When Mumtaz said no heroine except Waheeda Rehman ever spoke to her, did not even say hello

Mumtaz once said that while she shared good equations with the male actors of her time, the female actors were cold toward her.

Mumtaz, who is celebrating her 75th birthday on Sunday, has enjoyed a successful career in the Hindi film industry. After making her acting debut at the age of 11 with Sone Ki Chidiya, Mumtaz went on to become one of the highest-paid women in the Indian entertainment industry from the late 1960s to the mid-1970s. She also worked with several leading names in Bollywood, including Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra, and Shashi Kapoor.

Mumtaz and Waheeda Rehman in a still from the 1967 film Ram Aur Shyam.

Mumtaz also worked with a number of female actors. However, the actor once said that she did not enjoy a good friendship with any of the women, except Waheeda Rehman. Mumtaz and Waheeda worked together in films like Mujhe Jeene Do (1963), Patthar Ke Sanam (1967), and Ram Aur Shyam (1967).

The actor told The Times of India in an interview in 2021, “I got the support of all my heroes. Recently I met Dharmendra. We spent a lot of time together and also remembered the old days. At the same time, when he was asked about the actress, he only took the name of Waheeda Rehman."

Mumtaz added, “Barring Waheeda Rehman, who I got along very well with, the heroines never spoke to me – they just pulled up a chair and sat afar – not even a hello. I have no idea why they did that. But I used to happily sit with my group dancers and share lunch. I enjoyed my work. I did not sulk; in fact, I never sulked."

Mumtaz quit films after her 1997 film Aaina to concentrate on her family. She married businessman Mayur Madhvani in 1974. The couple has two daughters – Natasha and Tanya. Mumtaz made a comeback to acting 13 years later with Aandhiyan, but did not continue after the film flopped.