Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan is often seen as the man who went from nothing to everything—a struggler who made it big with sheer hard work. But actress Mumtaz, who starred with him in just one film, has a different opinion. In a recent interview with Radio Nasha, Mumtaz shared that she didn’t see any real struggle in Amitabh’s early days. “See, I had to drop out of school in fourth grade, and I started working as an extra in films. I was 7 years old and we used to get Rs 500 for a role, out of which Rs 100 I had to give to person who got us the job, and the rest I used to give to my mother. On the other hand, Amitabh ji was a highly educated and classy person. His father was a known figure, and they had a bungalow and a nice life, so I don’t understand why he needed to become an actor,” she said.‘Bandhe Haath’ – their one and only filmMumtaz worked with Amitabh Bachchan in the 1973 film ‘Bandhe Haath’, directed by OP Goyle. It was the only time the two actors appeared on screen together. Though the film isn’t widely remembered today, it holds a special place for Mumtaz as it gave her the chance to work with someone she admired.The ‘Brahmachari’ actress said, “He was very wealthy, well known and educated. He wanted to work; I said yes, and we made that film. I was very happy to work with him; he is a very nice person. He has a certain class, and I wish I could have done more films with him so that I could have learnt more from him.The year Big B rose to fameInterestingly, ‘Bandhe Haath’ came out in the same year as Amitabh Bachchan’s big break—‘Zanjeer’. That film made him a star overnight and earned him the ‘angry young man’ title. From then on, he went on to give back-to-back hits like ‘Sholay’ (1975), ‘Deewaar’ (1975), ‘Amar Akbar Anthony’ (1977), and ‘Don’ (1978). While ‘Bandhe Haath’ didn’t reach the same level of fame, it remains a unique moment where Mumtaz and Amitabh Bachchan came together for the first—and only—time.
