Chanchal (actress)

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Chanchal
Born
Zeb Ataullah

1934
Delhi, British India
OccupationActress
Years active1950–1961
Works See below
Spouse(s)S. K. Prabhakar (died)
Ibrahim
Relatives Madhubala (sister)
Kishore Kumar (brother-in-law)

Zeb Ataullah [1] (born 1934), better known by the stage name Chanchal, [2] is a former Indian actress who appeared in Hindi-language films. A sister of actress Madhubala, [3] she is best known for portraying Rupa in Mehboob Khan's blockbuster Mother India (1957).

Contents

Early life

Born as Zeb Ataullah [1] in 1934 in Delhi, Chanchal was one of eleven children of Ataullah Khan and Ayesha Begum. Her parents were of Muslim Pathan descent. [2] Chanchal's seven sisters included Mumtaz, better known by her stage name Madhubala, who became one of the most celebrated Bollywood actresses of the 1950s and 1960s. [4] [5]

Career

Chanchal (left) with Madhubala in the 1955 film Naata Naata1955.jpg
Chanchal (left) with Madhubala in the 1955 film Naata

Chanchal appeared in four films headlined by Madhubala: Pardes (1950), Naata (1955), Mehlon Ke Khwab (1960) and Jhumroo (1961). [6] Her work in Naata was praised by critics, with a reviewer for Thought noting her "lively" performance despite poor direction. [7] [8] However, her role in Mehlon Ke Khwab (1960) drew criticism from filmindia 's Baburao Patel, who remarked that she "just fills the role of a crazy looking filly". [9]

Her most prominent roles came in Mehboob Khan's Mother India (1957), where she played Sukhilala's "wild and tempestuous" daughter Rupa, [10] [11] and in Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai (1960), where she played the village belle Bijli. [6] [12] [13] [14]

After Madhubala became ill in the early 1960s, Chanchal completed the filming of Boy Friend (1961) on her behalf. [15]

Personal life

Chanchal was first married to film director S. K. Prabhakar. [16] After his death, she married Ibrahim. [17] As of 2017, she resides in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. [4]

Filmography

References

  1. 1 2 Asian Film Directory and Who's who. 1952. pp. 363, 370.
  2. 1 2 "मधुबाला की बहन ने राज कपूर के साथ किया था काम, सुनील दत्त की बनी थी पत्नी, ऑस्कर के लिए गई थी फिल्म". NDTV (in Hindi). Archived from the original on 6 April 2025. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  3. ↑ Gahlot, Deepa (1 October 2015). Take-2: 50 Films That Deserve a New Audience. Hay House, Inc. ISBN   978-93-84544-85-0.
  4. 1 2 "Madhubala's sister, Madhur Bhushan, reveals the most shocking details about the late actor's life | Filmfare.com". www.filmfare.com. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  5. ↑ Jain, Shashi Bhan (31 October 2023). India's Past and Present. Blue Rose Publishers. p. 28.
  6. 1 2 Akbar, Khatija (1997). Madhubala: Her Life, Her Films. UBS Publishers' Distributors. p. 61. ISBN   978-81-7476-153-8.
  7. ↑ Thought. Siddhartha Publications. 1955. p. 19.
  8. 1 2 Swatantra. 1955. pp. 47–48.
  9. ↑ Filmindia. Filmindia Publications. 1960. p. 56.
  10. ↑ Reuben, Bunny (1994). Mehboob, India's DeMille: The First Biography. Indus. p. 218. ISBN   978-81-7223-153-8.
  11. ↑ Chatterjee, Gayatri (14 May 2020). Mother India. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 82. ISBN   978-1-83871-967-8.
  12. ↑ Reuben, Bunny (1988). Raj Kapur, the Fabulous Showman: An Intimate Biography. National Film Development Corporation. p. 131. ISBN   978-81-85304-03-8.
  13. ↑ Rajendra, Ashish (25 February 2025). "बड़ी बहन मधुबाला की तरह छोटी ने भी सिनेमा में किया था राज, ऑस्कर के लिए नॉमिनेट हुई थी फिल्म". Dainik Jagran (in Hindi). Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  14. ↑ Tomar, Nancy (25 February 2025). "Madhubala की बहन की वो फिल्म, जो Oscar के लिए हुई नॉमिनेट, साइड रोल से जीता था दर्शकों का दिल". News24 Hindi (in Hindi). Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  15. ↑ Patel, Bhaichand (15 January 2016). Bollywood's Top 20: Superstars of Indian Cinema. Penguin UK. ISBN   978-81-8475-598-5.
  16. ↑ "Kal Hamara Hai (1959)". K. Amarnath Productions. 17 November 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  17. ↑ Kumar, Dr Ravinder (29 January 2025). Did You Know Indian Film Industry Interesring Facts Circa 1913 And After. OrangeBooks Publication. p. 157.
  18. ↑ Rajadhyaksha, Ashish; Willemen, Paul (10 July 2014). Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema. Routledge. p. 1977. ISBN   978-1-135-94325-7.
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