India, Feb. 14 -- 'The biggest star in the world and she's not in Beverly Hills', read the headline of the cover story of the American magazine Theatre Arts' edition in 1952. The subject of the full-page piece was Indian cine star Madhubala. Barely 19 at the time, Madhubala was not just the reigning queen of Bollywood but one of the biggest box office draws in the world. And that piece highlighted her stature, putting her over even Hollywood icons like Clark Gable, Audrey Hepburn, James Stewart. John Wayne, Natalie Wood, and Cary Grant.

Art critic David Cort wrote the piece on Madhubala for Theatre Arts: "The story of India for the past 10 years may be condensed as follows: the war, the movie boom, and Madhubala." Born Mumtaz Jehan Begum...