Mumtaz was largely known for her on-screen chemistry and hit pairing with Rajesh Khanna. However, the actress formed a great pair with most of her co-stars on the screen. She was often in news also for her link-ups. However, while some of it may have been true, others were not. She has often spoken about how Shammi Kapoor wanted to marry her but things didn’t work out. On Feroz Khan‘s death anniversary today, April 27, let’s recall the time when Mumtaz shared some anecdotes about the late actor.
The actress had told ETimes, while she spoke about Shammi, “Raj Kapoor wanted to cast me as a trapeze artiste in ‘Mera Naam Joker’. He had even taken my pictures. But Shammi Kapoor forbade him by asking how he’d sign me when I was going to marry him and become a Kapoor bahu. I tried my best to convince Raj Kapoor by telling him that I was not marrying Shammi. I was looking so pretty in those pictures. But Raj Kapoor wasn’t sure that I was telling him the truth, he somehow thought that I still might marry Shammi.”
Further on being asked about Feroz, she had said, “Feroz never offered me marriage. He had a girlfriend, an Anglo Indian beauty, from the days of ‘Main Shaadi Karne Chala’. She was a very beautiful girl and she loved him immensely. But I don’t know why they eventually separated. So Feroz and I had become very good friends and he shared almost everything with me. He was a man who would never share anything with anybody; he was a proud man. But I have seen him even with tears in his eyes.”
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However, Mumtaz finally made a revelation and said, “Okay now let me tell you that any woman would fall on Feroz and Shammi. To marry Feroz Khan was like jumping into a lake. It was asking for a heartbreak. I had one with Shammi Kapoor and I didn’t want another. So I kept our relationship as a friendship. If it had gone the other way, it would have broken and even the friendship wouldn’t have remained. Our children went on to marry each other, and our friendship remained till he died. He loved me a lot and trust me, Fardeen and Natasha are very happy with each other.”
For those unaware, Feroz Khan’s son Fardeen Khan is married to Mumtaz’s daughter, Natasha. In a throwback interview, Mumtaz had shared that Fardeen and Natasha were happy together. However, in recent times, rumours of their separation have been making headlines.
Feroz Khan had passed away in 2009 due to Cancer.
Professionally, Mumtaz and Feroz Khan are two iconic names from the golden era of Indian cinema. Mumtaz, known for her beauty, expressive acting, and graceful screen presence, rose to fame in the late 1960s with hits like ‘Do Raaste’, ‘Khilona’ and several other hit titles. Feroz Khan, on the other hand, was admired for his stylish, charismatic personality and went on to become a successful actor, director, and producer, delivering memorable films like ‘Dharmatma’, ‘Qurbani’, etc. Both stars worked together in films like ‘Aadmi Aur Insaan’ (1969), where their chemistry was loved by audiences. While Mumtaz later moved away from films to focus on her family life, Feroz Khan left behind a legacy of stylish cinema that remains influential even today.
Mumtaz and Feroz Khan had a strong friendship that lasted even though they never married. Their bond remained close and full of respect throughout their lives.
