Mumtaj

Mumtaj completed her schooling at Mount Mary's Convent School, Bandra, Mumbai. As a teenage ardent film fan, she revealed that her room was full of posters featuring Sridevi, and when the school bus used to cross Filmistan Studios, she used to crane her neck out to catch a glimpse of the artistes.{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZT1uoQC2cc |title=Actress Mumtaj return to Film |last=Mumtaj Fans |date=26 November 2012 |via=YouTube |access-date=10 July 2016 |archive-date=8 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170708190313/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZT1uoQC2cc |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=http://www.viggy.com/english/chow_mumtaz.asp |title=Mumtaz is now 'Slim and Beautiful' |access-date=10 July 2016 |archive-date=17 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817012444/http://www.viggy.com/english/chow_mumtaz.asp |url-status=dead}}

Mumtaj's acting career began after she was spotted by film producer Sudhakar Bokade in a dance programme at Mount Mary's Convent School in Mumbai, when he subsequently offered to do a film with her, after he completed an ongoing project with Dilip Kumar titled Kalinga during 1996. As Kalinga faced delays, Bokade could not eventually start the film with Mumtaj although she had begun acting classes.{{cite news |url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/mumtaz-looking-for-substantial-roles/article18442359.ece |title=Mumtaz looking for substantial roles |newspaper=The Hindu |date=24 June 2006 |access-date=18 September 2018 |archive-date=27 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200327053927/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/mumtaz-looking-for-substantial-roles/article18442359.ece |url-status=live}}

During her stint at the acting course, she was recruited by veteran filmmaker Chetan Anand to work on his film produced by Bharat Shah, with Shah Rukh Khan in the lead role. For one and a half years, Mumtaj waited for the shoot to begin, before the project was shelved following Anand's death. Later in 1997, Tamil director T. Rajender signed her to play the lead role of a pop singer in his romantic drama film, Monisha En Monalisa (1999). The film took two years to make owing to production troubles and Rajender's political activity, before opening to negative reviews from critics in April 1999.{{Cite web |url=http://www.bbthots.com/reviews/1999/memonalisa.html |title=Monisha En Monalisa |work=Bbthots |access-date=16 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180426145625/http://www.bbthots.com/reviews/1999/memonalisa.html |archive-date=26 April 2018 |url-status=dead }}

She made a supporting role in S. J. Surya's Kushi (2000), where she portrayed a glamorous college student alongside Vijay and Jyothika. Her performance in the song "Kattipudi Kattipudida" won her appreciation and further film offers, and as a result, Mumtaj was able to increase her appearance fee substantially.{{cite web |url=http://m.rediff.com/movies/2000/aug/18tt.htm |title=rediff.com, Movies: Gossip from the southern film industry |work=Rediff.com |access-date=16 September 2018 |archive-date=16 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180916235316/http://m.rediff.com/movies/2000/aug/18tt.htm |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/2000/05/26/stories/09260222.htm |title=Film Review: Kushi |access-date=16 September 2018 |archive-date=12 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201012062556/https://www.thehindu.com/archive/print/2000/05/26/ |website=The Hindu |url-status=live}}

In her subsequent projects, rather than her acting skills, her performances in song sequences won her appreciation and she regularly accepted to feature in item numbers. In the early 2000s, some of the more notable music videos shot on her included "Macha Machiniye" from Star (2001), "Malai Malai" from Chocolate (2001),"Missi Missi Papa" from Looty and "Subbamma Subbamma" from Roja Kootam (2002).{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}

Despite the success of her song appearances, she was keen to prolong her career in the film industry by selecting performance-oriented roles and subsequently announced her intentions of reducing one-song appearances.{{cite web |url=http://cinematoday3.itgo.com/An%20Interview%20with%20Mumtaj.htm |title=An Interview with Mumtaj |publisher=Cinematoday3.itgo.com |access-date=14 October 2018 |archive-date=16 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180916235451/http://cinematoday3.itgo.com/An%20Interview%20with%20Mumtaj.htm |url-status=live}}

In 2003, she turned producer and financed the film Thathi Thavadhu Manasu, featuring her alongside rookie actresses Sona, Urvasi Patel and Sindhuri in the leading roles. The film was based around two real life incidents — the murder of a lawyer in bright daylight and the accident in which 40 individuals were killed.{{cite web |url=http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/fr/2003/05/23/stories/2003052301310200.htm |author=S. R. Ashok Kumar |title=Not the usual formula fare |access-date=26 February 2017 |archive-date=18 November 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031118203826/http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/fr/2003/05/23/stories/2003052301310200.htm |work=The Hindu |url-status=dead}} The film performed poorly at the box office, with a critic writing "the movie's approach struggles between two completely opposite directions — a cheap, exploitative film and a tearjerker" and that "the producer seems to have banked on the film's glamour to bring in the viewers since that is what the title and the movie's promos focus on" and that "this is unfortunate because the main story has actually been taken quite well".{{cite web |url=http://www.bbthots.com/reviews/2004/ttmanasu.html |publisher=bbthots.com |title=reviews/2004/ttmanasu |access-date=26 February 2017 |archive-date=1 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201070605/http://www.bbthots.com/reviews/2004/ttmanasu.html |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://www.indiaglitz.com/very-good-for-mumtaz-tamil-news-22068.html |website=IndiaGlitz |title=Very Good for Mumtaz — Tamil Movie News |date=27 April 2006 |access-date=26 February 2017 |archive-date=19 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180919030410/https://www.indiaglitz.com/very-good-for-mumtaz-tamil-news-22068.html |url-status=live}}

In the mid-2000s, she announced plans of a comeback in acting roles, and notably appeared in Jerry (2006) and T. Rajender's long-delayed Veerasamy.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}} However, several of her other films during the period became stuck and eventually did not release, including projects such as Raviraja's Very Good, S. A. Chandrasekhar's Nenjankootill Neeye Nikkirai, Igore's Thik Thik Thik and the multi-starrer Vedakozhi.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}} She has since seldom been seen in films, making a brief foray to play the antagonist in Rajadhi Raja (2009), before appearing in the Telugu films, Atharintiki Daaredi (2013){{cite web |url=http://www.sify.com/movies/kushi-mumtaz-to-shake-a-leg-with-pawan-kalyan-news-telugu-nhosjxjgibbsi.html |title=Kushi Mumtaz to shake a leg with Pawan Kalyan |website=Sify |date=14 July 2013 |access-date=15 January 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150115153919/http://www.sify.com/movies/kushi-mumtaz-to-shake-a-leg-with-pawan-kalyan-news-telugu-nhosjxjgibbsi.html |archive-date=15 January 2015}} and Aagadu (2014) in glamorous supporting roles.{{cite news |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/Im-here-to-stay-on-my-own-terms-Mumtaz/articleshow/4529572.cms |title=I'm here to stay on my own terms |website=The Times of India |access-date=19 September 2018 |archive-date=27 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181027081718/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/Im-here-to-stay-on-my-own-terms-Mumtaz/articleshow/4529572.cms |url-status=live}}

Mumtaj quit acting in 2018 and has been an ardent practitioner of Islam, requesting the media to avoid sharing photos of her former self. She is also a preacher of the Islamic faith and a motivational speaker.{{cite web |url=https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/09-Dec-2022/another-indian-actress-quits-showbiz-to-embrace-islamic-lifestyle |title=Another Indian Actress Quits Showbiz to Embrace Islam |date=9 December 2022 |access-date=15 June 2024 }}

Mumtaj was a judge in the first season of the reality dance competition Boys Vs Girls, which aired on Star Vijay, and season 6 of Maanada Mayilada, which aired on Kalaignar TV.{{cite web |url=http://www.kollyinsider.com/2011/10/saguni-to-show-mumtaz-in-negative-role.html |title=Saguni to show Mumtaz in a negative role |access-date=10 July 2016 |archive-date=18 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818161856/http://www.kollyinsider.com/2011/10/saguni-to-show-mumtaz-in-negative-role.html |url-status=dead}} She later took part as one of the contestants in the Tamil reality show, Bigg Boss Tamil 2 hosted by Kamal Haasan. Marking her final appearance in the industry before her retirement.{{Cite news |url=https://www.vikatan.com/news/cinema/127962-mumtaj-in-bigg-boss-house.html |title=பிக்பாஸ் போட்டியாளராக மும்தாஜ்! |last=Ma.Pandiarajan |date=17 June 2018 |work=Vikatan |access-date=17 June 2018 |language=ta |archive-date=17 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180617202819/https://www.vikatan.com/news/cinema/127962-mumtaj-in-bigg-boss-house.html |url-status=dead}}{{Cite news |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/news/tamil/mumtaj-in-bigg-boss-2/articleshow/64556989.cms |title=Bigg Boss Tamil 2; Mumtaj to be a part of the show |work=The Times of India |access-date=17 June 2018 |archive-date=12 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201012062602/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/news/tamil/mumtaj-in-bigg-boss-2/articleshow/64556989.cms?from=mdr |url-status=live}}

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Category:Living people

Category:21st-century Indian actresses

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