rediff.com: The birth of Madhubala

Born Mumtaz Begum Jehan Dehlavi to a Pashtun family, she was the fifth of eleven children. Starting her career at the age of nine, Mumtaz worked as a successful child artiste for several years until she blossomed into a fine beauty and actress Devika Rani advised her to change her name to Madhubala. The change came into effect with Neel Kamal, where she starred opposite Raj Kapoor. She was fourteen, and the critical applause was deafening. The rest, of course, is history.

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