didn’t need to get dolled up, as my father didn’t allow her to attend parties. He had told her, ‘Maine izzat bohot mushkil se kamaayi hai, Madhu. Court cases jeeta hoon tum bachhiyon ki izzat ke liye. Mere baad koi tum par unlgi nahi utha sakta saying that they were dhandhewali chokris and their father exploited them.’ My sister always abided by him. She was a gharelu ladki,” says Madhur.

‘IT WAS VERY EASY TO LINK HER WITH MEN BECAUSE SHE WAS SO BEAUTIFUL’
With beauty and fame came rumours of her linkups, controversies and heartbreaks. Following a courtship of nine years with Dilip Kumar, the couple endured an ugly breakup and Madhubala finally married Kishore Kumar in 1960. Madhur says, “People have written about her affair with Kamal Amrohi. Baahar jaane ko milta nahin toh affair kaise hoga? Woh toh Dilip Kumar sahab ke saath itni films mein kaam kiya, waise mulaqaat hui aur pyaar ho gaya. She worked with Kishore Kumar sahab in Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958) and Half Ticket (1962), toh pyaar hua. It was very easy to link her with men because she was so beautiful. Prem Nath wanted to marry her, but she told him that our father wouldn’t allow it, because we were Pathans. She was not the kind to have frivolous relationships.”



THE LEGENDARY ROMANCE WITH DILIP KUMAR
However, the highlight of her love life remains her relationship with Dilip Kumar, which made headlines then and continues to pique eveyone’s interest to date.

Most believed that the two of them would tie the knot, but sadly, it was not to be. Was it a misunderstanding, a clash of egos or love gone sour? In the Bollywood thespian, Dilip Kumar’s autobiography, which was published in 2014, it has been stated that things soured between them during the making of Mughal-E-Azam. He stated, “I sensed, Asif (filmmaker) was seriously trying to mend the situation for her when matters began to sour between us, thanks to her father’s attempt to make the proposed marriage a business venture.”

Talking about their bitter-sweet love saga, Madhur recalls, “Dilip sahab and Madhu aapa were shooting for Naya Daur (1957, Vyjayanthimala was cast in her place ultimately). The makers had scheduled an outdoor shoot (the location was where a previous shoot was attacked by dacoits), and our father was not willing to allow her to shoot at that location. He feared for my sister’s safety. He asked them to zero in on an alternate location, but B R Chopra (producer) sahab didn’t budge. That’s when Dilip sahab got involved. His only mistake was that he stood by the producer. Finally, B R Chopra filed a case against my father, which went on for four months, jiske dauraan we heard people say ulti-seedhi cheezein about my father. They called him a dictator and that he wanted to dominate my sister. Finally, the case was resolved, and later, Dilip sahab came home and told Madhu aapa to complete the film, and post that, they could get married. But my sister wanted him to apologise to our father. He flatly refused. We have nothing against him. Had he apologised to my father, aapa would have been Mrs Dilip Kumar. She had immense gratitude for our father, and she couldn’t just let it go.”

‘IMAGINE A 27-YEAR-OLD GIRL BEING TOLD THAT SHE HAD JUST TWO YEARS TO LIVE. WE WERE ALL IN SHOCK!’
It was in 1960, while shooting for a film in South, that Madhubala spat blood. She flew to London the next day, along with her husband, Kishore Kumar. “We were not aware that she had a hole in her heart. When the doctor said that she had a hole in her heat and the operation won’t be successful, we were all in shock! Imagine a young girl of 27 being told that she had just two years to live. She consulted several doctors in India and they confirmed her worst fears. She was advised to take a break, but she had films lined up. She completed a song and a few scenes in Mughal-E-Azam (1960) in that condition. It took about nine years to complete the film and that was the phase when she was suffering. In all those years, she rarely met anybody from the industry, barring Geeta Dutt and Waheeda Rehman. She didn’t want anyone to see her in that state. I was with her through the last few years of her life. I would sleep in the same bed with her.”

‘SHE LOVED THE SONG RULA KE GAYA SAPNA MERA. SHE FELT THAT IT ENCAPSULATED HER LIFE’
It was a life too beautiful, cut too short. Madhur reveals, “You know…She loved the song Rula Ke Gaya Sapna Mera (Jewel Thief, 1967). She felt that it encapsulated her life. She would wait every day for the doctors to tell her that they had discovered a cure for her. She wanted to live. I believe that love heals. Yes, we can’t change destiny, but if she had received more love from the people who she loved so much, then I think she would have had more strength to fight her battle for life, longer.”

Did Madhubala get a chance to interact with Dilip Kumar during the last days of her life? Madhur says, “He once went to see her at the hospital. She sent him a message through someone that she wanted to see him, and he came over to see her. This was before his marriage. Later, he came for the funeral. He immediately flew down from Madras (where he was shooting) when learnt that Madhubala was very critical. But he was late by two hours...she was buried by then.”


‘I WON’T GIVE UP ON MY DREAM TO MAKE A BIOPIC ON HER’

Though she is remembered for her classic beauty, Madhur says that there was so much more to Madhubala than her beauty. She believes that the story of her undying zest for life, fierce loyalty towards her family and quiet courage in matters of the heart, needs to be told to a nation that hailed her the Venus of Bollywood. However, Madhur’s dream has not taken off because her other siblings are not willing to give their consent. But she is not ready to give up on it, yet. She says, “With the help of my spiritual guru, Arvind Kumar Malviya, I am keen to make the biopic, as it was his idea.” Along with her guru, she also plans to set up an old-age home and a school for young girls in Jodhpur. “Madhu aapa would always tell my father, ‘Abba, jab hamare paas bahut paisa aayega na, toh hum log school banaayenge chhoti ladkiyon ke liye.’ She didn’t get formal education herself and this was her dream.