When Rajesh Khanna felt he had lost his ‘right hand’ after Mumtaz left movies

She recalled the time when they appeared in many hit films, and it was a stroke of luck that none of their films flopped. “None of my films with Kaka flopped (from Do Raaste to Prem Kahani between 1969-1975). We didn’t give a single dud. Shayad hamare sitare milte the (Maybe our stars aligned). We were lucky for each other.”

Mumtaz said that Rajesh Khanna was a “fine actor. who’d acted with so many beautiful heroines and had great songs filmed on him. But every single film of mine with him was a hit. It has to be luck.”

Rajesh Khanna passed away in 2012 and she remembered visiting him when his health was deteriorating. “I visited him when he was unwell. Anju (Mahendroo) was there. Dimple (Kapadia) was there too. The family looked after Kaka extremely well. Even I miss him. When I happen to watch him on TV, I wonder kyun itni jaldi chale gaye? (Why did he go away so soon?)”

Mumtaz has not appeared in any film since 1990’s Aandhiyan, which was her comeback film after 1977’s Aaina.