Madhubala death anniversary: Dilip Kumar to Kishore Kumar, 7 men the actress was linked with

Legendary actor Madhubala was one of Bollywood’s most beautiful looking actresses. As beautiful as she was, Madhubala was also a powerhouse of talent. She also had a striking resemblance with Hollywood’s beauty Marilyn Monroe. Madhubala’s luscious locks, her dreamy eyes and the poise she had made her male actor’s dream to work with. And why not? After all, she was also Bollywood’s one of the first female superstars!

However, despite being so breathtakingly beautiful, Madhubala was also insecure. Freelance journalist and author Mohan Deep, in Madhubala’s biography ‘The Mystery and Mystique of Madhubala’, wrote about insecurity in life and how she lost every man she ever loved.

Madhubala passed away on the midnight of February 23, 1969, when she was only 39. In the late 1940s and early 1960, Madhubala went on to become one of the highest-paid actors of the Hindi film industry. On her 53rd death anniversary on Wednesday, let’s take a look at the men who were once said to be a part of Madhubala’s life.

Latif, her childhood friend: The Mahal star also had a childhood love like most of us have. When Madhubala was leaving for Bombay (now Mumbai) to pursue her love for acting, Latif had become depressed. She had gifted him a red rose as their parting gift which he kept with as a symbol of their love. But when Madhubala died, Latif reportedly kept the same preserved rose on her grave.

Kidar Sharma, director: Madhubala’s much-needed break in the industry was given to her by filmmaker Kidar Sharma. If rumours are to be believed, the director had fallen in love with Madhubala the first time he met her. Madhubala and Kidar’s love story was rather one-sided since the actor never reciprocated the feeling while Kidar’s obsession for her had grown.

Kamal Amrohi, director: One of the best films of Madhubala’s career and of Bollywood’s horror films, Mahal was directed by Kamal Amrohi. There were rumours that the two used to spend a lot of time with each other. Madhubala’s father had also, reportedly, approved of their relationship. But Kamal was already married to another leading lady of that time, Meena Kumari. And Madhubala, reportedly, did not want to become Kamal’s second wife, thus had asked him to divorce her to which Kamal had refused.

Premnath, actor: The two had met on the sets of Badal. Premnath and Madhubala reportedly were together for six months after which Madhubala had started to make her distance from Premnath.

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Dilip Kumar: One of the most epic love stories that the Hindi film industry has witnessed was of Dilip Kumar and Madhubala. They had first met on the sets of Tarana. Their relationship went on for nine years, and they 
Madhubala and Dilip Kumar had met each other on the sets of Tarana. The two had dated for nine long years and were also engaged. Their relationship came to an end at a location of a film because of Madhubala’s father, Ataullah Khan. For days after their split, Madhubala reportedly kept crying; she even intended on making things fall back in place, but Dilip Kumar had refused to budge.

Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto: A barrister at the Bombay High Court, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto came in the last few years of Madhubala's life. He would frequently visit the sets of Mughal-e-Azam, only to catch a glimpse of Madhubala. Their rumoured relationship was rather short-lived since Madhubala was still trying to overcome her past relationship with Dilip Kumar.

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Kishore Kumar: Madhubala had longed for a companion, a stable relationship, which came for her when she met actor-singer Kishore Kumar. They met during the filming of ‘Chalti Ka Naam Gadi’ and ‘Half Ticket’ and fell in love and later got married. After their marriage, the two went to London, the United Kingdom where Madhubala was detected with a hole in the heart. The doctors informed them that she would not be able to survive for more than two years. Upon returning to India, Kishore Kumar left Madhubala at her home saying he would not be able to take care of her since he was mostly shooting outdoors.