Film veteran Sharmila Tagore and Mumtaz were at loggerheads when they were at the peak of their careers. Years passed; but the competition doesn't seem to lose its shine. In a recent interview with Vickey Lalwani, Mumtaz admitted her rivalry with Sharmila Tagore and their contention to act alongside Rajesh Khanna.
When asked about the decade-old rivalry with the Aradhana actor, Mumtaz replied, "Rivalry for what? I had nothing to do with Sharmila Tagore. She has among the top actors and so was I."
"On the contrary, I think I have won more awards than what she had ever won. I got more awards. She and I both were beautiful, so why would I be jealous of her? I was never jealous of her, I don't know why people think that," Mumtaz made her point straight.
Asked if she contacted Sharmila Tagore after the knife attack on Saif Ali Khan, the actor said, "No, I didn't call her. I call nobody. So many people died, I didn't call anybody. Also, I live in London and travel to Kenya, Uganda, wherever my husband goes. I come to Mumbai only once in 6 months because I was born and brought up here and I love India. I am what I am because of the love I got from Indians."
Stating the distance they have always maintained, Mumtaz said, "I was never close to her. I was not friendly with her and neither was she. She had her own set of friends and I had mine."
Mumtaz and Sharmila Tagore both were regulars opposite Rajesh Khanna in films in those days. Counting the numbers of hits, Mumtaz said, "Mine and Rajesh Khanna's stars matched, that's why we starred in so many films together."
When it was pointed out that Sharmila also delivered hit films with him, Mumtaz responded, "How many films did she do with him and how many I did? Please count. She hardly did films with Rajesh Khanna. I did at least 10-15 films with him and all hits, none of them were flops. All our songs were hit. Me and Rajesh Khanna became friends. He wasn't friendly with every heroine, but he would get on with Sharmilaji also."
Despite the differences, Mumtaz admitted Sharmila Tagore would always speak to her nicely whenever they meet.
