Mumtaz says Yash Chopra proposed marriage to her but she wanted to focus on career: ‘Unhone kabhi line nahi maari’

Veteran actor Mumtaz was the highest-paid actor in the 1970s. She established herself as a leading lady with hit films such as Do Raaste, Bandhan, Khilona, and more. In an interview with Radio Nasha, Mumtaz revealed that filmmaker Yash Chopra had once proposed marriage to her, but she turned down the proposal as she wanted to focus on her work. (Also Read: Mumtaz breaks down recalling her final meeting with Shammi Kapoor: ‘Agle janam mein milenge’)

Mumtaz says Yash Chopra liked her a lot

Mumtaz recalled Yash Chopra proposing marriage to her and said, “Yash ji used to genuinely like me very much. He was an assistant at that time under his brother, BR Chopra. He used to like me. I’m not saying I was very beautiful, I was reasonable, so he used to like me. I was young and he was an assistant. Unhone bohut sharafat se, tameez se mujhe shaadi offer kari (He very decently and respectfully proposed marriage to me). He said, ‘Moti Moti, I love you’, and I said, ‘No, I want to focus on work, I wanted to get somewhere’.”

Mumtaz heaps praise on Yash Chopra

She added, “Bohut hi acche insaan the. Unke jaisa accha insaan aur director bohut kum hai. Unka beta Aditya bhi ab accha director hai. Par unone bohut izzat se mujhe shaadi offer ki thi, aisa nahi ki line maar rahe hai. Voh bohut shareef insaan the. Fir jab unhone shaadi ki, toh main unki shaadi mein bhi gayi. We were very, very good friends (He was a very good person. There are very few good people and directors like him. His son Aditya is also a good director now. But he had very respectfully proposed marriage to me—it wasn’t like he was hitting on me. He was a very decent man. Later, when he got married, I even attended his wedding).”

Mumtaz later married businessman Mayur Madhvani in 1974 and has two daughters with him. She took a 13-year sabbatical from acting after her marriage. Recently, in an interview with Instant Bollywood, Mumtaz talked about her comeback and made it clear that she is not interested in playing elderly roles on screen. She stated that she hasn’t yet been offered a role that aligns with her appearance or personality. Mumtaz said that while she is open to a comeback, it would only be for a character that truly suits her presence. She also emphasised that she is not willing to take on the role of someone’s mother unless the part resonates with her expectations.