Zeb Ataullah[1] (born 1934), better known by the stage name Chanchal,[2] is a former Indian actress who appeared in Hindi-language films. The sister of Madhubala,[3] she is best known for portraying Rupa in Mehboob Khan's blockbuster Mother India (1957).
Chanchal | |
|---|---|
| Born | Zeb Ataullah 1934 (age 91–92) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1950–1961 |
| Works | See below |
| Spouse(s) | S. K. Prabhakar (died) Ibrahim |
| Relatives | Madhubala (sister) Kishore Kumar (brother-in-law) |
Early life
editBorn 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 five 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
editChanchal appeared in four films headlined by Madhubala: Pardes (1950), Naata (1955), Mehlon Ke Khwab (1960) and Jhumroo (1961).[6] Of these, Naata and Mehlon Ke Khwab were produced by Madhubala and Ataullah Khan. Chanchal's work in Naata was praised by critics, with a reviewer for Thought noting her "lively" performance despite poor direction.[7][8] However, in Mehlon Ke Khwab she drew criticism from filmindia's Baburao Patel, who remarked that she "just fills the role of a crazy looking filly".[9] In 1960, Chanchal finished another film produced by Khan, Ghar Jawai, opposite Kishore Kumar; however, it failed to garner any distributor interest and remained unreleased.[10]
Chanchal's most prominent roles were in Mehboob Khan's Mother India (1957), as Sukhilala's "wild and tempestuous" daughter Rupa,[11][12] and in Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai (1960), in which she played the village belle Bijli.[6][13][14][15]
After Madhubala became ill in the early 1960s, Chanchal completed the filming of Boy Friend (1961) as Madhubala's body double.[16]
Personal life
editChanchal first married S. K. Prabhakar, a film director and editor, of Hindu background.[17] Prabhakar had worked alongside Madhubala in the films Kal Hamara Hai and Do Ustad (both 1959).[18] He died early due to a ventricular septal defect.[18]
Chanchal later married Ibrahim.[19] As of 2017, she resided in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.[4]
Filmography
edit- Pardes (1950) as Chanchal
- Nazneen (1951)
- Naata (1955) as Beena[8]
- Teerandaz (1955)
- Mother India (1957) as Rupa
- Mehlon Ke Khwab (1960) as Bela
- Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai (1960) as Bijli
- Jhumroo (1961) as Chamki[20]
References
edit- 1 2 Asian Film Directory and Who's who. 1952. pp. 363, 370.
- 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.
- ↑ Gahlot, Deepa (1 October 2015). Take-2: 50 Films That Deserve a New Audience. Hay House, Inc. ISBN 978-93-84544-85-0.
- 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.
- ↑ Jain, Shashi Bhan (31 October 2023). India's Past and Present. Blue Rose Publishers. p. 28.
- 1 2 Akbar, Khatija (1997). Madhubala: Her Life, Her Films. UBS Publishers' Distributors. p. 61. ISBN 978-81-7476-153-8.
- ↑ Thought. Siddhartha Publications. 1955. p. 19.
- 1 2 Swatantra. 1955. pp. 47–48.
- ↑ Filmindia. Filmindia Publications. 1960. p. 56.
- ↑ Dhar, Parthiv; Bhattacharjee, Anirudha (27 October 2022). Kishore Kumar: The Ultimate Biography, Winner of the National Award for Best Book on Cinema, 2022. Harper Collins. p. 267. ISBN 978-93-5629-172-0.
- ↑ Reuben, Bunny (1994). Mehboob, India's DeMille: The First Biography. Indus. p. 218. ISBN 978-81-7223-153-8.
- ↑ Chatterjee, Gayatri (14 May 2020). Mother India. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 82. ISBN 978-1-83871-967-8.
- ↑ Reuben, Bunny (1988). Raj Kapur, the Fabulous Showman: An Intimate Biography. National Film Development Corporation. p. 131. ISBN 978-81-85304-03-8.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Patel, Bhaichand (15 January 2016). Bollywood's Top 20: Superstars of Indian Cinema. Penguin UK. ISBN 978-81-8475-598-5.
- ↑ Deep, Mohan (1996). The Mystery and Mystique of Madhubala. Magna Books. p. 14.
- 1 2 "Kal Hamara Hai (1959)". K. Amarnath Productions. 17 November 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
- ↑ Kumar, Dr Ravinder (29 January 2025). Did You Know Indian Film Industry Interesring Facts Circa 1913 And After. OrangeBooks Publication. p. 157.
- ↑ Rajadhyaksha, Ashish; Willemen, Paul (10 July 2014). Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema. Routledge. p. 1977. ISBN 978-1-135-94325-7.