Why Mumtaz Left Bollywood After Marriage, Turned Down Shammi Kapoor Proposal
5 min readNew DelhiMar 28, 2026 06:29 PM IST
In the 1970s, Mumtaz stood out as Hindi film industry’s brightest leading ladies. With hits like Tere Mere Sapne and Roti, she was at the peak of her career when she made a decision that surprised many, walking away from films after marrying businessman Mayur Madhvani in 1974. In a recent interview, Mumtaz has opened up about why she chose to leave the industry at the height of her success.
‘My family believed a girl should marry after a certain age’
In a conversation with Sundeep Kochar, Mumtaz said she came from an orthodox Irani family and they believed in getting girls married early.
“I come from an orthodox Irani family, so my father believed that a girl should get married after a certain age, and not keep working till 40 or 50. My mother and everyone wanted me to get married, and I had known my husband’s family since I was 7 or 8, we were neighbours. My mother approved of them because she knew them well and believed I would be happy in that family. She told me not to continue in films and said they were good, cultured people who would keep me happy. I knew my family very well and always listened to them, so I married Mayur.”
She added that her husband was based abroad and came from a well-established business family. “My husband didn’t live in India; he was studying in England. His family had businesses in Uganda and were quite well-to-do people.”
Mumtaz chose marriage over films
Mumtaz admitted that while she personally wanted to continue acting, she prioritised her family’s wishes. “If you had asked me, I would have wanted to work a little longer. But my family is very traditional and believed that a girl should marry after a certain age, so I agreed.”
She said that her husband waited for two years to get married so that Mumtaz could finish her prior commitments. “I returned the signing amounts for the films I had committed to, and I completed the shoots that were pending. My husband waited for two years so that I could wrap up all my films.”
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Why she turned down Shammi Kapoor’s proposal
Mumtaz also spoke about her past association with Shammi Kapoor and why she chose not to marry him.
“The issue was that I was too young. I didn’t mind marriage, but Papaji (Prithviraj Kapoor) was a wonderful man, and his rule was that the daughter-in-law of the house would not work after marriage. Even Geeta Bali ji had stopped working after marriage. When they said I couldn’t work, I felt I was still young and had ambitions. I wanted to work and achieve something, so I refused.”
‘Things were very different back then’
Talking about changing times, Mumtaz noted how relationships and social norms have evolved. “In our time, girls didn’t start affairs so easily. Today, women openly express love for good-looking men, so those men are very happy—they have many options now.”
She added that the industry environment was far more restrictive during her early years and also revealed how protective her family was.
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“My mother would have scolded me severely if I behaved like that. I was not allowed. I was married early because they believed if you don’t marry in time, people might think wrongly. I was never allowed to go alone for outdoor shoots—my grandmother, aunt or mother would always accompany me. They felt a girl travelling alone could face problems. I never travelled alone.”
She added, “My daughter Natasha allows her daughter to go for sleepovers, but I don’t agree because I was never allowed to stay at anyone’s house. I still argue with Natasha about this.”
On her interfaith marriage
In an earlier interview on the YouTube channel Sitaron Ka Safar, Mumtaz spoke about her interfaith marriage.
“I believe in both religions. I married a Hindu, and my sister also married a Hindu. We are both happy. My husband takes great care of me. I don’t understand why people keep talking about Hindu and Muslim divisions, I don’t believe in that.”
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Mumtaz and Mayur Madhvani have two daughters: Natasha Madhwani and Tanya Madhwani. Natasha is married to actor Fardeen Khan.
