Did you know Kishore Kumar left his wife and actress Madhubala to die alone with literally a broken heart?
Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi, who adopted the sreen name Madhubala, was arguably the most beautiful actress to have ever acted in Hindi films. However, the actress died untimely due to a heart condition in 1969, when she was only 36 years old. But that isn’t our story today. One of Hindi films biggest music icons, Kishore Kumar had married this eternal beauty in 1960. At the time, rumours of Madhubala being in love with Dilip Kumar was abuzz.
However, at the time when she needed her love husband (Kishore) the most, he had reportedly abandoned her after he was diagnosed with an acute heart condition and doctors had said that she won’t live any longer than 2-3 years. Apparently, Kishore abandoned her during her ailing days to focus on his playback singing career.
According to a report in Pinkvilla, Madhubala’s sister Madhur Bhushan had told a leading magazine how Kishore Da left the timeless beauty to die alone even after she married him instead of one of Bollywood’s most iconic actors Dilip Kumar. “Perhaps, she got attracted to his beautiful voice, his ability to make her laugh,” Madhur had said.
She also revealed that Madhubala’s abba (father) had warned her from getting serious with Kishore Kumar because she was not keeping well. But the two married anyway despite Kishore Da being fully aware of Madhubala’s heart condition and the medical complications that came with it.
He flew her to London 10 days after the two were married to seek medical help. However, the doctors revealed to Kishore Da that Madhubala’s condition was untreatable and she would die a slow and painful death within the next two to three years.
One would hope that a husband, upon hearing this news of his wife, would drop everything and stay at her side until she passed. But that wasn’t the case, in fact what followed was even worse compared to if Madhubala had never married Kishore Kumar in the first place.
“Soon after that Kishore Bhaiyya left her at our home. He said that she was sick and needed care while he had to travel, work, sing and hence wouldn’t be able to give her time," Madhur narrated while adding: “He said, ‘I tried my best, I took her to London. But the doctors have said she won’t survive. What’s my fault?”
While Madhur did emphasise that she doesn’t think that Kishore Kumar was a terrible human being for leaving her sister on her death bed. But having said that, she also insisted that since Kishore Da married Madhubala knowing the truth about her health, he should have been by her side until the end.
“We’re not saying that he was wrong. Aapa was told by the doctors ‘you cannot have sex, you cannot have children’… But yet a woman needs emotional support no matter what. Aapa insisted that she wanted to be with him," Madhur also added, "So he bought a flat at Quarter Deck, Carter Road where they stayed for a while. But she’d be alone most of the time. The sea breeze made her sicker. But she had tremendous willpower. She was supposed to live for two years. She went on to live for nine. She’d say I don’t want to die. I’ll get operated and cured someday.”
During her final days, as her condition was deteriorating even more, Madhubala’s father Ataullah Khan had called Kishore Da to come see his daughter but he had refused because he was flying for a stage show to Kolkata and feared that cancelling the trip would make organisers incur massive losses. . “Abba told him, ‘You’ll never see her again’,” Madhur concluded with a sigh.