Mumtaz

Mumtaz was born to Abdul Salim Askari (a dry fruits vendor) and Shadi Habib Agha who hailed from Mashhad, Iran. They got divorced just one year after she was born. Her elder sister is actor Mallika who was married to wrestler and Indian actor Randhawa – younger brother of wrestler and actor Dara Singh. Mumtaz appeared as a child actress in Sone Ki Chidiya (1958). As a teenager she acted as an extra in Vallah Kya Baat Hai, Stree and Sehra in the early 1960s. As an adult, her first role in A-grade films was that of the role of the sister of the hero in O. P. Ralhan's Gehra Daag. She got small roles in successful films such as Mujhe Jeene Do. Later, she got the role of the main lead heroine in 16 action films, including Faulad, Veer Bhimsen, Tarzan Comes to Delhi, Sikandar-E-Azam, Rustom-E-Hind, Raaka, and Daku Mangal Singh, with freestyle wrestler Dara Singh, and was labelled as a stunt-film heroine. In the films that Dara Singh and Mumtaz did together, Dara's remuneration was INR 450,000 per film, and Mumtaz's salary was INR 250,000 per film. She received two nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performances in Ram Aur Shyam (1967) and Aadmi Aur Insaan (1969). It took Raj Khosla's blockbuster family drama Do Raaste (1969), starring Rajesh Khanna, to finally make Mumtaz a full-fledged star. Mumtaz had a decorative heroine's role and director Khosla had filmed four songs with her. The film made her popular, and she acknowledged that even though she had a small role, it was one of her most favourite films. Do Raaste and Bandhan, both with Rajesh Khanna, became the top grossers of the year 1969, earning around Rs. 65 million and Rs. 28 million respectively. This was followed by a heroine-oriented role in Khilona in 1970, for which she won her first and only Filmfare Award for Best Actress and was "very happy that the audience accepted her in an emotional role". Her pairing with Rajesh Khanna was the most successful, with a total of 10 films. Mumtaz frequently acted with Feroz Khan and gave hits such as Mela (1971), Apradh (1972) and Nagin (1976). She acted opposite Dharmendra in films such as Loafer and Jheel Ke Us Paar (1973). Shashi Kapoor, who had earlier refused Sachaa Jhutha opposite her because she was a "stunt-film heroine" acted with her in Chor Machaye Shor (1973). Mumtaz quit films after the drama Aaina (1977) to concentrate on her family. She made a comeback 13 years later with Aandhiyan (1990) but retired for good when the movie flopped.