Mumtaz Believes ‘Zeenat Aman Was Not A Very Good Actress’; Highlights Her Lack Of Award Saying, “Not Everyone Is A Star”

Actress Mumtaz – who entertained the masses for ages, is now gracefully nearly her 80s and is known for speaking her mind. After debuting in Bollywood in 1958 at age 11 with Lajwanti, the actress went on to leave an impression on all with projects like Bandha, Aadmi Aur Insaan, Sachaa Jhutha, Khilona and more.

The veteran actress recently sat down for an interview and held nothing back while spilling the tea about Bollywood, its ‘stars’ and more. During the conversation, the actress stated that Zeenat Aman was not a good actress and wasn’t actually a ‘star.’ Read on to know all she had to say.

Mumtaz: Zeenat Aman Was Not A Very Good Actress

While chatting with Vickey Lalwani recently, Mumtaz commented on Zeenat Aman’s acting. The veteran actress said, “Zeenat Aman, okay. Zeenat Aman was not a very good actress, sorry to say—I would say sorry to her as well. How many awards did she get? If you call everyone a star, how will that work? Not everyone is a star.”

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A post shared by Mumtaz Actress (@mumtaztheactress)

The ‘Ram Aur Shyam’ actress continued, “Not everyone is a star. Not everyone can be a star; not everyone can be Dilip Kumar. It takes years to become a star, you lose your hair by the time you get there. Meena Kumari, Madhubala, Nargis, Rekha, these were the real stars among heroines.”

This isn’t the first time Mumtaz has spoken against Zeenat Aman. The ‘Khilona’ actress had previously criticised Zeenat’s take on live-in relationships. In 2024, while Zeenat argued that live-in is a good way of life for couples, Mumtaz dragged slammed saying, “Zeenat should be careful with what she is advising. She has all of a sudden come into this huge social media popularity, and I can understand her excitement about sounding like a cool aunty.”

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A post shared by Zeenat Aman (@thezeenataman)

She added, “But giving advice that is counter to our moral values is not the solution to increasing your following. Aap Zeenat ko hi le lo misaal ke taur par (Take Zeenat for example)… She knew Mazhar Khan for years before marrying him. Her marriage was a living hell. She should be the last person doling out advice on relationships.”

Mumta Defends Her ‘Sanjeev Kumar Is Not A Star’ Remark

During the same conversation, Mumtaz also defended her previous remark of Sanjeev Kumar was not a star. Clarifying her stance, the yesteryear actress said, “What did I say wrong? I’m not denying he was an excellent actor. There’s a world of difference between being a star and being an actor. Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand, Shammi Kapoor, these were all stars. Sanjeev Kumar did character roles and even supporting roles.”

She continued, “He was a very good human being, very well-mannered, but there is a difference between a star and an actor. You said he was a very big star, and I responded that he was not a very big star. He was a good actor, but I consider people like Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and the top heroes as big stars.”

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While Mumtaz was last seen on the big screen in David Dhawan’s 1990 drama Aandhiyan and a then a docudrama (titled 1 a Minute) two decades later, Zeenat Aman was recently seen playing a pivotal role in The Royals. The Netflix show saw the veteran actress essay the role of Rajmata Maji Saheba Bhagyashree Devi.

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Also Read: Mumtaz Pens Tribute To Late Asha Bhosle; Shares Video From Late Singer’s Funeral-Watch

Grinell Jacinto

With nearly 10 years of experience, Grinell Esther Jacinto is the Desk Head of Bollywood Bubble. Her interests lie in everything that is kaleshi and she loves to dig deeper into the lives of B-town actors. She has a problem though – she loves horror films but will have chills the minute the theatres lights dims. She’s previously worked with Koimoi, UrbanAsian and SpotboyE.