It
was
1968
whe
Bollywood
ico s
Shammi
Kapoo
a d
Mumtaz
lit
up
the
sc ee
with
the
da ce
umbe
‘Aaj
Kal
Te e
Me e
Pyaa
Ke
Cha che’,
a
t ack
that
still
e th als
audie ces
today.
The
pai ,
o ce
amo g
Bollywood’s
most
sought-afte
o -sc ee
couples,
we e
also
umou ed
to
have
bee
i
a
elatio ship
off-sc ee ,
a
spa k
that
epo tedly
died
dow
almost
as
quickly
as
it
fla ed
up.
Mumtaz
o
he
elatio ship
with
Shammi
Kapoo
Mumtaz
o ce
talked
to
Pi kvilla
about
he
close
bo d
with
Shammi,
he
ma iage,
he
ext ama ital
affai s,
a d
the
u ealistic
beauty
sta da ds
that
have
lo g
plagued
the
I dia
film
i dust y.
She
bega
by
add essi g
he
umou ed
elatio ship
with
the
‘A daaz’
sta .
The
vete a
act ess
ecalled
how,
at
just
17,
she
was
avigati g
hea tb eak
eve
as
he
ca ee
was
flou ishi g.
“I
loved
him
t eme dously,”
the
ow
74-yea -old
sta
evealed.
“I
believe
Shammiji
also
loved
me
a
lot.
I
felt
sad
that
I
could ‘t
ma y
him.
I
was
o ly
a ou d
17.
He
was
18
yea s
olde
tha
me.
It
was
too
ea ly
fo
me
to
get
ma ied.
I
wa ted
to
p ove
myself.
We
sepa ated
with
u de sta di g.
He
did ‘t
do
a ythi g
to
leave
a
khalish
(ache)
i
my
hea t.”She
fu the
added,
“He
was
ve y
sweet
a d
ca i g
towa ds
me.
But
you
ca ’t
fight
desti y.
Ho estly,
had
I
got
ma ied,
it
would ’t
have
wo ked.
Because
I’d
have
always
held
a
eg et
i
my
hea t.
I
wa ted
to
act.
I
wa ted
to
achieve
somethi g.
The
Kapoo
family
was
st ict
about
thei
bahus
ot
wo ki g
i
films.
Neve theless,
Shammiji
ma ied
such
a
wo de ful
lady,
a
beautiful
pe so .
Neila
Deviji’s
such
a
sweethea t.
She
suited
him
pe fectly
a d
ha dled
him
so
well.”
Mumtaz
o
ma yi g
Mayu
Madhva i
The
act ess
ma ied
Mayu
Madhva i
i
1974,
a d
although
he
had
o
backg ou d
i
the
e te tai me t
i dust y,
he
fou d
it
tough
to
get
used
to
the
glamo ous
wo ld
his
wife
belo ged
to.
Yet,
the
act ess
evealed
that
she
had
actually
k ow
Mayu
si ce
she
was
just
te ,
lo g
befo e
he
became
pa t
of
the
film
f ate ity.
“I
k ew
the
Madhva is
si ce
I
was
10.
I
k ew
the
family
i
a d
out.
I’d
eve
bee
to
Uga da
a d
stayed
with
them.
It
was
like
movi g
f om
o e
home
to
a othe ,”
Mumtaz
sha ed,
addi g,
“I
did ‘t
give
up
o
my
ma iage…
Isiliye
me a
miya
bhi
me a
hi
hai.
He
loves
me
so
much.”
Mumtaz
o
he
husba d
Mayu ‘s
ext a-ma ital
affai
She
the
spoke
about
how
Mayu
had
o ce
st ayed
i
thei
ma iage.
“It’s
quite
commo
fo
me
to
have
affai s
th ough
the
backdoo .
My
husba d
did ‘t
have
a y…
except
o e.
I
espect
him
because
he
himself
told
me
about
it.
He
co fided
that
he’d
developed
a
liki g
fo
a
gi l
i
the
US.
He
was
bo
a d
b ought
up
i
Ame ica,”
the
I dia
sta
co ti ued.
“But
he
i sisted,
‘Mumtaz,
you’ e
my
wife.
I
love
you
a d
will
always
love
you.
I
will
eve
leave
you.’
The
p oblem
a ose
because
I
was
a
little
stubbo ,
a
little
difficult.
But
today,
it’s
a
fo gotte
sto y.
Eve
god
fo gives
o es.
I
live
like
a
quee .
My
husba d
has
eve
kept
me
wa ti g
fo
a ythi g.”
Mumtaz
o
he
ow
ext a-ma ital
affai
She
the
ope ed
up
about
he
ow
ext ama ital
affai .
“Ho estly,
afte
the
episode,
I
bega
feeli g
lo ely.
I
was
headst o g.
I
felt
hu t.
So,
I
flew
dow
to
I dia.
Whe
you’ e
amidst
tho s
a d
someo e
comes
alo g
with
a
ose,
you
do
get
ca ied
away.
But
it
was
othi g
se ious.
Just
a
tempo a y
phase,
which
e ded
soo .
I’m
lucky
that
my
husba d
still
loves
me
so
much.
Eve
if
I
fall
a
bit
sick,
all
hell
would
b eak
loose.”
Mumtaz
o
he
husba d’s
ole
du i g
he
ca ce
battle
Mumtaz
c edited
he
husba d
with
‘b i gi g
he
back
to
life’
followi g
he
ca ce
battle.
“Had
it
ot
bee
fo
my
husba d,
I’d
have
bee
dead
by
ow.
Mi e
was
slow-g owi g
ca ce .
The
docto s
said
that
they
had
emoved
what
was
ecessa y.
But
Mayu ‘s
well- ead
a d
well-i fo med.
He
i sisted
that
they
check
the
lymph
odes.
He
asked
me,
‘Do
you
mi d
goi g
th ough
a othe
su ge y
fo
my
sake?
I
wa t
my
child e
to
have
thei
mothe .
I
will
love
you
eve
if
you
have
o
hai .’
I
we t
th ough
a othe
su ge y
a d
out
of
the
22
lymph
odes,
they
fou d
some
g owth
i
o e.”
She
added,
“Yea s
ago,
the
t eatme t
was
ha she .
I
used
to
tu
blue
afte
the
the apy.
I
had
to
go
th ough
six
chemothe apies
a d
35
adiatio s.
That
was
the
time
I
bloated.
I
had
to
eat
well
to
fight
the
side
effects
of
chemo.
I
bega
my
weight
loss
jou ey
much
late .”She
also
touched
upo
whethe
she
ca ies
a y
eg ets
f om
he
life.
“Whe
my
pa e ts
(Sa da
Begum
Habib
Agha
a d
Abdul
Sameed
Aska i)
divo ced,
I
was
a ou d
th ee.
I
lived
with
my
mothe ,
g a dma
a d
au t.
My
fathe
disappea ed.
So,
as
a
child,
I
used
to
miss
him.
Othe wise,
I
have
o
eg ets.”
She
we t
o
to
add,
“I’m
someo e,
who
we t
all
out
to
fulfill
my
d eams.
You
make
you
ow
life.
I
call
God
my
‘boyf ie d’.
He
saved
me
f om
death,
he
gave
me
a
lovi g
husba d
a d
child e .
My
life’s
bee
a
ope
book.
The
good
a d
the
bad
co-exist.
Eve
Shahe shahs
do ‘t
get
it
good
all
the
time.”
Mumtaz
o
body
image
a d
beauty
sta da ds
i
the
i dust y
The
act ess,
emembe ed
as
o e
of
the
most
stu i g
sta s
of
he
e a,
sha ed
that
she
had
always
bee
co scious
about
he
looks.
“I
had
a
voluptuous
figu e.
I
was
eve
too
slim.
I
was
heavy
eve ywhe e.
I
had
to
co t ol
my
weight.
A
woma
should
appea
p opo tio ate.
I
did ‘t
wa t
to
be
called
fat,”
she
said.
“Alo g
with
bei g
a
acto
comes
the
challe ge
of
always
looki g
you
best.
A
acto
is
expected
to
look
beautiful
eve
i
death.
Ja aaza
bhi
beautiful
lag a
chahiye!
This
is
the
t uth.
But
I
like
to
live
o mally.
I
e joy
bei g
a
housewife
a d
I
go
shoppi g
fo
vegetables,
f uits…
I
wa t
to
expe ie ce
eve ythi g.
A
casual
pictu e
was
take
u awa es,
i
which
you
may
ot
appea
so
ice,
ca
go
vi al.
Fo
i sta ce,
a ou d
20
yea s
ago
whe
I
was
u de goi g
ca ce
t eatme t,
I
bloated.
That
‘bloated’
pictu e
did
the
ou ds
fo
yea s.
I
got
ema ks
like,
‘Mumtaz
is
do e
fo .”
Mumtaz
co cluded
sayi g,
“O
31
July,
I
will
be
75.
I
could
have
lied
about
my
age
but
I
did ’t.
I
guess,
fo
75
I’ve
mai tai ed
myself
p etty
well.
But
I
eve
come
ac oss
comme ts
sayi g,
‘Wow
at
this
age
she
still
appea s
fit!’
I
equest
my
c itics
that
whe
I
appea
good,
please
do ’t
hesitate
to
say
so.”
