Mumtaz Clears Air On Sharmila Tagore Feud, Says She Didn't Call After Saif's Attack, 'I Call Nobody'

Renowned Bollywood veteran, Mumtaz has finally cleared the air about the decades-old speculation surrounding her alleged rivalry with her contemporary actress, Sharmila Tagore, clarifying that the two were never friends. For those unaware, fans have speculated for a long time that Mumtaz and Sharmila, both of whom were popular on-screen pairs with superstar, Rajesh Khanna, didn’t see eye-to-eye with each other. Recently, the Do Raste actress opened up about the same.

Mumtaz addresses rivalry rumours with Sharmila Tagore

Recently, in a candid conversation with Vickey Lalwani, Mumtaz opened up about her equation with veteran actress, Sharmila Tagore. The actress also addressed the longstanding rumours of rivalry with Sharmila, emphasising that both of them were top actors, and both were beautiful. Having won more awards than Sharmila ever did, Mumtaz had no reason to be jealous of her or to be her rival. She said:

“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.”

One of the most talked-about chapters in both their careers was their association with Rajesh Khanna, the industry’s beloved Kaka. While Sharmila starred in classics like Aradhana and Amar Prem with the superstar, Mumtaz insists she shared a closer bond with him. When asked about their common Rajesh Khanna connection, Mumtaz said that Kaka was not always friendly with all of his co-stars. She remarked:

“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 hits. Me and Rajesh Khanna became friends. He wasn’t friendly with every heroine, but he would get on with Sharmila ji also… Rajesh ji and I developed a chemistry and we would practice songs before the shoot. We were very close because we worked a lot together. I think I was the closest to Kaka. I was also close to Dharmendra. He is a good human. I used to get on with all my heroes.”

Mumtaz and Sharmila co-starred with Dharmendra in the film, Mere Humdum Mere Dost. While fans may have speculated for decades about a ‘cat fight’ between two of Bollywood’s biggest heroines of the '70s, Mumtaz clarified that they were neither friends nor enemies. Despite the lack of closeness, Mumtaz acknowledged that Sharmila has always been polite in interactions, but there was nothing deeper in their bond.

Mumtaz shares she didn’t enquire after Saif’s attack

In January 2025, Sharmila Tagore’s son, Saif Ali Khan, was stabbed by an assailant in his Bandra apartment, due to which he sustained six wounds, some of them critical. When asked if she reached out to Sharmila following Saif’s knife attack, Mumtaz bluntly replied that she didn’t call anybody. She said:

“No, I didn’t call her. I call nobody. So many people died, I didn’t call anybody. Also, I live in London... I come to Mumbai only once in 6 months… 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’s recent comments make it clear that her relationship with Sharmila Tagore was more about professional parallels than personal rivalry. 

Read Next: 'Shayad Anju Hoti Toh Kaka Aaj Bhi Zinda Hote' Mumtaz's SHOCKING Revelations On Rajesh Khanna's Life

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