85-year-old Dev Anand opened his closet and three women came out: ‘See, baby, I still have options’

The yesteryear star Mumtaz, who stole hearts with her performances in movies like Prem Kahani (1975), Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1971), Chor Machay Shor (1974), and Sacha Jhuta (1970), talked about the impossible beauty standards actors have to maintain and shared some interesting anecdotes about her co-stars. While talking to Radio Nasha, she first shared how hard it is to maintain a certain look as time passes, but said that her fans still shower her with the same love and appreciation all these years later. “People come up to me to take pictures, and I feel so proud that even though so many years have passed, I think I have given around 50 years of my life to this (industry). But people still love me the same, and it doesn’t take them more than a second to recognise who I am.” \

The actor added that the fact that people are still able to recognise her is a testament to the hard work she puts in to look good. “You have to look good and presentable. Even today more men love me than women.”

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She then reflected on Dev Anand’s obsession with looking young, said that he once told her, “Even if an actor dies, their corpse should look good.” Mumtaz continued, “He told me, ‘You need to take care of your hair, your figure, and take care of yourself, because you are what you look like. When you walk down the road, both men and women should turn their heads to look at you. If you take care of yourself, you will never have to worry about your age.’”

Mumtaz revealed that Dev Anand was 85 at that time, and to prove to her that age was just a number, he had the makeup man open a door in his room, and three women were peeping inside, trying to get a look at him. “He just casually told them that he’ll get back to them, closed the door and said to me, ‘See, baby, I still have options,’ and I just sat there saying, Wow.” Even though she suffered from being type-casted during a certain period, the biggest stars of Bollywood, like Shashi Kapoor, Dharmendra and Rajesh Khanna, have worked with Mumtaz over her storied career, including Dev Anand on two separate occasions.