Mumtaz, the esteemed Bollywood actress, recently met with the family of the late actor Mehmood, where she revealed a captivating tale from her career. She reminisced about her early start in films at the tender age of 11, making her first appearance in the 1958 film “Sone Ki Chidiya.” Despite initially landing small teenage roles, Mumtaz faced the challenge of being typecast and confined to action films.
However, Mehmood came to her rescue and played a pivotal role in transforming her career trajectory. With Mehmood’s assistance, Mumtaz was given a remarkable opportunity to work alongside the legendary Dilip Kumar in the film “Ram Aur Shyam” (1967).
During the heartfelt meeting with Mehmood’s family, Mumtaz recounted the incident that changed her life. She shared, “I want to express that Mehmood ji played a significant role in my success. If he hadn’t recommended me to Dilip Kumar… If he hadn’t taken my reels to the star and shown them to him, saying, ‘There is this new girl, and you must work with her… You have a double role in the film,’ then Dilip Kumar wouldn’t have agreed. He said, ‘She is a beautiful, nice, and tall girl. Theek hai, mai kaam kar lunga’ (Fine, I will work with her).”
The actress further added, “If Mehmood ji hadn’t conveyed all this to Dilip Kumar, it wouldn’t have been possible for me. It wouldn’t have been in my destiny to work with someone like Dilip Kumar. How many people in this world are willing to do something for someone and go out of their way to do so?” Mumtaz expressed her gratitude to Mehmood’s family and shared, “I wanted to share this with all of you. This is Mehmood’s family, and it is because of him that I had the opportunity to work with Dilip Kumar.”
Mumtaz’s heartfelt account showcases the profound impact that Mehmood had on her career, opening doors to remarkable opportunities and allowing her to collaborate with one of Bollywood’s most revered actors, Dilip Kumar.