Wasn't it the maverick Editor of Film India, Baburao Patel, who first hailed Madhubala as 'The Venus of The Indian Screen'?

The Madhubala aura, how come it invites absorbingly Total Recall -- into 2009 -- in the face of a litany of beautiful leading ladies following in the trail of this heroine?

Does our diva's tragic demise, at the vulnerable age of 36, have something to do with the 'Madhubalanguor' surrounding her persona? For the image to endure -- cruel as it may sound -- I say it is imperative that screen goddesses not only live but also die at the right time, as Madhubala's style of passing testifies.

For all her elegance and dignity, do her greying years really add to Waheeda Rehman's uniquely sustained screen charisma -- as we view her on television today? Is the Vyjayanthimala impact quite the same as the vision this willowy lovely looked in Madhumati -- as we glimpse such a dancer's dancer 50 years down the line?

Madhubala passed away on February 23, exactly 40 years ago. We look back.

The author was Cinema Critic of The Illustrated Weekly Of India and Music Critic of Filmfare

Also Read: Madhubala's best movies

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