Mumtaz recalls Rajesh Khanna's downfall: 'I have seen big-name producers and directors behaving like his chamcha'

Rajesh Khanna and Mumtaz

Veteran actress Mumtaz has worked with Rajesh Khanna in multiple films during the peaks of their careers. The duo shared screen in films like 'Do Raaste', 'Bandhan', 'Dushmun', 'Roti', among others. They were a hit pair and were showered with love from the audience every time they shared screen. Rajesh Khanna, as we all know, is considered to be the first superstar of Hindi cinema. His fall from stardom was also quite the public affair. Recently, in an interview with Rediff, Mumtaz spoke about her late co-star's downfall.

"Without your love, we are nothing. It wasn't entirely Rajesh Khanna's fault," Mumtaz said adding, "I remember when he was known as the phenomenon. My bungalow was very close to his. I have seen big-name producers and directors behaving like his chamchas. His girlfriend Anju Mahendru would play host all night. She would serve food and drinks till 3 am. I have seen the same night-long sessions in Shammi Kapoor's home. He used to spend a fortune on entertaining guests."

She said that she never approved of producers and directors dancing to the tunes of actors. This is the reason she appreciated filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali. "She said, "He does his work, treats his actors with respect, and goes home. You are paying the actors; why do you need to do their chamchagiri?

She also recalled the downfall of the late actor Shammi Kapoor who she had dated for a brief period. She said that after a point, Kapoor became laid back and did not want to do a lot of work. However, she also said that whenever he took up any work he would do it with seriousness and dedication.

In an earlier interview with Zoom, Mumtaz had also revealed the reason behind turning down Shammi Kapoor's marriage proposal. He had proposed to her when she was all of 17 and said that she would not be able to continue acting after marriage as that was the norm in the Kapoor family. "I told him I couldn't marry him because I wanted to work and fulfill my dreams. I didn't want to be a homemaker, taking care of his children and managing the household," revealed Mumtaz, adding that the ‘no' left the Teesri Manzil actor angry. She continued, "He was angry and told me, ‘If you would have truly loved me, you would've accepted my proposal and left working in films. You only pretend to love me because you wanted to score big films opposite me.' This left me completely heartbroken."