Veteran actress Mumtaz revealed that the Kapoor family was quite rigid about their 'bahus' not working in movies, henceforth she refused to marry actor Shammi Kapoor.
The audience was riveted when veteran actress Mumtaz shook a leg with actor Shammi Kapoor in 'Aajkal Tere Mere Pyaar Ke Charche'. Mumtaz, who was 16 at the time, became a phenomenon and was well on her way to glory, but she was dealing with a tremendous heartbreak behind the scenes. Mumtaz had a brief affair with Shammi Kapoor during those years, but it ended when she declined to marry him.
Mumtaz recently told Pinkvilla that she "loved him enormously" and that he loved her as well. The ‘Aap Ki Kasam’ star expressed her regret at not being able to marry him. "I was just approximately 17, he was 18 years my senior. It was far too soon for me to marry. Kucch banna tha, mujhe," she explained.
Mumtaz said their breakup was amicable since they separated "with understanding" because he was extremely lovely and compassionate to her. The ‘Roti’ actor reflected on those days, claiming that if she had married Shammi Kapoor at the time, "it wouldn't have worked" since she would have "carried a regret in her heart.”
"I wanted to be an actor. I wanted to accomplish something. The Kapoors were quite stringent about their bahus not working in films," she explained. Mumtaz described Shammi Kapoor's second wife Neela Devi as a great lady, a gorgeous person. "She was great for him and handled him so nicely," she added.
Mumtaz previously stated in an interview with ETimes that no one thought she had declined to marry him. "Shammi Kapoor was really sweet and compassionate with me, Nobody could hardly think we were in love. Nobody thought I had turned him down for marriage since Shammi's financial standing was better; they questioned, How can Mumtaz deny Shammi?” she further said.
Mumtaz went on to have a long and successful career in the film industry.