I beg to differ.
When you look at it, it seems like Madhubala was overshadowed by every other actress of her times - Meena Kumari, Nargis and Nutan were no doubt the better actors, Vyjayantimala and Waheeda Rehman - the better dancers, yet Madhubala held her own. She carved her own niche, one that hasn't been yet replaced, imho.
While her choice of films (and life choices) may seem poor and together with her continued ill- health may have led to her seeming downfall, I still feel she brought her own special charm and illuminating presence to all the movies she's done.
Look at her expressions in "Jaanewale se mulaqaat" from Amar - the grief seems to be coming from within her the way her throat moves with melody! Likewise in "Woh din kahan gaye bata" from Tarana where she was just 17 or 18 years - the kind of maturity she brought to that performance was noteworthy!
Her comic timing is something that is so under-rated- "Chalti ka naam gaadi" and "Half-ticket" were more Kishore Kumar films, but just watch her expressions in "Main Sitaron ka Tarana" or "Aankhon mein tum" or "Haal Kaisa hai" and you'll know what I mean.
In "Mr and Mrs 55" she plays a spoilt heiress who is transformed by love and although the movie was a tad misogynistic, I think she turns in a beautiful performance! The initial happy-go-lucky Anita's obsession with the star Tennis player, Ramesh may come across as immature and silly, but Madhubala elevated that portrayal by bringing in a sweet innocence and charm to it.
All in all, I think her luminous beauty often got in the way of her being considered a serious actress and most of her roles ended up being the empty, glam, flower-pot roles, but even then she shone. Look at Kala Pani where she plays second fiddle to Dev Anand's character, but still manages to make her Asha an independent, strong and smart woman, holding her own ground. When Dev asks, in a moment completely smitten by her beauty, "Tum itni khoobsoorat kyon ho, Asha"?, I echo his thoughts, since her beauty is what everyone sees, at the cost of ignoring everything else that this woman was capable of.
I had this friend in college who was this very cynical, unemotional, stoic guy who used to laugh at me for showing emotion of any kind during movies and I remember his reaction after he watched MeA - the scene where Anarkali is in chains in prison, looking frail and ill - his face was contorted in grief and anger, his fists were clenched and he hissed angrily, "If I could, I would just punch my way into the screen and beat the s**t out of that Akbar"! That, to me, is Madhubala's impact as an actor!
Edited by LizzieBennett - 7 years ago
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