Madhubala’s marble tomb was broken after her father's death, says sister Madhur: 'We had given up'

For months after Madhubala’s death, the cemetery where she was buried carried the scent of perfume.

Her father, Ataullah Khan, had poured bottles of perfume over her grave during her burial. The unusual gesture was recalled by her sister, Madhur Bhushan, in a recent conversation with Vickey Lalwani. Madhur said she still does not know how he was permitted to do so.

She also spoke about how her father struggled to cope with the loss of his daughter, who died on February 23, 1969, aged 36, after years of living with a heart condition.

Madhur said their father, Ataullah Khan, was strict but a deeply loving man. After Madhubala died, he visited her grave regularly for years, even though his own health was failing.

“We grew up under a very strict father, but he also gave us immense love. For years, Abba would go to Madhu Aapa’s grave and cry. He continued to do so for years,” she said. “He had already suffered three heart attacks and a brain stroke while Madhu Aapa was alive. He was also severely diabetic, but he never stopped visiting the cemetery. He would go there, place a chair and sit by her grave.”

Ataullah Khan had the grave fully covered in marble, which went against the usual practice of leaving the centre unsealed.

“My father had completely sealed it, from the sides as well as the middle. In our tradition, the middle portion is usually left unsealed, while the rest can be finished. But my father had completely covered Madhu Aapa’s grave, from the top and the sides. After his death, they broke it, saying that it could not remain that way,” Madhur said.

The family took the loss hard and believed the grave was gone. Later, they learned that it wasn’t.

“We had given up. We felt there was no trace of Aapa left after they broke the grave. Later, someone told me that her grave was still there in the cemetery. When I went, they pointed it out to me from a distance. Her name, Madhubala, was written there.”

She added that several other film personalities rest nearby. “Dilip Sahab’s grave is also a short distance away, only five or 10 metres. Parveen Babi is buried there too. Mohammed Rafi and Naushad Sahab are also there.”

Madhur’s account recalls a dispute from 2010 at Mumbai’s Juhu. That February, it was reported that the tombs of several well-known figures, including Madhubala, Mohammed Rafi, Naushad and Sahir Ludhianvi, had been dismantled. The ground was then covered with about three feet of soil to make room for new burials.

Madhur objected at the time. She pointed out that her father had spent weeks and months at the cemetery working with artisans on the memorial, and she asked why the family had been allowed to build it in the first place.

Mohammed Rafi’s son Shahid later said he could not find his father’s grave after the markers were removed. A caretaker told him Rafi’s grave had not been covered by new soil and offered to show him the spot on his visits.

Madhubala died on February 23, 1969, at the age of 36, from a heart condition. Her father died six years later, in 1975.