When Madhubala sought help from Prime Minister, security was provided after she received threatening calls from…

Due to financial difficulties, Madhubala entered the film world.

From Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Dilip Kumar to Bal Thackeray, beauty queen Madhubala captivated everyone with her beauty and smile. Born on February 14, 1933, Madhubala never intended to enter the film industry.

She had a hole in her heart since childhood, and doctors advised her to rest as much as possible. However, due to financial difficulties, she was pushed into the film world.

1. Film contracts signed by her father

In his book, film journalist Ajay Kumar Sharma wrote that most of the new film contracts for Madhubala were signed by her father, Ataullah Khan, who was very stubborn and adamant. His contracts often included a strict clause prohibiting the entry of outsiders on set.

2. When Ataullah Khan got angry

In the year 1950, the film Nirala featured Madhubala alongside Dev Anand and Majharr Khan in prominent roles. One day, Majharr Khan invited some guests to watch the shooting without knowing about the specific clause in Madhubala’s contract. When Ataullah Khan, Madhubala’s father, found out about Majharr Khan’s guests, he angrily confronted director M. Sadiq.

3. When Majharr Khan got defended

As a result, the guests were not allowed to enter the set, and the film’s shooting was halted temporarily. Majharr Khan himself went to Madhubala and requested permission for his guests to enter, but she firmly refused.

Madhubala replied, “Whatever Abba (father) says, that will happen. Otherwise, I will leave the shooting.” This statement deeply offended Majharr Khan. However, news of this incident spread quickly like wildfire. Some journalists tried to speak directly with Madhubala about it, but she did not engage with them in a proper manner.

4. Journalists got angry

Ajay Sharma wrote that this incident angered journalists as well. Journalists from India and Pakistan joined hands to form the Indo-Pak Journalists Association and appointed B.K. Karanjia, the editor of Movie Times magazine, as its secretary.

The organization decided that they would not publish Madhubala’s photos, advertisements for her films, or interviews in their newspapers and magazines until both Ataullah Khan and Madhubala apologized to the journalists.

During this time, Madhubala began receiving threatening phone calls including people telling her to kidnap her. Distressed by these threats, Madhubala met with then-Prime Minister Morarji Desai. In response, at the Prime Minister’s direction, she was assigned personal security guards who ensured her safety 24 hours a day.

5. Apologised to journalists

The whole controversy continued for a year. After a year passed, Madhubala’s father, Ataullah Khan, felt that it was affecting his daughter’s popularity. Finally, at B.K. Karanjia’s bungalow, Madhubala and her father apologised to journalists, resolving the entire issue.

The very next day after this settlement, Madhubala hosted a grand party for journalists at her bungalow in Bandra.