Editor’s Take: Mumtaz, The Queen Bee Who Ruled Bollywood

Mumtaz redefined stardom with her infectious energy, effortless screen presence and remarkable journey from bit roles to becoming one of Hindi cinema’s biggest leading ladies. On her birthday, Filmfare Editor Jitesh Pillaai celebrates the actress who lit up every frame she appeared in and left behind a legacy that continues to inspire generations of performers.

The pout, the pirouette, the pose she perfected it all. No one did it as well as her, Mumtaz. Acting in two-bit roles, she was often seen in smaller roles like Mere Sanam and also other films where she played a junior artiste to the likes of Sharmila Tagore.

She graduated to several stunt films with Dara Singh and several B-grade ventures. Fate willed otherwise when she snagged a plum part in Ram Aur Shyam (1967). And despite being Pran’s moll in Mere Sanam (1965), she had the plum song Yeh Hai Reshmi Zulfon. Even her two-bit role in Brahmachari (1968) was buoyed by her smash song Aaj Kal Tere Mere Pyar. Even a film starring Saira Bano had Mumtaz steal the show in Yash Chopra’s Zindagi Ittefaq Hai.

Come 1969, Films like Manmohan Desai’s Sachaa Jhutha and then Raj Khosla’s Do Raaste slammed her into the big league. Heroes who had earlier smirked and looked the other way, including Shashi Kapoor, were queuing up to work with her. She was no longer Mehmood or Dara Singh’s heroine. She was queen bee.

From Rajesh Khanna to Jeetendra, everyone was queuing to work with her. She was a promise that would be kept. But by 1973, in barely a span of 4 or 5 five years at the top, Mumtaz quit. At age 26.  The year she married and left, she had massive hits like Roti, Aap Ki Kasam, Prem Kahani and Nagin. Her phones in her London and Mombasa houses never stopped ringing. She said no to many films, including Safar (1970), Seeta Aur Geeta (1972) and many more.

I’m told everyone from Rekha to Reena Roy and Neetu Singh would be given her video cassettes and encouraged by their then directors to act and dance like her. She was saucy, she was a siren and boy! She delivered even with her filmi acting chops.