Very few people know who was the first love of Madhubala, considered the most beautiful and charming actress of Hindi cinema. It was none other than Premnath, a well-known villain of Bollywood. Before being associated with names like Dilip Kumar and Kishore Kumar, Madhubala had her heart set on someone else. But alas, this love story did not last long and ended at a crossroads.
When Madhubala herself proposed
Something happened on the sets of the 1951 film ‘Badal’ which is still a topic of discussion in film circles even today. According to Madhubala’s sister Madhur Bhushan, it was Madhubala who had expressed her love to Premnath. On the very first day of the shoot, Madhubala went straight to Premnath’s make-up room. He had a rose and a small love letter in his hand.
The letter read – “If you love me, please accept this rose. If not, return it.” Premnath was astonished by this beautiful and frank expression. But he too had already fallen in love with Madhubala’s beauty and innocence. He accepted the rose and thus a new love story began.
Marriage expectations and the wall of religion
Premnath wanted to take this relationship to marriage. He loved Madhubala very much. But the biggest obstacle in his path was religion. According to some reports, Madhubala had even said that she was ready to change her religion, but Premnath did not agree to it.
He thought it better to end the relationship there. After this decision, Dilip Kumar arrived in Madhubala’s life. The pair created a stir on screen and received a lot of love from the audience.
Love remained intact even after heartbreak
Maybe true love never ends. Even though Premnath kept distance from Madhubala, Madhubala always remained in his heart. Premnath’s son, Monty, told in an interview that his father’s love for Madhubala never diminished.
Once when Madhubala’s father became ill and financially weak, Premnath quietly reached his house and placed a check of Rs 1 lakh under his pillow. When Monty asked him why, he said – “If I had married Madhubala, I would have been her son-in-law. I have just performed the duty of a son-in-law.”
Premnath – An artist, a lover
Born on 21 November 1926 in Peshawar, Premnath chose the path of films against his father’s wishes. He worked in more than 100 films and created a distinct identity for himself in Bollywood. He was married to actress Bina Rai. He considered Prithviraj Kapoor as his guru and R.K. Appeared in many films of studios.
His sister was Krishna Raj Kapoor, wife of Raj Kapoor, and another sister was Uma, wife of actor Prem Chopra. Premnath died of a heart attack on 3 November 1992. But his love for Madhubala, his dedication – this story is still counted among the most beautiful and sad love stories of Bollywood.
