India's youngest superstar gave blockbusters at 16, was highest-paid star at 21, it's not Aamir Khan, Alia Bhatt, Kajol

Cinema has undergone a huge transformation in India over the last eight decades. While people talk about the technical aspects of filmmaking, one of the major changes has been the starting ages of most actors. Before the 80s, most young female stars began their careers in their early or mid-teens. Today, 22 is considered young for a heroine. Perhaps that early start was how many stars of the golden era were able to become stars and superstars as teens. The youngest superstar from India was one such bright star.

India's youngest superstar

She was born Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi, but the world remembers her as Madhubala. The star began her acting career as a child artist when she was eight. In 1947, at the age of 14, Madhubala made her debut as a female lead with Neel Kamal. The film was successful and allowed the starlet to sign many more films. The following year, she saw her first big hit in Lal Dupatta. But it was 1949 that firmly established Madhubala as a leading heroine in Hindi cinema. The actor starred in two blockbusters - Mahal and Dulari - at the age of 16, with the media beginning to dub her the young superstar or the female superstar.

Over the next two years, with hits like Beqasoor, Badal, Saiyan, and Tarana, Madhubala established herself as the top female star in Hindi cinema, all by the age of 18. Just how quick her rise was can be gauged by the fact that modern female stars like Alia Bhatt, Kajol, and Rani Mukerji only became the top stars between the ages of 22 and 26. For the Khans, that happened only in their early 30s.

Madhubala's peak in acting

The 1950s belonged to Madhubala. The actor churned out hits like Mr. & Mrs. '55, Raj Hath, Kala Pani, Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi, and Howrah Bridge. By the mid-50s, when she was just 21, she was among the highest-paid actors in India, with only three male actors - Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, and Dev Anand - charging more than her. Madhubala capped this dream run with her most successful film - Mughal-e-Azam - in 1960.

Decline and death

But as she entered her late 20s, Madhubala's illness made acting difficult. She suffered from a congenital heart defect. This led to the actor rejecting several films after the success of Mughal-e-Azam. She only took on roles where her screen time was limited as acting was becoming difficult. Yet, she starred in hits like Jhumroo, Boy Friend, and Half Ticket in the early 60s. The 1964 release - Sharabi - was her final film, released when she was only 31.

After this, Madhubala took a sabbatical before the illness claimed her life in 1969. She was 36. Her final film - Jwar Bhata - was completed with the help of body doubles and released two years after her death.