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Hot and beautiful, that was what she was called during the 60s as Mumtaz ruled Bollywood with her stardom. It was her “Mumu” effect that won the hearts of millions of young Indians during those days. Be it her typical Mumtaz-style saree in “Aaj kal tere mere pyar ke charche” song from Brahmachari or her romance with superstar Rajesh Khanna whatever she did on the screen and even off the screen was heavily discussed in the film and gossip magazines in those days.
If Kaka was the male superstar, it was Mumtaz who was the female superstar of the 60s who could look sexy, bold, and glamorous as well as a docile village damsel. She was a superb dancer and actress and although her typical dancing was way different from the traditional dancing styles followed by other big actresses of those times like Hema Malini, Asha Parekh, and Vaijayanthimala, there was a cuteness in it that made her stand out.
Shammi Kapoor wanted to marry Mumtaz
When these two actors worked in Brahmachari they came a bit closer. Shammi Kapoor was extremely fond of Mumtaz and since his wife Geeta Bali had died very young he wanted to remarry. But Mumtaz wanted to take her career ahead and politely declined the marriage proposal. At that time the “Yahoo” actor was a big superstar and many young girls would have considered it a privilege to marry him. Mumtaz surprised everyone and even Shammiji by turning down the offer.
In her long career since starting as a child artist, she took many such bold decisions that showed that Mumtaz was a woman of substance.
Highest paid actress of her time
She was one of the highest-paid actresses of her time and was even a big challenge for Helen who mostly did dance numbers and the role of vamp in those days. But Mumtaz was such a fabulous dancer that she could do both, the role as a lead actress and the cabaret dancing. She never shied away from revealing a bit of flesh to look sexy on the screen which many other actresses of that time like Hemaji or Asha Parekh never did.
Many big actors like Jeetendra and Shashi Kapoor earlier refused to work with her because she worked in many B-grade movies with Dara Singh in stunt-based projects. However, when Mumtaz gained success in mainstream cinema, these superstars started recommending her name.
