Feroz Khan left us on 27 April 2009. Till his last breath, Feroz was the Indian cowboy. According to Mumtaz, who was not only Feroz’s favourite heroine but also a close family friend and later in-law (Mumtaz’s daughter is married to Feroz’s son) remembers him as irresistibly handsome.
“There were other handsome heroes, no doubt. But according to me, Shammi Kapoor and Feroz Khan were the most handsome heroes. Shammi and Feroz were also wonderful human beings like my two other heroes Sunil Dutt and Dharmendra. Feroz and I were family friends even before we met. His mother, a beautiful woman loved me like her own child because I was beautiful and fair-skinned—or so she said, I don’t know,” Mumtaz laughs. I assure her she is indeed both. “Thank you. Feroz's family had Irani blood just like my family. We were both Syed Muslims. We hit it off even before we worked together. When did we first work together? It was in 1962. In a film called Main Shaadi Karne Chala. I was only 18 then. And I was not the heroine of the film,” recalls Mumtaz, asserting that she was close not only to Feroz but also to his brothers Sanjay Khan and Sameer Khan.
“In fact, I did two films with both the brothers Feroz and Sanjay co-starring as brothers Mela and Upaasna. Both Feroz and Abbas (Sanjay Khan) took really good care of me on the sets… Not that I ever needed taking care of. I was one of the few heroines who went to shot without a chaperone. But if I was shooting with Feroz I knew I would be well looked after.”
In 1972 when Feroz turned director with Apradh he naturally chose Mumtaz to be his leading lady. Recalling the experience Feroz said, “I was a much bigger star at that point of time. But to me relationships mattered more than anything else. I did films with superstars. I did films with newcomers. Amitabh was not a star when I did O.P. Ralhan’s Bandhe Haath with him. I even did a film with Feroz’s youngest brother Sameer, Gomti Ke Kinare, in which he was launched as a hero. When Feroz turned director with Apradh I was most excited. We had a lot of fun shooting that film in Germany. We also shot in Beirut. The song Tum miley pyar se was shot in Beirut. Feroz and I also did Yash Chopra’s Aadmi Aur Insaan. Halaanki main supporting actress thi iss film mein, Sairaji was the heroine. But my song Zindagi ittefaq hai became very popular. I also liked my other solo song in Aadmi Aur Insaan, Itni jaldi na karo raat ka dil tootega. But that is forgotten.”
There was one emotion that bound Feroz and Mumtaz together, and she tells me what it is. “We both went through long periods of struggle in our careers. We both played supporting roles and slowly climbed towards the main lead. Stardom came after much struggle for us. Feroz was a late bloomer. But what a man!” Did Mumtaz ever imagine that they would become related? “Never! When our children my daughter Natasha and Feroz’s son Fardeen came to us saying they want to get married we were taken aback. Feroz came formally to London to ask for my daughter’s hand. Today by God’s grace Natasha and Fardeen have two beautiful children. Fardeen’s son is as handsome as Feroz. I am so happy to see them together. I’ve been married for 49 years to my husband Mayur Madhvani. I hope Natasha and Fardeen stay happily married forever. That’s what Feroz would want.”
Subhash K Jha is a Patna-based film critic who has been writing about Bollywood for long enough to know the industry inside out. He tweets at @SubhashK_Jha.
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