Mumtaz Breaks Silence On Rivalry With Sharmila Tagore: ‘Heroines Cannot Be Friends…’

Seasoned actress Mumtaz has denied rumors of a feud with her contemporary, Sharmila Tagore, affirming that they have a good relationship. In the past, Mumtaz has stated that the two are not close friends, but recently clarified that they are on good terms. She also recalled working with actor Rajesh Khanna, who she says never encouraged competition between the two actresses. This further supports her claim that there is no animosity between them.

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Mumtaz, speaking to Reddif, said, “I have a lot of respect for Sharmila. She is much more educated and cultured than I am. I started working at eight years old, so I learned everything on the job. Whether it’s Sharmila or any other actress, I never had time to get to know them well.”

“But it’s true that I did more films with Rajesh Khanna (Kaka) than Sharmila did. It was a blessing that none of my films with him were unsuccessful, while Sharmila had some flops with him.” She added that although Rajesh Khanna worked with both actresses, he was protective of her.

Sharmila Tagore & Mumtaz In Mere Hamdam Mere Dost (1968) pic.twitter.com/tvqLLTNNsL

— Subhash Shirdhonkar (@4331Subhash) June 5, 2020

“Rajesh Khanna never tried to start a rivalry between us or said anything negative about Sharmila. But he would get upset if I agreed to do films with other actors like Dharmendra or Dev Anand. Yet, he worked with other actresses, and I never complained. He acted like I belonged to him, but I didn’t mind because it meant he cared about me,” she explained.

In a previous interview with Times Entertainment, Mumtaz had openly talked about the supposed rivalry between herself and Sharmila Tagore. She explained that actresses in the industry couldn’t be friends because of the competitive nature of their work. She mentioned that they never socialized or interacted outside of work. Mumtaz, who started her Bollywood career at 11 and worked for almost 30 years, is known for her candid and truthful comments about her colleagues and experiences.