Yesteryear actor, Shammi Kapoor was simply a heartthrob, and thus, he was quite popular for his numerous linkups with his co-actresses of his generation. But not many people may know of his short fling with the legendary actress, Mumtaz. Shammi and Mumtaz worked together in the 1968 film, Brahmachari, and gradually they fell for each other. However, when Shammi proposed marriage to her, she refused it due to certain rules related to the Kapoor khandan. Now, we got to know another unknown anecdote from Mumtaz's professional life, which was a result of her affair with Shammi.
A Reddit user shared a video of Mumtaz from one of her interviews with an Urdu channel. In the video, she was heard revealing that ace filmmaker, Raj Kapoor dropped her from the film, Mera Naam Joker, which is counted amongst one of the iconic films of Indian cinema history. Revealing the reason, Mumtaz mentioned that it was because she was romantically involved with his brother, Shammi Kapoor. And since she was also about to get married in the Kapoor khandan, in which the family's daughter-in-law don't wear such small clothes, Raj took such an drastic decision. She said:
"Raj (Kapoor) ji mujhe Mera Naam Joker mein liye the, fir mujhe cut kar diye. Bole ki nhi, tum shayad humare ghar mein aayogi, hum nhi chahate ki aese chote kapde pehene toh unhone mujhe kaam se nikal diya ki nhi tumko nhi lunga."
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As soon as Mumtaz's video was shared online, netizens started reacting to it and strongly criticised Raj Kapoor. While one netizen wrote, "Apne ghar ki bahu beti chote kapde na pehne but he made sure his actress did bold even nude scenes in his movies. Waah", another user mentioned, "Well.. how the tables turn. Look at Kapoor betis and bahus now." Another comment read, "Raj Kapoor stands as a prime example of hypocrisy at its peak. The adage 'people living in glass houses shouldn't throw stones at others' seems fitting for him."
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Once, Mumtaz addressed the highly-asked question in the media about why she had turned down Shammi Kapoor's proposal even though she was equally attracted to him. In an old interview with The Times Of India, Mumtaz stated the reason and revealed that her decision was due to the Kapoor khandaan tradition, which then demanded their daughters-in-law to give up their acting career to marry their sons, and Mumtaz was completely against it. Mumtaz also shared that she had a family to look after, so leaving acting was never an option. She was quoted as saying:
''Kapoors didn’t like it if the bahus in their family were in the film line. Shammiji told me that if I wanted him to be happy with me, I would have to give up my career. Now at that young age, I was very ambitious and wanted to reach somewhere. I wanted to settle my family as well. Just to sit at home didn’t go down with me.''
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However, this did not stop Mumtaz from accepting the reality that no one could love her more than Shammi. Despite turning down his wedding proposal, Shammi had also never badmouthed about her and always respected her decision. Thus, in the same conversation, the iconic actress also expressed her love for Shammi and stated:
''The world wanted to marry me but I had to decide who I shall remain happy with. Shammi Kapoor was very loving and caring with me. Nobody would believe that we were in love. Nobody believed that I had said ‘no’ to him for marriage because Shammi’s status in riches was higher; they said ‘how can Mumtaz refuse Shammi?’. Today when I am married to Mayur Madhvani who by the grace of God has money, people believe that I had refused Shammi. Still, all said and done, I don’t think I have ever experienced so much love as Shammi gave me. Jaise meri life mein doosra Rajesh Khanna nahin ho sakta...waise hi doosra Shammi Kapoor bhi nahin ho sakta."
For the unversed, Mumtaz then married a Ugandan businessman, entrepreneur, and industrialist of Indian origin, Mayur Madhvani, and together they were blessed with two kids, Tanya Madhwani and Natasha Madhwani. On the other hand, Shammi Kapoor tied the knot twice- first with Geeta Bali and then after her demise with Neila Devi. He was blessed with two children, Aditya Raj Kapoor and Kanchan Ketan Desai.
What do you think about Mumtaz's revelations related to her getting dropped from Mera Naam Joker? Let us know!
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