Veteran actor Mumtaz, who started working in films as a child artist in 1952, had a difficult start before rising to stardom. In her early years, she was frequently cast in B-grade roles, but her luck changed when she starred opposite Dilip Kumar in the 1967 film ‘Ram Aur Shyam’. Once she worked with Dilip Kumar, other actors were also willing to work with her. The actress is known for her successful collaboration with Rajesh Khanna and their iconic songs together like ‘Jai Jai Shiv Shankar’.During her growing success, Mumtaz reportedly received a marriage proposal from Shammi Kapoor in 1968, who wanted her to quit acting after marriage. They were in a relationship but did not get married due to this condition. At that point, she chose to prioritize her career, because it was just the beginning for her. However, in 1974, she made a different choice, stepping away from films to marry Gujarati businessman Mayur Madhvani and move to London.
While their interfaith marriage drew attention, Mumtaz stressed that it was never a source of concern within her family.In a recent interview, she spoke candidly about her interfaith marriage and leaving the industry at the peak of her career. “I had no choice. My mother, grandmother and aunt agreed to the proposal. They knew the family and suggested me to stop acting and settle down,” she said during a conversation with Vicky Lalwani.
She also explained her family’s outlook on religion, adding: “In our family, we never cared about the Hindu-Muslim divide. We never differentiated between religions. My sister also married a Hindu called Randhawa ji. We never believed in such things. I was destined to marry him and I followed what my family advised me. They told me that now is the time for me to get married and leave. They did not think the way people think today, if a girl is earning well, let her stay with us.”
They thought it was time for me to get married and leave. “I belong to an Orthodox family, and Iranians are like that.”Reflecting on her married life, Mumtaz was asked if she took time to get used to their lifestyle and eating habits. “I don’t want to flaunt the wealth that the Madhvani family has, but there were many cooks, separate cooks for vegetarian and non-vegetarian food. I was never expected to give up non-vegetarian food,” she said.
“My husband is a vegetarian, but he never asked me to change.”She also addressed old speculation about her relationship with him
Feroze Khan
Explaining that their relationship was strictly platonic. “I have known Firouz since before he got married. He had a girlfriend from England. We were very good friends and worked together. There was no woman who didn’t find him attractive, and he was very good-looking. We connected because of our Iranian roots, but there was never any romance. Today, my daughter is married into his family, and they have beautiful children.
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