Madhubala, the legendary actress who graced the silver screen during the golden age of cinema, to this day remains an icon who symbolizes eternal beauty. Even though this alluring and exquisite beauty provided joy to millions of fans by her sheer radiance, her own life was full of tragedies. For someone born on Valentine’s Day, it was ironical that she kept seeking true love all her life. Suffering from a severe heart ailment, Madhubala's life was cruelly cut short on February 23rd, 1969 at the tender age of 36. However, she still lives on with her twinkling eyes and lopsided smile in the hearts and minds of all her fans. Here are my top dozen picks of the songs she featured in. Enjoy!
12. Jaane waale se (Amar): A heart wrenching song sung by Lata made even more poignant by the fact that this onscreen pair was going through an eerily similar situation in their real life!
11. Aayeeye meherbaan (Howrah Bridge): A sensational Asha Bhonsle song immortalized by a sensuous Madhubala and staid Ashok Kumar. Favorite club song!
10. Chaand sa mukhda kyon sharmaya (Insaan Jaag Utha): Soft and melodious...one of Sachin Dev Burman's best compositions!
9. Mohe Panghat pe (Mughal-e-azam): Although Madhubala was not by any means a classical dancer, this song choreographed by Lacchhu Maharaj went on to become piece-de-resistance of the movie. I guess the beauty of Radha was enough to dazzle all the movie goers!
8. Paanch Rupayya barah anna (Chalti ka naam gaadi): The famous comedy number in the voice of Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhonsle magically portrayed onscreen by the real-life couple Kishore and Madhubala!
7. Aayega aanewala (Mahal): The absolute masterpiece that launched Lata's career! Divine voice with unforgettable lyrics.
6. Haal kaisa hai janaab ka (Chalti ka naam gaadi): Classic Kishore Kumar Yodelling! Love Madhubala's expressions in this one!
5. Ek Pardesi mera dil le gaya (Phagun): Another classic hit from the golden era of bollywood music. Sung by Rafi and Asha with OP Nayyar's music, the melody of this song probably makes it a remixer's delight!
4. Acchha jee mein haari (Kala Paani): The sheer mesmerising beauty of Madhubala in this song simply blows me away every time...her naughty expressions equally matched with Asha's vocals makes it one of my personal favorites!
3. Ek Ladki bheegi bhaagi si (Chalti ka naam gaadi): Madhubala's seductive charms in this song can set many a heart fluttering to this date! SD Burman and Majrooh Sultanpuri's winning combination made this song magical and of course it was sung and enacted brilliantly by Kishore Kumar.
2. Zindagi bhar nahin bhoolegi (Barsaat ki raat): Hearing this number still overwhelms me! No words to describe the beauty of this brilliant composition. The male version of this song sung by Rafi is equally outstanding.
1. Jab pyaar kiya toh darna kya (Mughal-e-azam): An immortal song and probably the most famous one to come out of Hindi cinema! What can I say about the unforgettable Anarkali that hasn't been said before? Hailed as the Venus of India, Madhubala's most accomplished work as an actress was in Mughal-e-Azam. It unfortunately became her last swansong as well!
It is said that those whom the god loves die youngest. Maybe that's why he stopped making them like her anymore!
2 comments:
Madhubala was beautiful, but I think it was not just her beauty that had us mesmerized, but her screen presence and her acting chops too! For me her enigmatic smile had a Mona Lisa quality, it was asymmetric and part happy part sad, perhaps like her life.
She was successful in every genre - sad, romantic, comedic. And through not classically trained, I think her grace propelled her through the steps in the classical dance numbers.
Thank you Minnie for this wonderful post. RIP Madhubala, you are NOT forgotten and never will be.
Minnie - Thanks for this awesome post. Loved all the songs on the post.
Madhubala was an eternal beauty, and i believe after her only Madhuri came close to her in terms of charm.
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