Mumtaz was one of the biggest names in the Bollywood of the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. She appeared in films like Mere Hamdam Mere Dost, Brahmachari and Do Raaste among others. However, the actress had a rocky start initially and was given the label of a 'B-grade' actress until she worked with Dilip Kumar in a film.
Mumtaz talks about her struggle days
In an interview with Dawn News, veteran actress Mumtaz spoke about her initial days in Bollywood. She started her acting career at the age of 11 and stated that she was given the label of 'B-grade' actor because she was doing small roles. She said, “I was given the label of a B-grade actor because I did a lot of small roles. I also did comedy with Mehboob sahab. I just closed my eyes and did work. I thought the rest is in god’s hands. My start in the film industry was wrong. I won’t blame the heroes for not working with me because everybody wants to climb the ladder of success."
However, things changed for her when Dilip Kumar agreed to work with her on Ram Aur Shyam. "But Mehboob sahab showed one of my scenes to Dilip Kumar sahab and asked him if he would work with me in Ram Aur Shyam. He told him that the girl was nice and he agreed." She further praised Kumar and called him a 'down-to-earth' person, "Dilip sahab was a very down-to-earth person."
Mumtaz never declined to work with any actor
In the same conversation, Mumtaz revealed that she never declined to work with any actor since she had faced the same situation in her career. “I used to think of my time when nobody wanted to work with me and nobody accepted me. So when god made me something then it’s not right for me to do the same thing that I faced to other people. So, I used to think that if I have the ability, I will work with everyone and if the actor is not good, they won’t get work in the future", she added.
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