Mumtaz recently made a surprise appearance on Indian Idol 13. She spoke candidly about her youthful and exciting days in the 1960s and 70s, when she was just in her 20s, being born in 1947. Mumtaz was one of the biggest Bollywood actresses of that era. She starred in several blockbuster films of the 60s and 70s like Kaajal (1965), Ram Aur Shyam and Chandan Ka Palna (1967), Mere Hamdam Mere Dost (1968), Aadmi Aur Insaan (1969), and Loafer (1973).
She established herself as a superstar and the highest paid actress in the Indian entertainment industry from the late 1960s to the mid-1970s. She also rose to prominence as a sex symbol in the 1970s.
In this special episode of Indian Idol, she fondly recalls her younger days when she shared screen space with such legendary actors like Dharmendra, Shammi Kapoor, Shashi Kapoor and Rajesh Khanna.
She even recounted a cute story from 1964 on how Shammi Kapoor had proposed to her when she was only 17 years old. At the time, she said, "Unhone straightforward kaha tha (He said in a straightforward manner), 'I want to marry you'." She added her feelings about the incident, "Main 17 saal ki thi. Mujhe shaadi nahi karna tha isliye shaadi nahi ki. (I was 17 years old. I didn't want to marry and so I didn't). But I do miss him sometimes,” she concluded nostalgically.
Mumtaz has featured in two films with Shammi Kapoor — Vallah Kya Baat Hai in 1962, and Brahmachari in 1968.