India FDC Madhubala ( 18th MAR'2008)

Name of FDC: Madhubala
Date of Issue: 18th MARCH 2008
Details:Mumtaz Begum Jahan Dehlavi, famously known as Madhubala, was born in Delhi on February 14, 1933. She was the fifth child of a conservative Afghan family of eleven children. In search of a better life for his impoverished family, her father, Ataullah Khan relocated to Bombay with his family. There they struggled for over a year and often frequented the Bombay film studios in search of work.

Young Mumtaz entered films at the age of nine. Her first film was the box-office success, Basant (1942) in which she played the daughter of the popular actress, Mumtaz Shanti. She then went on to act in several films as a child artist. It was the celebrated actress, Devika Rani, impressed by her performances and potential, who advised her to change her name to Madhubala.

Her first break came when filmmaker, Kidar Sharma cast her opposite Raj Kapoor in Neel Kamal (1947). Until that point, she had always been billed as Mumtaz but this was the first film to credit her as Madhubala. She was only fourteen years old, but Madhubala had finally arrived on the Indian screen in a lead role. In the next two years she blossomed into a captivating beauty (film media and fans referred to her as the Venus of the Screen). However it wasn't until she starred in the coveted lead role of Bombay Talkies production, Mahal in 1949, that Madhubala became a fully fledged star and a household name. Audiences enthused over Madhubala's enigmatic screen presence and beauty and critics widely acknowledged that her subtle and skillful performance upstaged her seasoned co-star, Ashok Kumar. The film became a popular success and the song Aayega Aanewala heralded the arrival of two new superstars both Madhubala and playback singer Lata Mangeshkar. Madhubala had many successful films following Mahal. With pressure to secure herself and her family financially, she acted in as many as twenty-four films in the first four years of her adult career.Madhubala finally succumbed to her long time illness and died on February 23, 1969, within days of her 36th birthday. In her short life, Madhubala made over 70 films. She is often compared with Marilyn Monroe and has a similar position in Indian film history.

Madhubala - BOLLYWOOD
Remark:Sankha Samanta designed the Stamp and the First Day Cover. Alka Sharma designed the pictorial first day postmark. Brochure containing write-up and technical data was issued on the occasion. The First Day Cover and the Brochure are priced at Rs 2 each. India Security Press, Nasik printed the stamps by photogravure in the quantity 0.4 million in the sheetlets of 13 stamps. The Miniature sheet was printed in the quantity of 0.2 million.