Veteran actress Mumtaz recently opened up about her unfulfilled romance with one of Hindi cinema’s most charismatic stars, Shammi Kapoor. Speaking to Vickey Lalwani in a candid chat, the actress revealed how deeply she admired the Brahmachari star and wanted to marry him, but the love story was cut short by family traditions laid down by Shammi’s father, the legendary Raj Kapoor.
‘I liked him… I wanted to marry him’
“Shammi Kapoor was a very good-looking man, and I liked him,” Mumtaz said without hesitation. “There is nothing to hide, nothing to deny.” The actress confessed she was never bothered by the significant age gap between them — around 17 to 18 years — and even hoped for a future together. “I wanted to marry him,” she admitted.
However, things took a turn when Raj Kapoor, fondly referred to by her as Papa ji, stepped in. “He was very strict in those days,” she said. “There was a rule till he was alive, that ghar ki bahu kaam nahi karegi. It was as straightforward as that.”
Raj Kapoor rejected her for Mera Naam Joker over a costume clause
Their love story wasn’t the only casualty of Kapoor family rules. Mumtaz also revealed that she lost out on a role in Raj Kapoor’s iconic Mera Naam Joker because of concerns about the character’s attire. She had done a look test for the film and loved how the pictures turned out — but Raj Kapoor backed out, fearing her association with Shammi might complicate matters.
“He said the character would need to wear very short clothes. What will happen if you get married in our family?” she recalled him saying. “I told him that we weren’t getting married, and that he could confirm this with Shammi ji. But he was worried. What if we changed our minds halfway through his film?”
Despite Mumtaz’s reassurances, Raj Kapoor remained firm. She sensed that his concern wasn’t just about the film but about preserving the image of the Kapoor family. “He didn’t want to take a chance,” she said, looking back at how his protectiveness over his family name often extended into his casting choices.
Prithviraj Kapoor’s rule stopped Kapoor daughters-in-law from working
Mumtaz also shed light on the deeper roots of this tradition, pointing out that the rule was not originally Raj Kapoor’s. “The rule was enforced by Prithviraj ji,” she said. “He never wanted that bahu log kaam karein. He was an old-fashioned man.”

She added, “The Kapoor family is highly respected to this day. They wouldn’t want women of the house wearing loose clothes and jumping in the air.”

While the love never blossomed into marriage, Mumtaz’s affection for Shammi Kapoor remains evident. “He was someone I really liked,” she said.

Mohanlal in ‘Thudarum’.
| Photo Credit: Rejaputhra Visual Media/YouTube

Mohanlal’s Thudarum is continuing it’s strong run at the box office. Released on April 25, 2025, the Tharun Moorthy-directorial opened to positive reviews from critics and fans alike.

On April 30, 2025, the makers announced that the movie has achieved a special milestone. The Malayalam revenge drama has entered the ₹100 crore club at the box office. The movie has grossed ₹100 crore worldwide within 6 days of its release, according to the makers.

Thudarum is produced by M Renjith under the banner Rejaputhra Visual Media. It is presented by Antony Perumbavur’s Aashirvad Cinemas. The movie also stars Shobana, Binu Pappu and Prakash Varma in prominent roles.

Thudarum becomes the second Mohanlal film after L2: Empuraan to breach the ₹100 crore mark in 2025. Empuraan, a sequel to the 2019 political action drama Lucifer, was directed by actor Prithviraj Sukumaran. Despite courting controversy over “harming religious sentiments”, the big-budget movie managed to enjoy a decent run at the box office.

Thudarum piqued the interest of fans ever since it was announced that Mohanlal would be reuniting with his hit co-star Shobana in the movie. The duo has worked in more than 50 movies.

ALSO READ:‘L2: Empuraan’ movie review: Mohanlal, rich production design fail to save this sequel

The movie has been praised by fans for bringing back the performer Mohanlal after a lengthy gap. The Hindu review of the film says, “Thudarum, despite its flaws, is a finely-crafted film with the right emotional beats. The open-ended title, which appears after the actor’s name in the closing credits, in a way hints there is much more left for the actor to do.”

India on Wednesday warned Pakistan against unprovoked ceasefire violations after the Directors General of Military Operations of the two countries talked over the hotline to discuss the issue. For the last week, Pakistan has been violating the ceasefire along the Line of Control (LOC) and the International Border. The provocation comes days after the deadly Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir in which 26 people were killed.

The Indian Army has effectively responded to the Pakistan Army’s unprovoked small arms firing across the Line of Control (LoC). The Army responded swiftly to the ceasefire violation on the night of April 27-28 in areas opposite Kupwara and Poonch districts in Jammu and Kashmir (J-K), officials said. The Indian Army had also responded effectively to the Pakistan Army firing along the LoC on the night of April 26-27 in areas opposite the Tutmari Gali and Rampur sectors, as per officials.

There has been a rise in ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the LoC. Security forces have intensified anti-terror operations in the Kashmir valley in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people on April 22. The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) met a day after the Pahalgam terror attack. 

In the briefing to the CCS, the cross-border linkages of the terrorist attack were brought out. It was noted that this attack came in the wake of the successful holding of elections in Jammu and Kashmir and its steady progress towards economic growth and development.

India has taken a raft of measures against Pakistan for its support to cross-border terrorism, including holding the Indus Water Treaty in abeyance and closing the Integrated Check Post at Attari. India has also decided to curtail the strength of High Commissions.

The government has given armed forces complete operational freedom to decide on the response to the Pahalgam terror attack. (With ANI inputs)