Imtiaz Ali spent nights in the ‘darkest corners’ of Madhubala’s supposedly haunted bungalow, waiting for her ghost to come: ‘I remember the feeling’

Imtiaz Ali also spoke about what kind of horror movie he'd like to direct, and revealed that he has contemplated making one several times. He revealed he had spent nights at Madhubala's old bungalow hoping for her ghost to show up.

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | Updated: June 2, 2024 08:35 AM IST

2 min read

Madhubala died at the age of 36 in 1969.

Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali expressed his desire to direct a horror film, and said that he has contemplated making one a couple of times. He said that he would want to make a horror movie with some depth, and not necessarily only to scare people. Describing Madhumati as his favourite Hindi horror movie, Imtiaz recalled an anecdote about filming in a Madhubala’s old bungalow, which was supposedly out of bounds at night because it was said to be haunted by her ghost.

In an appearance on Ranveer Allahbadia’s podcast, Imtiaz said, “Madhubala used to have a house, it was called Kismat Bungalow. It has been reconstructed now. But back in the day, they wouldn’t allow people to film there at night, and people generally wouldn’t want to film there at night because they believed that her ghost haunts the place. Who knows if that was true, but that’s what people believed.”

Also read – Madhubala: India’s beloved who died at 36, pined for true love all her life

He continued, “I shot there quite a bit at night. And I would go to the quietest, darkest corners of that house alone, and I used to wonder if Madhubala’s ghost would come. Although I don’t really believe in spirits, but I remember that feeling. It wasn’t just horror, there was something else. There was a sense of awe and romanticism. This is an interesting combination.” A couple of years ago, on Madhubala’s 89th birth anniversary, Imtiaz took to social media to share a picture of the late star, and wrote, “I have shot nights at her old bungalow hoping for her ghost to show up.”

Madhubala is best known for the classic films Mughal-e-Azam, Chalti Ka Naam Gadi, Mahal, and others. She died at the age of 36 in 1969, her life cut short due to a prolonged illness and marred by tragic romances. Imtiaz most recently directed the acclaimed Netflix film Amar Singh Chamkila. He said in the interview that the theme of his next project is ‘reminiscence’.

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