Dilip Kumar & Madhubala: The Painful Truth Behind a Legendary Love Story Resurfaces:

The resurfacing of an unsettling incident regarding two of Bollywood iconic stars, Dilip Kumar and Madhubala has raised debates in the recent past. A recent news piece recalls an infamous incident from the set of the classic movie, Mughal-E-Azam which uncovers an emotionally dramatic and sad sesction of the couple’s life, both personally and professionally.

Madhubala was the love of his life before he wedded Saira Banu. Both stars fell in love while shooting for Tarana and even intended to tie the knot. Yet, Madhubala’s father did not approve and forbade their relationship. That parental dissatisfaction made it impossible for them to continue during the shooting of the Mughal-E-Azam, however, they still completed the production together, despite the personal conflict.

The incident in question took place during the shooting of a scene where Dilip Kumar’s role, Prince Salim, is supposed to give a slap to Anarkali played by Madhubala. However, rather than the usual faked slap that is often seen in movie magic, Kumar supposedly slapped her for real. Their mutual co-star Ajit narrates, as told in the book I Want To Live: The Story of Madhubala, “Dilip Kumar had ‘let go’ and used uncontrollable force to nail the actress.” This quote goes to show the nature of Kumar’s acting and how it led to a lot of aggressive outcomes.

What shocked most others was K. Asif's reaction as director. When he performed these lines, the mother of his children glanced quite dumbly, but he was supposed to say the words, “I am extremely glad today because it shows quite clearly he still loves you. What other man in love would have been able to do such things? It simply proves he had loved you and tremendously even today, no matter what you think.”

Despite the romance coming to a close, it appears Madhubala still wanted to make contact with Dilip Kumar when she was nearing her death. Kumar’s autobiography, The Substance and The Shadow, details the day he visited her and how frail her health was.

I remember vividly how my heart drummed painfully against my chest at the sight of Madhu being frailer and weaker than she used to be. He recounted, “Mujhe bahut khushi hai,” which translates to “I am very happy,” referring to how she exclaimed joyfully claiming, “Our prince has got his princess!”\\ He stood in the middle of their last meeting while the most notable actresses of her era were already dead, perishing from a heart ailment at the tender age of 36 – Madhubala, sadly, left us too soon in 1969.