Prithviraj Kapoor had strictly forbidden women of the house from working; Mumtaz was forced to turn down Shammi Kapoor's proposal

Indian Express

6 days ago

Mumtaz was still a newbie in the Hindi movie industry in the 1960s, when she appeared in the hit song 'Aaj Kal Tere Mere Pyaar Ke Charche' in the Shammi Kapoor-starrer film Brahmachari. They fell in love as soon as they met and Shammi proposed to her, but Mumtaz had to turn down his proposal despite being in love with him. In a recent interview, Mumtaz said that Prithviraj Kapoor, the father of Shammi Kapoor, Shashi Kapoor and Raj Kapoor, had a strict rule for the women of the house, and especially the daughters-in-law. Mumtaz said that Prithviraj forbade them from working so if Mumtaz was to marry Shammi, she would have to give up on her dreams, and she did not want to do that.
In a chat with Radio Nasha Official, Mumtaz recalled, 'He proposed to me. Papaji (Prithviraj Kapoor) was very particular. He didn't want that the daughter-in-law should work, as simple as that. So Shammi ji told me that he doesn't want you to work, you have to give up and I was very ambitious. I said mujhe kaam karna hai (I want to work). He said Papaji is saying no.'
Mumtaz shared that it was during this time that Raj Kapoor was casting for Mera Naam Joker, and she lost out on a role in the film because he did not want to go against his father's rules. 'There was one role where they cast that foreigner woman. Raj ji took my pictures and I was looking so beautiful because I was much younger so he asked Shammi ji, 'Shammi tu shaadi kar raha hai kya? (Shammi, are you getting married?)' He said, 'I don't know, it depends'. Obviously, he didn't know for himself so Raj ji said, 'I can't take you because there is this rule in the house',' she recalled.
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Mumtaz was very serious about her career so she gave up on her love for Shammi but insisted that the Kapoor family was right for making this rule. 'I don't blame them. They are right and this was their rule. Now the younger generation has started working. Earlier, they made Geeta Bali leave her work as well. And I respect that Papaji had this rule. Even today, there are so many people who don't approve of their wife's job,' she said. Shammi had been previously married to Geeta Bali, until she passed in 1965. He then married Neila Devi in 1969. Mumtaz married businessman Mayur Madhvani in 1974.
In the same chat, Mumtaz recalled her last meeting with Shammi Kapoor and teared up. She shared that she was invited to his last birthday by his wife. 'I went there and I saw him sitting on the chair and he was still drinking, I asked him, 'Why are you drinking when you're not well?' And that is the time I came to know… He said he won't live for long so then I said, 'You can drink, enjoy yourself.' He wanted to be happy so I didn't say anything. I sat with him for a while and then I came back home. It was very sad to see him dying,' she said and added, 'He was a wonderful person. He was a bit fussy about choosing because Shammi was such a beautiful man, if he wanted he could have had any woman but he was a very choosy man.'
Shammi Kapoor passed away in 2011 at 79.