Google celebrates quintessential Madhubala

On Valentine's Day, Google doodled the star-crossed iconic character from ‘Mughal-E-Azam’, Anarkali, made indelible in movie lovers' mind by the effervescent Madhubala who would have been 86 on Thursday."The Marilyn Monroe of Bollywood" as the Google blogpost said was raised in the slums of Bombay. She started supporting her family as a child star at the age of nine, before becoming a leading lady known for her elegance on screen.

Born in Delhi on this day in 1933, Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi was raised in a town located near the Bombay Talkies film studio, said Google alongside her iconic "Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya" dance "mudra" doodle created by Bangalore artist Muhammed Sajid. Madhubala appeared in her first film as Baby Mumtaz. In 1947 she landed the lead role in ‘Neel Kamal’, then just 14, taking her moniker that made her famous. 

As her family's main breadwinner, she worked tirelessly to support her parents and four sisters. In 1949, she appeared in nine films, including blockbuster ‘Mahal’ opposite Ashok Kumar, when she dazzled with a spell-binding breakout performance.Her breathtaking appearance earned comparisons to Venus, although Madhubala flourished mostly in an understated style well suited for comedies, dramas, and romantic roles alike.