Mumtaz was the ruling screen queen for a good ten years.
She looks back at her life so far with much satisfaction. “No complaints. Life can’t be a bed of roses. My first 26 years was a time of hard work. I was an obedient child to my parents. Whatever I earned I gave to my parents. Never asked them where my money went. After I got married my husband has given me lots of comforts. I enjoy the life of affluence. I don’t socialize. I rarely drink. I am not a night person. Clubs are not my scene. I hate the noise. One can’t converse. I am a daytime person. I go out for lunch with my friends, then stroll for a few hours. London is a perfect city for an afternoon walk. Then I am back home. I watch educational television and the news so I’m aware of what’s going on in the world. Then by 11 I am fast asleep. I wake up at 7 am. I have two homes in Mumbai, in Juhu and Colaba. And I do visit very often. Everybody loves me. But I can’t make everybody my close friends. I don’t make friends easily. At my age you can’t forge new associations because you never know what the other person has in mind. Of course, I can have as many fair-weather friends as I want. But that’s pointless. Finally, it’s just me and myself. I like my own company. I can’t complain. I keep myself occupied.
Mumtaz, who regaled audiences in films like Khilona, Tere Mere Sapne, Jheel Ke Uss Paar, Aaina and Aap Ki Kasam, feels is more important than anything else. “You are judged not for what you are, but how much money you have and what position you have in society. If you don’t have money and a social standing no one looks towards you. If you’re a nobody you aren’t even invited to any happening party. That’s why I’d implore all youngsters to make something of their lives. Kuch karo kuch bano. I am still remembered back home because ek zamaane mein main Mumtaz tthi. Aaj kal pyar hota kahan hai? You tell me. Do you think genuine love exists in today’s day and age? You’re younger than me. You tell me. Only the love between a mother and a child is unconditional. You look at marriages all over the world. Who looks after the child? The mother, no? My husband is a good father. But I’ve friends who have brought up their children alone. I’ve the highest regard for the mother. In my own case, my parents divorced very young. My mother took both me and my sister Malika when she left my father. My father said he wouldn’t give her any money. He gave her both the daughters instead. People believed I was fatherless because Devyani Chaubal wrote, ‘Mumtaz has got no father.’ I took her to court. My father, who lived in Hyderabad, promised to come to court to prove her wrong. He said, ‘Hum ayega court mein.’ I was raised by my grandmother, mother and my aunt. Like Three Men & A Baby in my life there were three women and a baby. It was a wonderful childhood. We were a typical Irani family. My mother was divorced when she was only 16. Then my mother re-married. She had two sons. One of them died. But I’ve a stepbrother named Shah Rukh Askari in Mumbai. I’ve been lucky. I started my career on the wrong note as a supporting actress. In spite of that I became one of the top-most heroines at the age of 18. That shows how much people loved me. I’d be appreciated even when I was not the heroine. My fans were with me. Then I married at 26 and left India. I firmly believe if you’re a hard-working and good-looking nobody except God can stop you. Our film industry does give a chance to new talent. But the newcomer has to be worth it, no? Those who talk about being forced to compromise must be lacking in talent and looks. They want to become overnight stars. As for men taking advantage of strugglers, why blame only the entertainment industry? It happens in all work places. Sexual dynamics are tapped in every profession for a raise, for a promotion, whatever. Please don’t point fingers at the film industry. And look at the kind of monies that are given to actors. You really have to be worth it to command that kind of fees.”
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Mumtaz describes her film Khilona as a turning point for her. “Producer L. V. Prasadji had the guts to sign a side actress like me in the author-backed part. It broke my glamorous tomboyish image. Do you know, Seeta Aur Geeta was offered to me? But they offered me a very small remuneration, so I said no. Hemaji got her first Filmfare award for Seeta Aur Geeta. Mujhe pehle mil chuka tha for Khilona. I was doing Khilona and Boond Jo Ban Gayi Moti at the same time. I was signed for a guest appearance to do a song. I had done bit roles in Shantaramji’s Stree and Sehra. I couldn’t say no to him. So I agreed to do a song in Boond Jo Ban Gayi Moti. Then his daughter Rajshree, who was playing the lead in the film, decided she didn’t want to work. So Shantaramji decided to cast me as the leading lady in Boond Jo Ban Gayi Moti. But the film’s leading man Jeetendra refused to work with me. Shantaramji put his foot down. He told Jeetu, ‘If you don’t want to work with her you leave the film. I’ll take another hero.’ But Jeetuji finally relented. I held no grudges against Jeetuji because in those days many big heroes refused to work with me.”
She recalls the time she was ill. “When I was ill with cancer because of the chemotherapy my thyroid gland was gone. That meant anything I ate went straight to my weight. I bloated up. But since my fans knew about my condition no one made fun of me. I was honest about my illness and I am honest about my age. Fans love you more for your honesty. They all know that no matter how big the star he or she will die one day. Nothing is permanent. And experience has taught me there’s no unconditional and pure love in this world except the one between a parent and child. I’ve homes in Mumbai, London, Uganda, Kenya and New York. You may find me in any of these places. Or you may not find me in any of these places. It’s good to go with the unpredictability of life. The love that I’ve received from people should be there for me until my last moment on earth. That would be so wonderful. Allah jaane kab meri ticket kat jayegi. Whatever time I’ve left on this earth I want the same love that I’ve been getting. And I want to be reborn as Mumtaz again.”
