Here's why Mumtaz refused Shammi Kapoor's marriage proposal despite being in love with him

Mumtaz and Shammi Kapoor

Mumtaz and Shammi Kapoor's love saga is one of the most talked about stories from their era. While their bond ended in heartbreak, Mumtaz and the late actor were quite vocal about their brief relationship.

In a recent interview with Zoom TV, Mumtaz revealed that Shammi Kapoor did express his interest in marrying her but she refused despite being in love with him. The two actors shared screen in the film 'Brahmachari'. "His wife Geeta Bali had passed away. During the shooting of the song ‘Aajkal Tere Mere Pyar Ke Charche', we came closer and fell in love. We were together for two-three years. He professed his love to me and asked me to marry him. I loved him deeply but he told me that I couldn't work after marriage as women marrying into the Kapoor clan didn't work," recalled Mumtaz.

When Shammi Kapoor proposed marriage to Mumtaz she was just 17. Shammi, on the other hand, was double her age. Mumtaz's love for Shammi had blossomed long before this proposal. She had wished to marry him the first time she saw him on a film set.

Explaining her decision to not marry and focus on her career in the movies, Mumtaz said, "I told him I couldn't marry him because I wanted to work and fulfill my dreams. I didn't want to be a homemaker, taking care of his children and managing the household," revealed Mumtaz, adding that the ‘no' left the Teesri Manzil actor angry. She continued, "He was angry and told me, ‘If you would have truly loved me, you would've accepted my proposal and left working in films. You only pretend to love me because you wanted to score big films opposite me.' This left me completely heartbroken."

Shammi Kapoor, on the other hand, termed the rejection a nightmare as he had hoped for a future together with Mumtaz. In an old interview with Lehren Retro, the late actor had said, "At that time, I was a widower, and Mumtaz happened to be a very pretty little girl, and for a little short while, we both had dreams and then it turned into a nightmare. I'm happy as I am today." He went on to marry Ugandan millionaire Mayur Madhwani in 1974 and moved to London, quitting Bollywood.

Link-up rumours with Rajesh Khanna:

Mumtaz has delivered several hit films with Rajesh Khanna and was linked with her 'Do Raaste' co-star. "We were a box office hit pair and worked in 10 successful films together, so it was obvious that people were going to assume that we were dating. But the truth is we didn't have an affair," she clarified.

"We are no longer shy and start to know each other very well. Their closeness may give others the impression ‘ki inka kuch chakkar hai (they might be having an affair)'. This shouldn't come as a surprise because many co-stars have fallen in love with each other and tied the knot. We are human beings at the end of the day, and it is natural for us to develop attachments. However, I want to clarify that I didn't have an affair with Rajesh Khanna," she added.