Veteran actress Mumtaz, at the peak of her career, chose to step away from the limelight for marriage, later opening up about her challenging journey, including multiple miscarriages and navigating her husband’s infidelity.
Sacrificing Stardom for Marriage
Mumtaz was one of Hindi cinema’s highest-paid stars when she decided to marry businessman Mayur Madhvani and settle down. She believed it was the right time to marry, unlike some of her peers who remained single, stating she found a good man and was “fed up of films.”
Her family and in-laws played a significant role in her decision. The Madhvani family explicitly stated she could not continue working, a condition she accepted despite earning a substantial Rs 7.5 lakh per film at the time. She was only 28 when she quit acting.
Mumtaz also revealed her family wasn’t motivated by greed. They understood that an actress’s career has a limited shelf life, eventually leading to character roles. She respected their decision to let her leave a career that was bringing in crores.
Adjusting to a New Life and Motherhood
Marrying into a traditional Gujarati family meant big changes for Mumtaz. She embraced her new role, learning to cook traditional dishes like dal-dhokli and undhiyu, becoming a skilled cook herself.
Her journey to motherhood was also fraught with difficulty. Mumtaz endured “a string of miscarriages” before successfully giving birth to her daughter, Natasha Madhvani. She recalled spending six months of her pregnancy on bed rest, emphasizing how much her children mean to her after such struggles.
Facing Infidelity Head-On
Despite the domestic bliss, Mumtaz’s marriage faced a significant challenge: her husband’s infidelity. She openly admitted to his affair but chose not to end her marriage over what she termed a “stray incident.”
She defended her husband, calling him a “good-looking man” who made a mistake, rather than a flirt. Her choice was to stand by him, believing it was “quite common for men to have affairs discreetly,” noting her husband had only one such instance.
In a candid admission, Mumtaz shared that her husband confessed to liking another woman in the US but reassured her he would never leave her. She appreciated his honesty.
The emotional toll of his infidelity led Mumtaz to have a brief affair herself, seeking comfort when feeling hurt and lonely. She described it as a “temporary phase,” not a serious relationship, that soon ended.
Key Takeaways from Mumtaz’s Journey
- Mumtaz sacrificed her highly successful acting career at its peak for marriage and family.
- She faced multiple miscarriages before successfully having children.
- She chose to stay in her marriage despite her husband’s admitted infidelity, viewing it as a common male tendency.
- She had a brief affair herself in response to the hurt caused by her husband’s actions.
After stepping away from acting, Mumtaz attempted a comeback in 1990 with the film ‘Aandhiyan,’ but it did not fare well, marking her final appearance on the big screen.
