Jeetendra Birthday Special: Did You Know He Refused To Work With Mumtaz In Boond Jo Ban Gayee Moti?
V. Shantaram, who is accredited for helping Jeetendra during the early years of his career, decided to cast Mumtaz in the lead as, for some reasons, his daughter couldn’t finish it.
Throwback To When Birthday Boy Jeetendra Refused To Work With Yesteryears Star Mumtaz(Pic Credit: IMDb, Movie Still)
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Jeetendra, born Ravi Kapoor, turns a year older today, and we thought of sharing with you some trivia about the superstar. The actor, popularly known as the Jumping Jack of Bollywood, has starred in several hits, including Farz, Himmatwala, Nagin, Aulad and more. But did you know he once said no to work alongside yesteryears star Mumtaz as the leading lady?
Jeetendra, who became an overnight sensation with Farz (1967), was all set to star alongside filmmaker V. Shantaram’s daughter, Rajshree, in Boond Jo Ban Gayee Moti (1967). Mumtaz, who then only featured in B-grade films or as a supporting actress, was to do a guest appearance in a song for the same movie. So what happened that the casting changed? Well, read the entire incident below.
V. Shantaram, who is accredited for helping Jeetendra during the early years of his career, decided to cast Mumtaz in the lead as, for some reasons, his daughter couldn’t finish it. But when the Haatim Tai actor got to know this, he wasn’t too happy and asked the makers how could they cast an actress who does small parts as the lead.
As per reports and Mumtaz’a own confession, the filmmaker gave the actor a choice to leave the film if he wanted as they were not going to the leading lady. In the end, Jeetendra gave in and starred alongside Mumtaz in the film. Boond Jo Ban Gayee Moti became a huge hit and became one of the top works of Mumtaz.
In a 2012 interview with First Post, the actress opened up about this incident. When asked if the news was true, she said, “Ya, Jeetendra said, ‘Mumtaz ke saath main kaam nahin karunga’ (I don’t want to work with her). Shantaramji put his foot down. He told Jeetu, ‘If you don’t want to work with her, you leave the film. I’ll take another hero.’ But Jeetuji finally relented.”
The actress then added, “I held no grudges against Jeetuji because in those days many big heroes refused to work with me.”
Well, we are happy they worked together. Following Boond Jo Ban Gayee Moti, the duo starred opposite each other in Nagin, Jigri Dost, Sehra and a few more.
