I Want To Live: The Story Of Madhubala

by Khatija Akbar

Madhubala – the very name conjures up vivid images of a love goddess possessing bewitching beauty, dazzling radiance, subtle sensuality, and, above all, a tantalizing screen presence. Her ‘reel life’ histrionic performances held (and continue to hold) audiences/viewers entranced. Her talent was phenomenal, and she could literally glide through a movie, whatever be the role. She could convey an impressive array of emotions with her eloquent eyes and facial expressions without resorting to melodramatic contortions. Tragedy, romance, comedy, drama, and what have you – she could take everything in her stride, exquisitely and flawlessly, as convincingly proved by superhits such as Mahal, Tarana, Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi and the magnum opus, Mughal-e-Azam. All this she achieved despite a major heart disease, which assumed serious proportions as her career soared. This volume presents a fascinating panorama not only of the ‘reel life’ Madhubala but also of the ‘real life’ Madhubala, who was an extremely compassionate and caring human being, but lived in the shadow of her dominant father. The author recounts her captivating saga, right from her first film – Basant (1942), as a child star, up to the magnificent Mughal-e-Azam (1960) and beyond. Enthralling cameos from her masterpieces such as Mahal, Mr & Mrs 55 and Amar, are depicted in graphic detail. Also, all the drama involved in her love affair with Dilip Kumar, which culminated in intense acrimony, has been poignantly portrayed. The last few years of her life were spent in virtual solitude in spite of her being married to Kishore Kumar, and death, in a way, came as a release for her.

285 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2011

Reviews

[Vikas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book thinking that it was a newly published book but it was first released in 1997 though it has been updated in 2011. This is a nice book that paints a vivid picture of the wonderful Madhubala who was always smiling on the screen but most of the time cried in her personal life. And as you already know she left this world at the very young age of 36. Loved this book and the VCD with songs of Madhubala my new favorite is 'Chand Zard Zard Hai'.

People who don't read generally ask me my reasons for reading. Simply put I just love reading and so to that end I have made it my motto to just Keep on Reading. I love to read everything except for Self Help books but even those once in a while. I read almost all the genre but YA, Fantasy, Biographies are the most. My favorite series is, of course, Harry Potter but then there are many more books that I just adore. I have bookcases filled with books which are waiting to be read so can't stay and spend more time in this review, so remember I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.

[Maganraj Bafna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Madhubala, the actress of yesteryears was a heartthrob of the nation in the initial years post independence. They called her Beauty Queen and in the fifties her lovely face dominated the Indian scene - from hoardings, posters, publicity stills and thousands of cinema screens all over the country. Madhubala ruled the roost in Indian cinema during her times as the peak performer off the lot of the contemporary actresses belonging to that era.

The book can be described as a tribute to this great artist. The author takes us on a journey of Madhubala's life right from her innocent childhood that was spent playing around studios to various stages of her life, her relationships with other co-stars, her fears and insecurities, her painful love life and traumatic experiences during the last days of her life. At every turn of pages and chapters there are beautiful, rare, vintage pictures of this glorious diva beaming at you with positive vibes; some with her co-stars, some are mugshots of her beautiful face. Often referred to as the 'Venus of the Indian screen', Madhubala was perhaps the most beautiful and attractive woman in the history of bollywood.

In 2008 India Post honoured the legendary actress by releasing a postage stamp in her memory. In 2010 the Indian postal department came up with a unique "The pride of India" collection. Twenty Five stamps that tell the Indian story were minted in silver ingots, layered with 24-caret gold to create a "permanent repository for posterity". Madhubala along with Satyajit Ray were the only film personalities featured in that exclusive pride of India collection.The last few years of her life were spent in virtual solitude and death, in a way, came as a release for her.
But the legend of Madhubala lives on.

[Mukesh Kumar · Rating 2 out of 5]

[ Edit : On a second reading, I felt I may have been too harsh here. All those who get dreamy eyed at the mention of 50s/60s Bombay cinema or think they have been born 50 years too late or are in perpetual awe of her gorgeousness, should diss this review and read the book :) ]

Have you ever had your heart pounding due to wildly inconsistent writing ? It happened with this one. The passages, the narrative is so unpredictable, so bereft of continuous focus, that I was gasping for breath.
(Though the heart racing could also be attributed to my infatuation with the central character of the book ;).

The writing often turned amateurish, not unlike gossip columns. Being a 'biography', there was very little in terms of character study, insights or new information. Again that could also be due to the highly regimented nature of her life. But this is a deeper problem with star-biographies in Bollywood. It is only the minor, lesser popular players who have more meaningful biographies to their names (with few exceptions).

So, I love her to bits all right, but this was a sorely disappointing affair.

[Pranu · Rating 5 out of 5]

A true legend who led an iconic life, leaving an indelible mark on Indian cinema in just 36 short years. Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book!

[Faizan Khan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its a very good book

[Shraavya Malli · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually listen to audiobooks during my commute to work. I prefer biographies or memoirs as it is easy to get lost in that personality's world. I quite like Madhubala especially her smile and her poise. I was also intrigued by her personal life. So, I happily picked this up on Audible. Shernaz Patel does a wonderful job with the narration and brings the old-world charm to life. The author Khatija Akbar has also done a remarkable job in piecing together the life of the reclusive actress. At times, the fan girl in her seemed to take over. I especially did not like the constant comparison between the female leads of the yesteryears, slotting the others in brackets while implying Madhubala was the only versatile actress during her time and possibly even now.

Nevertheless, it was heartwarming to read about Madhubala's punctuality, her devotion to work, her zest for life, her reverence for her father, her upbringing and her immense love for her family. I was deeply saddened listening to how the men in her life treated her. What a shame that the world chose to see her beauty over her talent. A disrespect to the hard work and commitment shown by her to her craft, disregarding her health. Though she had a short life, her body of work is immense. I hope she moved on to a better life.

One downside of listening to an audiobook, especially books in this genre, is missing out on beautiful and rare pictures.

[Siddhi Palande · Rating 5 out of 5]

At every turn of pages and chapters there are beautiful pictures of this glorious diva beaming at you with positive vibes. Some with her co-stars, some are mugshots of her beautiful face. These are rare, vintage pictures that you may find appealing.
Yes, the words of the author are indeed appealing or else I wouldn't have mentioned that I was emotional. The author carefully opens the chapters of Madhubala's life one at a time. She introduces us to the content that will follow in the book but the arrangements of the ideas is what gets you hooked. The biographer could have very well retold Madhubala's life in a linear fashion but the ease and eloquence with which she weaves one gem at a time goes on to show the devoted fangirl that she is. She doesn't rush and she doesn't drag, she keeps the pace smooth and tidy as we sail through Madhubala's life. In eight chapters she skillfully sums up the life of the Venus of Indian cinema!

entire book review https://ofbookbabiesandmore.wordpress...

[Noopurr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Biographies are my favourite genre of books. I am always partial to them. Once I have one in my hand I go back to that era and start living the characters life!
The author has done an excellent job writing this one. Madhubala was an enigmatic beauty with a sad life.
When i picked up this book i thought that it has been recently written whereas later i realised that this is the second edition. Maybe that’s why the author added the comparison to Marlin Monroe and also mentioned the new age actors to appeal to this generation’s readers.
Bollywood was in a different sphere all together that time. The book highlights the beauty and simplicity of that era and the sad life of Madhubala.

[Achal Khaneja · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book had lots of trivia but lacked soul & clearly reflected that it was created using press articles of the yore. Only time it comes alive is when you read madhubala firsthand writing in filmfare about self portrait and ' her vision of love'.

[Bela Gajjar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dissapointing

[Roshan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Khatija Akbar has presented the Biography of Madhubala in the most subtle way, possible. Madhubala, the actress of yesteryears was a heart throb of the nation during its initial years post-Independence. She would easily go down in my books, as one of the most versatile actresses that Indian Cinema has ever produced. A gorgeous maiden, whose movies ran a housefull, every time a movie of her's was released for the public. Her life, however was marred by the recurring health setbacks she suffered. Unfortunately, the beautiful human being and the shortlived soul could not live long enough to see the light of the day, when her incomplete film of early 1960s was was held up due to the lapses in her health condition and was eventually released in 1971. Madhubala's life was a self taught experience for her, which she lived religiously, while pursuing her dreams of becoming a successful Artist (a.k.a. an Actress). She was unique in her adoption of methods in acting. One key factor, which contributed majorly towards the success of Madhubala, as an amiable character and an actress of substance was the persevered efforts of her father. Madhubala's father was very obsessive about his daughter's professional endeavors and success. He called the shots, when it came to making decisions on taking up a film project for her. The best part of being Madhubala was that, she never earned her living setting out expectations off her co-stars and the films she did. However, she owned a result oriented persona, in that, she worked hard and with perseverance to achieve long and short term objectives in her professional life. Despite, being a leading lady and a competitive actress during her era, she was always very down to earth and her humility reflected in the way she presented herself both, on the screen and off it. Going by the author's description of the personality of Madhubala, one could easily conclude that - Madhubala, not only possessed attractive physical appearance, but also was equally graceful and beautiful in her social behavior and mannerisms. In other words, she was a soul with inner beauty. It is a tragedy that the Indian Cinema lost its most promising film personality to a fatal health ailment, which never ever allowed her to recover completely, throughout her curtailed lifetime. The author has described the Biography of this Tinsel Town Damsel in a very moving manner. Madhubala was a success story in herself, given the fact that she ruled the roost in Indian Cinema during her times as the peak performer off the lot of the contemporary actresses belonging to that era. To be fair on myself and to her credentials as a beautiful actress, I personally have not watched many a movies of hers. But the very little I have seen off her on the small screen during my growing years and of late; I must honestly confess, I am in awe of her facial expressions. She is innocence, grace and charm personified. Her facial expressions while playing a character are unmatched to even this day. In my opinion, the two actresses of the Modern era, who come very close to matching her class on terms of facial expressions are Madhuri Dixit and Kareena Kapoor. But undoubtedly, there is no match to her grace and social conduct. A beautiful human being and soul, who was God's own child - the testimony to this fact being her early demise at a very young age of thirty six. 'I Want To Live: The Story Of Madhubala', is a touching read filled with words after words after words, highlighting the passion that Madhubala had for life. A good read and a page turner, if we're a fan of Madhubala. A high five for this book.

[Akash Mahajan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am always fascinated with biographies of the ones who died a tragic death. Meena Kumari and Madhubala are among those who fascinate me. This book has given me a good insight into the life of Madhubala and how people around her were awestruck with her presence, a kind of presence I feel with her long portrait hanging in my living room. The book has given me immense knowledge of the events in her life and perspective for me to how live mine.