Dilip Kumar and Madhubala had a near, perfect romance, until her interfering father got in the way. A new illustrated biography on the veteran actor, challenges some myths around the famed love story
MID-DAY (October 27, 2019)

After a somewhat tentative debut in Jwar Bhata and Pratima, the actor came of age in Milan, which was followed by the super-duper hit Jugnu opposite none other than Noor Jehan. Dilip Kumar had now hit the purple patch of his career and three mega hits followed in quick succession —Shaheed, Shabnam and Nadiya Ke Paar. The leading lady of all these hits was the comely Kamini Kaushal—reportedly Dilip Kumar's first flame and also his first serious heartbreak.

Kamini Kaushal's real name was Uma Kashyap. She was the daughter of Rai Bahadur S R Kashyap, a renowned Botanist, president of Indian Science Congress and dean of the pre-partition Punjab University. She was one of his five children which included three brothers and two sisters. She was very well-educated and had studied at Lady MacLagan School and Emily Kinnaird College of Lahore. She was also a champion swimmer. When her elder sister, who was married to B S Sood, a high ranking official of Bombay Port Trust, died in a car crash leaving behind two small kids, Uma married him and moved to Mumbai. It was here that legendary director Chetan Anand discovered her talent and cast her in his award-winning Neecha Nagar as Kamini Kaushal. As an actress, she quickly ascended to stardom with films like Jail Yatra, Aag (opposite Raj Kapoor), Do Bhai, etc. Soon, Filmistan's S Mukerji signed her opposite Dilip Kumar in his Shaheed (1948) which was a box-office success.

Famous Kathak exponent and actress Sitara Devi (who starred with Dilip in Hulchul and shared a sister-brother relationship with him) and producer director P N Arora of All India Pictures (in whose super hit Pugree Kamini Kaushal starred) have been on-record authenticating the Dilip Kumar–Kamini Kaushal romance. It is said that Sitara Devi ji had met the rumoured couple huddled together and travelling aimlessly in the first-class compartment of Mumbai's local trains. P N Arora has said, on-record, that Dilip Kumar often visited Kamini Kaushal on the sets of Pugree and once Kamini's military-man brother strode on the film's sets, brandishing a pistol, threatening to kill Kamini if she did not call off her clandestine romance with Dilip Kumar. He also threatened to kill Dilip Kumar. Around that time, Shahi Latif–Ismat Chugtai's Aarzoo, in which Dilip–Kamini featured for the last time, was in the making. Ismat Aapa had reportedly warned Dilip Saheb against the futility of the said romance. The hot-headed brother of Kamini Kaushal reportedly shot himself, having failed to end the Dilip–Kamini romance. This came as a blow to Kamini Kaushal and Dilip Kumar and they put a stop to their romance.

Kamini exuded urbane sophistication and bonded very well at an intellectual level with Dilip. On the other hand, both Madhubala and Dilip being Pathans shared a commonality of ethnic and cultural background. Thus, a vivacious Madhubala's ceaseless laughter became an ideal balm for Dilip Kumar's bruised heart. Madhubala's real name was Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi. She was third born among the seven daughters (Kaneez, Fatima, Altaf, Chanchal, Zahida and Shahida being others) of a handsome Pathan Attaullah Khan and his beautiful Iranian wife. Her father was a headstrong, stubborn and egoistic man, and a harsh disciplinarian. Her mother was simple, illiterate and a homely woman. Attaullah Khan apparently had lost his job with the Imperial Tobacco Company, Delhi due to his arrogant, hot-tempered behaviour and attitude. He moved to Mumbai with his family but could not fend for them. He made his daughter work in films to make ends meet.

The legendary Dilip Kumar–Madhubala romance is said to have took off on the sets of this film, as the duo hit the ground running, enacting the dulcet duet, 'Nain mile nai huey baware'. One has to revisit Tarana to fathom the chemistry between Dr Motilal (Dilip Kumar) and Tarana (Madhubala) which even after six decades floors you with its innocent charm. Prior to being romantically drawn to Dilip Kumar, Madhubala was reportedly dating the leading man of her hit film Badal, the handsome Prem Nath. Grapevine has it that there was some time when Madhu was dating Dilip and Prem Nath simultaneously. Reportedly, when Prem Nath came to know that his friend Dilip was seriously involved with Madhubala and that she was drawn to him as well, he withdrew and married Bina Rai, his charming co-star of Aurat.

On his part, Dilip Kumar never missed any opportunity to recommend Madhubala for a role opposite himself. The iconic Amar originally had Meena Kumari in the female lead, but she fell off with its renowned maker Mehboob Khan after the latter's squabble with her husband writer-director Kamaal Amrohi. Dilip Kumar promptly persuaded Mehboob Saheb to take in Madhubala. Similarly, when Nargis opted out of Mughal-E-Azam, Dilip Kumar convinced K Asif to let Madhubala play Anarkali which ultimately became her best ever performance. The mahurat announcement of the celebrated classic Daag also had Madhubala's name as the leading lady but something went wrong and Nimmi played the part.

However, the perfect romance of this well-matched perfect couple did not culminate into marriage. Many were of the opinion that it was Madhubala's father Attaullah Khan who stood in the way of their marriage for the fear of losing the breadwinner for the large family. The truth lies somewhere around this premise. As the Dilip Kumar–Madhubala romance was peaking, Attaullah Khan once asked Dilip Kumar to star as the hero of a film he wanted to produce under his own banner and also had his daughter Madhubala in it. We believe that the moment Attaullah did that, he encroached upon Dilip Sahab's professional side via his personal life. Yusuf Saheb never wanted Dilip Kumar to be exploited for somebody's gain.

As is widely believed, Attaullah Khan was not opposed to the Dilip Kumar–Madhubala marriage but had his own axe to grind in the whole affair. He wanted the superstar of the era to work exclusively and on priority for his own home productions. On the other hand, Dilip Kumar, who had been positively considering marriage to Madhubala, was unwilling to tolerate any interference in his professional endeavours. Dilip Saheb reportedly laid down two conditions for getting married to Madhubala. One, he would financially support the Khan's family but Madhubala would have nothing to do with her father after wedding; and second, she would stop working in films. This was a clever killing-two-birds-with-one-stone strategy—if Madhubala agreed to quit films, her father's hold on her would automatically diminish. Both Dilip Saheb and Attaullah hardened their positions in the ensuing tug of war to the point that Madhu had Dilip's ultimatum to choose between him and her father. She opted for her father ending the fairy-tale romance.

Excerpted with permission from Dilip Kumar: Peerless Icon Inspiring Generations by Trinetra Bajpai and Anshula Bajpai, published by Bloomsbury India


The actor with Kamini Kaushal, his first love and also his first serious heartbreak


Dilip Kumar with Madhubala. Pics/Dilip Kumar: Peerless Icon Inspiring Generations, Bloomsbury India

Remembering Shyama, whose screen turns in Aar Paar and in Sharada, portraying the shrew who torments Raj Kapoor-Meena Kumari, were as feisty as the woman herself.
Khalid Mohamed (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 15, 2017)

Shyama
June 7, 1935-November 14, 2017

She doesn’t live in Gulmarg Apartments on Mumbai’s sea-facing Napean Sea Road any more. Her end came, early on Tuesday. Khurshid Akhtar, named Shyama for the screen, passed away following a lung ailment, at the age of 82.

Although she chose to live alone ever since she was widowed in 1979, her son Farrokh, daughter Shirin, two grandsons, and extended family members whom she doted on, were by her bedside. Her other son, Rohinton, a businessman settled in London, couldn’t make it in time for the burial ceremony.

Shyama had married the legendary cinematographer Fali Mistry in ’53. Their love story had blossomed during the making of Sazaa (1951). She was 16, then. Rather than quit, she double-tasked as a housemaker and went on to act in as many as 250 films. J P Dutta’s Hathyar (1989) was her last film appearance.

She was buried at the Bada Kabrastan on Marine Lines. There was no turn-out of the Bollywood glitterati, since the family elected to keep her last journey quiet. “It was too early to call anyone,” a family member states, “She loved the film industry. She would spend hours watching movies on the cable, especially the golden oldies. We were hoping she would pull through, but it wasn’t to be. Fortunately, she didn’t suffer, she went peacefully.”

There’s a kind of hush at the apartment, as the family narrates that Shyama would have liked to continue acting to her last breath. But ever since she had fractured both her legs after a fall a decade ago, she needed a walker. “She never indulged in self-pity though; she had a super spicy sense of humour. You could say she was a woman of more laughter than tears,” the family recapitulates. “If she ever went silent and felt low, it was on hearing about the deaths of her peers. She was close to so many of them, especially to Nirupa Roy, Nanda and Shakila.”

At least four to five suitcases full of movie memorabilia have gone, devoured by termites. Countless photos were borrowed by the media, but never returned. A family member elaborates, “See, I used to be in charge of her fan mail, a register was kept of the number of films she had acted in and they were close to 250. She didn’t mind the transition to the mother and chachi roles at all. As long as she was at the studios, she was happy.”

Indeed, Shyama’s joie de vivre can be detected from the account of how at the age of nine she landed her first role – a bit role albeit – in Zeenat (1945) starring Noor Jehan. She was watching the shoot and, cheekily volunteered to act. Noor Jehan’s husband, director Shaukat Hussain was floored, and a little star was born.

From a child artiste to a heroine, Khurshid became the bread-earner for her family which had migrated to Bombay from Lahore. To make her sound sparky, the stalwart director, Vijay Bhatt, christened her Shyama for the screen. The spectrum of her films range from the social dramas of the late 1940s, and kinky comedies (I’ve never recovered from her wacko turn in Mr Qartoon M.A., 1958, with Johnny Walker and Mehmood), a double Ms Jekyllish and Ms Hydish role in Do Behnen (1959) and then the sashay through the glamorous route in the Arabian Nights fantasy Zabak (1961).

Undoubtedly, Shyama’s career-best performances were evidenced in Ram Daryani’s Tarana (1951) and Guru Dutt’s Aar Paar (1954). Clearly, she didn’t fuss about being the solo heroine, or fret about sliding into the supporting ensemble, gaining her award-winning moment when she portrayed a shrew of a housewife tormenting Raj Kapoor and Meena Kumari in Sharada (1957).

My favourite Shyama moment is right in the midst of Roshan’s unforgettable composition, “Na karavan ki talash hai”, from P L Santoshi’s Barsaat Ki Raat (1960). While crooning, she collapses midst-qawwali, on realising that Bharat Bhushan, loves Madhubala and not her. Terrific.

Shyama was in her prime during the black-and- white era. As colour and hypermelodrama set in, she did show up to advantage occasionally, as in A.R. Kardar’s Dil Diya Dard Liya (1969), an adaptation of Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights with Dilip Kumar and Waheeda Rehman heading the cast. With time, her image became truculent and vampish as in the brothel madame in Naya Din Nayi Raat (1974).

Perhaps, she could have excelled in many more roles of the heroine. But both her screen presence and personality weren’t meant to be just decorative, or subservient to the males.

The zestful woman, to a camera born, was a trained kathak dancer. She could jive and cha cha while wearing six-inch high heels. “But who noticed or remembers that?” the family asks. “Even her carefully-preserved photo-albums are now half-empty.”