Mumtaz, who made her acting debut at age 11 with Lajwanti and Sone Ki Chidiya, shared the screen with many superstars like Dilip Kumar, Shammi Kapoor, and more. However, Her pairing with Rajesh Khanna was the most successful, with a total of 10 films together. The actress who saw Rajesh Khanna's stardom and downfall closely said in an interview that his downfall was not entirely his fault.
In an interview with Rediff, discussed superstar Rajesh Khanna’s fame and decline and stated, "We stars are what we are because of your love. Without your love, we are nothing. It wasn’t entirely Rajesh Khanna’s fault. I remember when he was known as the phenomenon. My bungalow was very close to his. I have seen big-name producers and directors behaving like his chamchas. His girlfriend Anju Mahendroo would play host all night. She would serve food and drinks till 3 am.
She added, "I have seen the same night-long sessions in Shammi Kapoor’s home. He used to spend a fortune on entertaining guests. I think Shammi Kapoor let himself go and decided to live life the way he wanted to. But to his credit, when he came on set, he worked hard. The same goes for Rajesh Khanna."
She further slammed the directors and producers for doing 'chamchagiri' and said, "You are paying the actors; why do you need to do their chamchagiri?" while praising Sanjay Leela Bhansali she added, "Sanjay Bhansali is such a huge filmmaker, but he maintains his distance from everyone. He does his work, treats his actors with respect, and goes home."
Rajesh Khanna and Mumtaz shared the screen in hit films like Aap Ki Kasam, Roti, Apna Desh, and Sachcha Jhootha. In the same interview, Mumtaz revealed how Rajesh Khanna was possessive of her and said, "Rajesh Khanna never fueled the rivalry or spoke a word against Sharmilaji. But he would get upset when I signed films with other heroes like Dharmendraji or Devsaab. But he worked with other heroines; I never sulked. He thought he owned me. But never mind, it meant that he cared for me.”
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