Madhubala: the
filmi Marilyn Monroe,
beautiful, tragic…
Vulnerable, but
adept at comedy too;
shared traits, and shared fates.
Filmi haiku
25 Comments to “Filmi haiku”
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oooh I used to have this photo of Madhubala on the first page of my teenage scrap book: isn’t she just lovely?
And have just watched two Marilyn Monroe classics this weekend: How to Marry a Millionaire and Some Like It Hot; Unbeatable! Only Marilyn would sound allright with a name like “Sugar” :)
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None of Madhubala’s films give me quite enough of her as do her still photos, somehow. I saw ‘How to Marry a Millionaire’ too just recently, and again, Marilyn Monroe seemed a little ordinary as compared to the mystique in her stills. I love Madhubala’s mischievous smile.
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Arrrgh! Marilyn Monroe is so overrated! Arrrgh!
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oh well, i disagree with both banno as to madhubala and filmindia as to marilyn. one man’s poison etc. etc.
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Gemma, is this one of your creations? Or is Memsaab back? ;-)
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She doesn’t write haiku; I’m the talented one in the family. And we don’t always agree about movies either, but I know she loves Marilyn and Madhubala equally too. They have a lot in common—both underrated as actresses and both celebrated more for their beauty than anything else (kind of like me, too, come to think of it). But all their gifts didn’t bring them as much happiness as they should have :-( And we lost them too soon. If only they’d had more years to make films…
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I just saw Chalti ka Naam Gaadi all over again yesterday, and couldn’t help but be bowled over by how utterly vivacious and vivid Madhubala is. And you’re so right; she was utterly lovely, but also very accomplished as an actress… compare her in movies like Mr & Mrs 55, Kaala Paani (and Chalti ka Naam Gaadi or Half Ticket) where she’s a total madcap, and on the other hand something like Mughal-e-Azam. Mmmm.
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Gemma, I’m not sure if someone who’s been abandoned should be dwelling on such depressing fates as Marilyn’s and Madhubala’s. ;-)
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How could I forget Madhubala in ‘Mughal-e-Azam’? Am watching it on TV right now, and it’s because she’s so completely Anarkali. You forget that she’s Madhubala. For the record, I think she’s a superb actress too, just that she seems so under-utilized in most of her films.
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is there a dvd about marilyn Monroe?
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im afraid i have to be brutal here. how could madhubala possibly be compared to marilyn monroe? not in a million years. one just has to look at those photos of both to see madhubala is absolutely exquisitely gorgeous & then look at marilyn who looks like a bleached blonde slapper, so common. at least madhubala didnt have to take her clothes off to get noticed. she did that with her beautiful face & her abundant talent.
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Madhubala is really awsome !!! i love to watch her movies
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i never watch her movies but stuff about her is intresting!
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ajnabi: When you are a dog whose routine has been disrupted, you cannot help but dwell on depressing things. I will be much happier when I’m home, although I’m okay where I am too. But it’s hard; I feel like I have to follow my new people from room to room in case they are planning to leave me too. I can’t let them out of my sight. They told me that Mom is missing me too and calls a *little more often* than she really needs to but I’m still mad at her.
Photos of Marilyn don’t always do her justice, and remember that she lived in a completely different culture (esp. clothing-wise). She was a superb actress too, when she was given the right roles. I’m glad I can watch both of them and don’t have to choose one over the other. I’d bet too they might have really bonded had they ever met.
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I think the only striking similarity is that both of them are super gorgeous in their own way and died at the age of 36. Of course I think that Madhubala is prettier than Marilyn but I like MM in the Seven Year Itch.
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Having been born in New York City, U.S. within a year of Marilyn’s death, I’ve been hearing all my life about this legend. Madhubala is a much newer discovery for me; maybe that’s why I find her far more interesting.
I’m not one of those who would insist that Madhubala was the most beautiful of all the filmi actresses (I can think of a few whom I find at least as beautiful), but she was pretty cute. I realized that especially a couple of weeks ago, when I saw Kalapani. She was also a very good actress.
I don’t see much similarity between Madhubala’s death and Marilyn’s. Recently, I’ve been reading up on Guru Dutt; maybe that would be a closer comparison?
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P.S. Clarification to unclear writing above: Closer comparison between Guru Dutt’s demise and Marilyn’s?
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1. Both were legendary for their beauty
2. Both had a striking air of vulnerability about them, whether cultivated or natural is debatable, but it’s there
3. Both were very good at comedy, which many agree is one of the most difficult types of roles to pull off well
4. Both were fine actresses in general, especially with the right material, although neither was particularly feted as an accomplished actress during her lifetime (though both had ambitions to be considered so)
5. Both had rocky (and high profile) love lives/marriage(s)
6. Both died waaaay too young, at exactly the same age of 36 (however it happened, the fact is their lives were cut short; and I personally think Marilyn’s death was accidental, not a suicide)That’s all I’m saying. They have a lot more in common with each other than most of the rest of us do with either of them. And why does it have to turn into a competition? Sheesh. You guys are a tough crowd. No more haiku for you! I’m perfectly happy to sleep the day away.
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I adore both and somewhat agree with this assessment. Marilyn died way too young, though, and due to causes less understandable than Madhubala (the latter had an illness, whereas Marilyn’s ‘bimari’ was mental). Tragic all the same.
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im sorry to keep going on about this now but i wonder how famous marilyn would have been or how many people had gone to see her films is she wasnt half naked in them? without the bottle of bleach & the shedding of clothes she would have faded into the wallpaper.
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Eva i think it doesn’t matter anymore she died young and i think lots of people would gone see her if she had gone to Alaska and do her films there!!
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Nooooooo Gemmaaaa.. I want more haikus!!!!!! And I was thinking to suggest it to Memsaab when she got back, that she needs to help you have your own blogspot. Memsaab should be reviewing films here daily; while you post haikus on your own site everyday…. How about that? :-D
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eva2468:
I think a lot of us would still go & see Marilyn, if you wouldn’t, it doesn’t mean others would feel the same.
No one who can bump into walls as convincingly and comically as her in How to Marry.., or “spell” with such naturality as in Money business would ever fade into the wallpaper, bleach or no bleach.signed,
Madhubala fan -
This month’s Vanity Fair magazine has a big article about Marilyn (with photographs of some of her personal belongings that haven’t been seen before)…I read it on the plane home and she was really loved by people who knew her personally. Plus her enduring status as a film legend and cultural icon speaks volumes for her talent, charisma and beauty :-)
Gemma says she doesn’t want her own blog but she *might* reconsider a guest haiku now and then. She’s very busy snoozing when there are no squirrels to chase! Now I have to go and cuddle with her.
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i think Marilyn Monroe is sweet and and at leat she have a job and a great one to not like some of us outsiders have to work like includomg alaska where iam from
MemsaabStory 