Born on July 31, 1947, in Bombay, Mumtaz was just 5 when she first appeared in as a child artist in Sanskar (1952). The actress was introduced as baby Mumu, fondly called by her parents - father Abdul Saleem Askari and mother Shadi Habib Agha aka Naaz, both of Iranian origin but settled in Bombay. (All photos/mid-day archives, Instagram)
At the age of 7, Mumtaz starred in Yasmin (1955) and then later also appeared in Lajwanti (1958), Sone Ki Chidiya (1958) and Stree (1961). Well, it won't be wrong to say that acting was in Mumtaz's genes, as her mother Naaz was also an actress
Mumtaz's parents got divorced just one year after she was born. The actress was raised by her mother, who moved in with her maternal grandmother and aunt. As the family went through a financial crisis, Mumtaz and her sister took up the baton to help their family
Mumtaz's first film as an adult was that of O. P. Ralhan's Gehra Daag (1963). She appeared in as good as eight films, that released in 1964
Did you know Mumtaz had once refused to work with Amitabh Bachchan? It was during the initial days of her career when Bachchan was considered to be an 'unsuccessful' hero
Mumtaz had once revealed that she used to receive remuneration as high as 2.5 lakh at that time. In an old interview with mid-day, she mentioned, 'My role used to be very small, maybe a couple of romantic scenes and some songs. I still remember I used to get a remuneration of Rs 2.5 lakh, which was considered a big amount in those days'
Mumtaz and Rajesh Khanna's chemistry was legendary. They did eight films together, and all of them clicked at the box office. One of the most popular songs of the duo is 'Jai Jai Shiv Shankar'
'Yeh Hai Reshmi Zulphon Ka Andhera', the seductive song from Mere Sanam (1965) picturized on Mumtaz, grabbed eyeballs
In 1973, for the first time Amitabh Bachchan played a double role in a film called Bandhe Haath and well it was opposite Mumtaz
Do Raaste (1969), co-starring Rajesh Khanna, made Mumtaz a big star even though she had an insignificant role
Mumtaz married millionaire Mayur Madhwani in 1974 and quit the industry after completing her pending projects
At the peak of her career, she quit acting after she moved to Mombasa with her husband and later to London
Though Mumtaz tried her hand at a comeback with Aandhiyan (1990), the film bombed and the actress refused other film offers
Mumtaz is the mother-in-law of actor Fardeen Khan as her daughter Natasha married Feroz Khan's son in 2005
Mumtaz was also conferred upon Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996 and IIFA Outstanding Contribution by an Indian in Cinema, Honorary Award in 2008
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