It was quite a nostalgic moment when a video surfaced a few days ago that had Mumtaz and Asha Bhosle dancing to the song Koi Sehri Babu from the film Loafer (1973). The song was originally sung by the legendary singer and featured the yesteryear actress dancing to the tunes.

The video went viral quickly and it was exciting to see Mumtaz gracefully showing off some moves from her original performance in the film.

Talking about that moment and how netizens were all praise for the video, she says, “I did some simple steps. Waise bachpan mein itni mehenat kari thi toh ab aa hi jata hai naturally. I am just glad that I am still graceful. Waise, I don’t dance at functions, I only did it for Asha ji. She had invited me to her place recently and we danced on the occasion. Har jaga dance karo toh uski respect bhi nahi hoti. Woh kahawat hai na… Qadar kho baithta hai roz ka aana jaana (laughs).”

About the special equation she shares with Asha Bhosle, Mumtaz says, “I know Asha ji since I was a kid. We were neighbours in Walkeshwar (Mumbai). I knew Lata ji (Mangeshkar) too, and they have always been like family to me.”

In the past, too, some of Mumtaz’s previous videos, especially the one where she was seen working out at a gym using weights had gone viral. She shares, “Two decades ago, I battled cancer. I was not supposed to be on a diet as I was taking treatment. As a result, I had put on a lot of weight. That’s when I started working out and continue to do so.”

The actress, who is currently in Mumbai, adds, “I work out at a gym in London, and in Mumbai, I have a set up at home where I can work out. I work hard to maintain myself and remain fit. It is not only my body, I also focus on my overall well-being. I sleep at 9 pm and wake up at 6 am. I am very particular about my appearance because I don’t want to disappoint my fans.”

Ask her whether she wants to return to the big screen, and Mumtaz says, “I don’t want to do those boring, typical roles. I can play Ranbir Kapoor or Tiger Shroff’s mother on screen, but the role should be interesting.”

Owners of the iconic twin theatres resume demolition after BMC’s notice warning of a mishap during the monsoon; it has been on the list of dilapidated buildings since 2008
Yogesh Naik (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 15, 2020)

The owners of the Ganga Jamuna Talkies in Tardeo resumed its demolition on Friday. Shut for the past 18 years, the iconic twin theatres have been on the BMC’s list of dilapidated buildings since 2008. The demolition of the building began in December 2019 but was discontinued twice due to a shortage of labour. It restarted in March but had to be halted due to the lockdown.

Assistant commissioner of D-Ward Prashant Gaikwad confirmed that the dilapidated structure was declared dangerous last year. “We reissued the notice in July as the structure is in extremely bad condition. We have told the owners to demolish it within a month and said they would be responsible in case of a mishap,” he said.

The owner of the theatres, Gul Achhra said the building was to be demolished and redeveloped into a multiplex in 2008. He said, “We were asked to make an eight-storeyed building with mini theatres and basement parking as per the development control rules, but we don’t want to construct a theatre again.”

A famous landmark, the Ganga Jamuna Talkies have seen many superstars on the red carpet for the premieres of classic Hindi films such as Ganga Ki Saugandh, Dulhan Wahi Jo Piya Man Bhaye, Kaalia, Don, Mr Natwarlal and Hero.

Acchra said while Ganga had around 1,000 seats, Jamuna had 850 seats. “There was a time when standalone cinemas did good business. However, with the rise of digital media, there is hardly any scope. The world is moving fast. Within years, we have moved from cable television to movies on smartphones,” said Acchra, adding that he hasn’t decided if he would construct a commercial or a residential complex here. He said the theatres will be razed by November-end and hopes that they will remain a part of living memory.

A junior engineer from D-Ward said the owners were issued several notices. “Now pieces of plaster had started falling down. It was being viewed as dangerous due to the recent heavy rainfall. We told them that action would be initiated if demolition didn’t start soon,” he said.

Jitendra Narvekar, a resident of Goa who spent his childhood in Mumbai, remembers watching films like Don, Mr Natwarlal, Suhaag and Chashme Baddor at Ganga Jamuna. “We used to stand in a queue on Monday to book a ticket for the first show on Friday. I used to pay Rs 1.10 for the lower stall or Rs 2.20 for the per upper stall. The balcony ticket cost Rs 3.30 and the dress circle used to cost Rs 4.40 in the late 1970s and the early 1980s,” said Narvekar, feeling sad hearing about the demolition.

Over the years, several single screen cinemas in the city have downed their shutters due to a steady drop in footfall. While some like Chitra in Dadar is being redeveloped as a mini multiplex, others like Sharada Cinema, a property of Mumbai Granth Sangrahalya, has been in disrepair for many years now.
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That ’70s Show

THE TIMES OF INDIA (August 17, 2020)

Ganga-Jamuna, the twin single-screen theatre complex at Tardeo, which is currently being demolished, was once a landmark cinema house and an important cultural destination, especially for those who grew up in this neighbourhood. In the 1970s and ’80s, some of the biggest Bollywood blockbusters were first released here, including many of superstar Amitabh Bachchan’s hits. The matinee shows were extremely popular too, where at times Soviet films with subtitles were screened. Imran Furniturewala, whose grandfather Zakaria Aghadi built Ganga-Jamuna, says the complex was inaugurated in 1971 in the presence of the then Maharashtra governor Ali Yavar Jung. On that day, the movie ‘Dushman’ premiered at the theatre.

Imran writes: “It was my grandfather’s system to hold a premiere of a big film and invite the main actors. In those days, actors didn’t have the visibility among the public as they do today, so they used to happily come.” The premieres were attended by superstars such as Mumtaz, Dilip Kumar and Rajesh Khanna. Ganga-Jamuna shut almost 20 years ago when single-screen theatres became financially unviable. The iconic Diana theatre at Tardeo and Minerva at Grant Road were among the many others that shut. Gul Achhra, the current owner of the Ganga-Jamuna property, says the complex is being razed since the BMC recently declared it as dilapidated.

Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; May 22, 2020)

“I am hale and hearty. Main abhi zinda hoon. I am glad someone called to check officially,” said yesteryear actress Mumtaz, when we called her, following the rumours of her demise. The actress has been at the receiving end of repeated death hoaxes since May 2019.

Talking to BT from her home in London, she said, “Is it some kind of a joke? Last year, it shook my family and everyone called in, worried sick. This is the third time this has happened, with the most recent being in March this year! I am very upset, and so are my family members, who are here in London with me. The Coronavirus lockdown has kept us all at home, together and safe. However, I have relatives around the world who got worried after reading what made the rounds recently. Mujhe kyun maarna chahte hain log?”

She added, “Jab marungi, toh meri family officially bata degi sabko. It won’t be a secret, but I can’t wrap my head around these death hoaxes. My nephew, Shaad Randhawa, lives in Mumbai. The least anyone can do is ask him or my sister about me. In times like these, when the world is fighting a pandemic, I wonder who thought of this insensitive hoax. I am not even stepping out of my house. My husband, Mayur (Madhvani), and I will be celebrating our 47th wedding anniversary on May 29. I hope this silences all these uncalled-for rumours.”

Onkar Kulkarni (BOMBAY TIMES; March 31, 2020)

It’s been over 45 years since yesteryear’s Bollywood actress Mumtaz has made London her home, along with her husband, Mayur Madhvani. In the current scenario, the former B-Town actress is making the most of her time with family at home.

While talking to Bombay Times from England, Mumtaz said, “My daughter Natasha along with her husband Fardeen (Khan) and their kids, have come to London. Even my other daughter Tanya and her husband are here. Tanya has been living in Rome with her hotelier husband, but since the situation is so bad there, she is here with us now. I get a headache handling my five grandchildren together (laughs!).”

Mumtaz’s house in London is located on the busy Charles Street (in Mayfair district), but it is the first time that she’s seen the streets so quiet. “Over the years, the street has become extremely busy; when I had moved in here, it wasn’t like that. With people being self-quarantined, the traffic and noise levels have lessened. So much that, nowadays, I can enjoy a sound sleep with my windows open. Something that I always wanted to do, but couldn’t,” she says.

Talking about being self-quarantined, the Ram Aur Shyam and Patthar Ke Sanam actress says that her husband and kids are very strict and see to it that she doesn’t leave her house. “Not that I am into social gallivanting. I like staying at home and indulging in cooking sometimes. My roots are from Iran and so, I cook Iranian dishes that have been passed down the generations in our family. I was born and raised in India and enjoy cooking Indian food, too,” she shares, adding, “I enjoy going for a stroll in the neighbourhood, but due to the virus scare, my family has cut that off, too.”

Talking about how much she misses Mumbai, Mumtaz says, “In a year, I come to Mumbai at least twice or thrice. India has made me what I am today. India ne mujhe naam aur shohorat di hai. Mai India ko kaise bhool sakti hoon?” And when in India, she makes it a point to meet her handful of old buddies. “I was in Mumbai from December 2019 to February 2020. I am very good friends with Shatrughan Sinha. In fact, he stays opposite my building. I wish to come back soon, once what’s happening around the world settles down,” she signs off.

Actor Vaibhav Anand on restoring Ketnav Theatre, where he once played cricket with Jeetendra and had chai with Akshay Kumar
Kunal Guha (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 6, 2019)

One of Vaibhav Anand’s fondest childhood memories of Ketnav Theatre, which once served as his residence, has little to do with films. The son of legendary actor-filmmaker Vijay Anand remembers the day he was playing cricket on the theatre’s porch with his father’s manager and office assistants, when he was distracted by a sudden commotion. Turning around, he spotted actor Jeetendra leaving the preview theatre, which was also a venue for post-production work. The film star, whose inimitable dance moves had earned him the moniker of ‘Jumping Jack’ took over the bowling and delivered a deceptive in-swinger, quickly getting the young Anand out. But stubborn that he was, Anand refused to budge. “Jeetendra asked, ‘Yeh gora bachcha kaun hain?’ and someone told him ‘Goldie Saab ka ladka hain’ and then he continued to bowl to me for another five minutes or so before leaving,” says Anand, who recently made his debut in The Verdict: State v/s Nanavati, a series based on the controversial Nanavati murder trial of 1959.

It’s no coincidence that he was cast to play his uncle Dev Anand on the show. “I wasn’t even asked to audition,” says the actor, sharing a photograph of a look test in which he’s seen replicating his uncle’s iconic pose from the poster of Guide, complete with a shawl draped around his shoulders.

Anand, 35, now plans to restore his family’s iconic preview theatre to its former glory. Once a favoured haunt of the film industry’s bigwigs who would gather there for select screenings, Ketnav shut operations almost four years ago. Anand has, since, been consulting architects to zero-in on restoration options. “I want to restore the modernist architecture of the ’70s. For most, Ketnav wasn’t a place of work, it was home. They would say, ‘Ketnav mein milte hain, wahin baat karenge’,” he says. That is why, apart from a preview theatre and an editing studio, Anand also plans to open a coffee shop — to also revive that tradition of banter and brainstorming.

A student of the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in the US, Anand was tasked with running the theatre rather unexpectedly in 2004, when his father passed away during one of his visits to India. On a break from his acting course, Anand had a return ticket but decided not to go back. “My mother was alone and the studio was without a manager. And, there were vultures circling, so I thought it best to stick around.”

We’re seated on the second floor of Ketnav. This, Anand tells us, is where he lived with his family until his father developed a cardiac disease. The family moved to an apartment in Pali Hill because “doctors warned him against climbing stairs”. Anand points to an elevated corner of the immense living room and says, “That’s R D Burman’s harmonium — there would be music sittings here.” It is just one of the many priceless pieces of film memorabilia scattered around. “There’s also a lot of stuff from films such as Guide, Tere Mere Sapne and Chhupa Rustam but I haven’t decided what I want to do with it.”

In its new avatar, Anand promises the theatre will pay a pictorial homage to films made under the Navketan banner, and particularly those directed by his father such as Jewel Thief, Teesri Manzil and Guide. Luckily, the theatre is a treasure trove of rare photographs and Anand has meticulously digitised them. “Given the moisture in the air, one can’t risk it. Now, it’s only a matter of getting them framed.” His favourite photograph from the collection happens to be one taken on the sets of Tere Mere Sapne. It features his father sharing the frame with actors Mumtaz and Hema Malini with his uncle Dev Anand seated on a carpeted floor. I want them [the photos] to be the first things people lay eyes on as soon as they enter this space,” he says.

Interestingly, the traffic that flowed through Ketnav also included political figures. Most notably, the Shiv Sena supremo, the late Bal Thackeray, who, says Anand, “felt quite at home at the theatre,” and would come by often for private screenings. “We knew each time he was coming because his security detail would arrive 30 minutes before he did. They’d scan the theatre electronically and his entry and exit points were marked,” Anand says.

A chance encounter with Aamir Khan makes it to his list of most memorable moments. Khan had come by to visit Anand’s father following the release of Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, a film whose initial reception had been lukewarm. Anand, who was four then, exclaimed, “Yeh toh zinda hain”, and Aamir burst out laughing. “He said, ‘If this is the reaction then the film has made an impact’.”

It was also at here that Anand got to have chai with his idol Akshay Kumar who his father was to launch in a movie called Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas but the project never took off. “He had the hair of a rockstar and wore these long shirts with sleeves rolled.”

Anand also plans to relaunch his family banner Vaibhav Vijay Anand Pictures next year and has been working with filmmakers to develop web content. While he is grateful for his lineage, he shares that it didn’t win him any big breaks. “My father always told me ‘Don’t emulate my films. Watch them as an observer. You can’t be me and shouldn’t aspire to be either. You have my genes, but you have to work to prove your potential’.”

Yet, Anand is acutely conscious of the cinematic sensibilities he has inherited. “I was introduced to the intelligent side of cinema from Chetan uncle to the commercial aspect of it by my father, and the production side by my uncle Dev because he was not a director, but a producer,” he says, in appreciation of his rich legacy.

Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; May 6, 2019)

In a year, there have been two death hoaxes about yesteryear star, Mumtaz. Her nephew Shaad Randhawa, her daughter Tanya Madhvani and filmmaker Milap Zaveri had to issue clarifications about her being alive and healthy. The actress, pretty much sounding like a live-wire from London, told BT that she’s healthy and happy, leading a peaceful life away from the spotlight. Over to Mumtaz, who spoke to us about the trouble she faced owing to the hoax about her demise, the kind of love she gets from her family and friends and what will make her come back to the limelight.

It’s such a pleasure to connect with you, alive and kicking…
(Laughs) Yeah, sure it is. I am still alive, not dead yet. So, it’s not a ghost answering the phone. It’s me, Mumtaz. I’m surprised you don’t sound shocked like some others, who tried calling me and put the phone down when they heard my voice on the other side. It’s so strange that on the one hand, in India, people call me a legend and on the other, they are almost desperate for me to die.

Well, we don’t think that’s true, it was more like misinformation…
I am sure that’s not how it is, but what is with people spreading rumours about my death, and that too, twice in one year. They do this repeatedly and so, I don’t know what they really want. I am told a journalist did this, but shouldn’t that person be a little more cautious with his words? Agli baar agar sach hoga, then no one will believe it. Sher aaya, sher aaya wali misaal ho jayegi.

What really happened on Friday night when the hoax of your demise spread across social media?
Oh my god! Don’t remind me. I was getting calls throughout the night from different quarters of the world. I had to make so many calls to my relatives, my husband, daughter and sister to tell them that ‘Hey, don’t believe anything, I am alive.’ Can you imagine doing this? I had to do it. My daughter Natasha is here with her kids. You should ask her what a nuisance this was. I got calls from unknown numbers and people just disconnected the line the moment they heard my voice. Ab pooch to nahi sakte ki Mumtaz aap zinda hain kya. Several of my fraternity members and their families called me because they were concerned. This went on till the wee hours. I was just laughing at the situation at times, ki yeh kya ho raha hai.

A similar situation had happened last year, too…
Natasha had nearly fainted when she heard it. She called me and she was so relieved to talk to me. I was with Tanya in Rome. Natasha said, ‘Mamma, mere toh pair ke neeche se zameen khisak gayi’. These hoaxes and unconfirmed news pieces about people dying are dangerous.

Your family must be so relieved that the news was just a hoax…
Yes, all of them were relieved. I am so blessed that I have such a beautiful family that loves me to bits. My husband, children, sons-in-law and my grandkids fill my life with so much happiness. I have everything I could have ever asked for. Aur kya maangu uparwale se? Bade bol nahi bolungi lekin, kabhi kabhi thak jaati hoon sab kuch sambhalte sambhalte. A friend of mine once asked me, what I ask for in my prayers. I said, ‘Nothing’. He’s given me more than what I wanted. Aap hi sochiye, I have a husband who calls me 10 times a day to ask about my well-being. The number is even more when I’m under the weather. He looks after me like one would look after an orchid; it’s very difficult to maintain it (laughs!).

Do you miss the life you led in the spotlight as a reigning movie star?
Shall I tell you one thing? I don’t miss the attention because I continue to get it; it’s just a little different in nature. There are very few people in the world who get the kind of love and respect I get from everyone — my peers, industry youngsters, my family, friends and well-wishers. Aise mein insaan kya miss karega? When I’m in Mumbai, I meet my colleagues and we have such amazing conversations. The younger actors like Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan greet me with so much of love and respect. Dil kuch nahi chahta uske baad. Life is beautiful and I lead a happy, stress-free life. I just pray that the day I go from this world, I go in peace and in my sleep.

Would you consider returning to the big screen?
I don’t feel the need to do that. What is the point of working right now? I will soon turn 72. I don’t have that kind of stamina to run around because films are shot 24x7. I’ll have to report at work at whatever time I’m required. That is the discipline of this business that I haven’t forgotten. I will come back to work only if I ever have a shortage of money, because acting is the only job that I know. I will not hesitate to ask for work even if I am 100 years old, and I know our industry, they will happily give me work. It’s also the industry’s badappan that they don’t usually forget their seniors. People talk in such a negative way about the industry giving its own kids a chance sooner than they give an outsider. Par kyun nahi? Which other industry in the world does this for its own people? Natasha’s daughter Diani is six years old and is a good dancer. If she wants to become an actress in the future, I know that I can make one phone call for her to get her first break. After that, she has to have the guts to survive in the industry and find her way around. You have to be talented and ready to work hard and long hours. You will flop if you don’t give your best to your work. You can’t blame the industry for it; it’s your own failure.