A commemorative stamp featuring the most sought after actress of the Fifties and the Sixties, Madhubala, is due to be released today. Madhubala will be the second actress to have a postage stamp dedicated to her. The other heroine was the late Nargis Dutt.

The affair between stamps and film personalities can be dated back to April 30, 1971, when a stamp with a denomination of 20 paisa was released t mark the birth centenary of Dadasaheb Phalke. Such commemorative stamps featuring celebrities does not come easy but involves almost two years of careful examination by the Philatelic Advisory Committee at the Department of Posts. The Department of Post also keeps a close check on the number of stamps featuring filmmakers released every year. Last year, the department released stamps of director Bimal Roy, Mehboob Khan, Ritwik Ghatak and SD Burman. Besides these, the departments has also issued stamps of personalities like Prithviraj Kapoor, Kundan Lal Saigal, Satyajit Ray, Dinanath Mangeshkar, V Shantaram, Hemant Kumar, Kishore Kumar, Mohammed Rafi, Mukesh and Guru Dutt, with Madhubala being the latest to join them.