Mumtaz Shanti

Mumtaz Shanti
Shanti posing for a publicity poster in 1943
Born
Mumtaz Begum

(1926-05-28)28 May 1926
Died19 October 1994(1994-10-19) (aged 68)
Other namesThe Jubilee Girl[1]
OccupationActress
Years active1937 - 1983
SpouseWali Sahib (husband)
ChildrenSikander Wali (son)
Zafar Iqbal (son)

Mumtaz Shanti (28 May 1926 – 19 October 1994) was an actress in pre-partition Indian cinema.[1] Working in Bollywood films of the 1940s and also the early 1950s, she moved to Pakistan after the partition of India and retired from her entertainment career.

She was known as "The Jubilee Girl" because of her roles in films Basant (1942) and Kismet (1943).[1] She worked in films including Mangti (1942), Basant (1942), Badalti Duniya (1943), Kismet (1943), Dharti (1946), Ghar Ki Izzat (1948) and Aahuti (1950).[2]

Early life

Mumtaz was born in 1926 in Dinga, in the Gujrat District of the Punjab Province of British India into a Punjabi Muslim family. Mumtaz's mother died when she was very young and her aunt took care of her.[1] Mumtaz's uncle encouraged her to learn singing and dancing when she was visiting Lahore Walli Sahab spotted her and then she went to Calcutta and worked in Sohni Kumharan in 1937.[1]

Career

Mumtaz Shanti with Ashok Kumar in Kismet (1943)

Mumtaz Shanti's career peaked in the 1940s and early 1950s with hit movies like Basant (1942), Kismet (1943) with Ashok Kumar, Badalti Duniya and Dharti with Trilok Kapoor, and Ghar Ki Izzat (1948) with a young Dilip Kumar.[3][2][4][5]

Shanti in Basant (1942)

Kismet was the biggest hit of her career.[6][7][8] The film starring her and Ashok Kumar broke all previous records when it came to box office revenues.[2][1] It ran for a record three years at Kolkata’s Roxy cinema. This record was broken 32 years later by Sholay.[9]

Personal life

Mumtaz Shanti was married to Walli Sahab, a film director and writer in pre-partition Bollywood then after partition they both moved to Pakistan in the early 1950s and Sahab died of heart failure in 1977.[1]

Mumtaz Shanti died in Pakistan on 19 October 1994.[2]

Filmography

Film

Year Film Language
1937 Sohni Kumharan Punjabi[1]
1940 Chambe Di Kali Punjabi
1942 Mangti Punjabi[1]
1942 Basant Hindi[10][1]
1943 Sawaal Hindi
1943 Badalti Duniya Hindi[1]
1943 Kismet Hindi[11][1]
1944 Bhartruhari Hindi
1944 Lady Doctor Hindi
1944 Pagli Duniya Hindi
1945 Chand Chakori Hindi
1946 Dharti Hindi
1946 Magadhraj Hindi
1946 Pujari Hindi
1946 Shravan Kumar Hindi
1947 Diwani Hindi
1947 Doosri Shadi Hindi
1948 Ghar Ki Izzat Hindi[3]
1948 Heer Ranjha Hindi
1948 Padmini Hindi
1949 The Honor of the House Hindi
1950 Aahuti Hindi
1950 Biwi Hindi
1950 Putli Hindi
1952 Sanskar Hindi
1952 Zamane Ki Hawa Hindi[1]
1975 Aakraman Hindi
1983 Chatpati Hindi

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Mumtaz Shanti – Interview". Cineplot.com website. 20 August 2016. Archived from the original on 3 July 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d "Profile of Mumtaz Shanti". Cineplot.com website. 21 June 2014. Archived from the original on 4 July 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Ghar Ki Izzat (1948)". Hindi Geet Mala website. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  4. ^ One Hundred Indian Feature Films: An Annotated Filmography. Routledge. p. 109.
  5. ^ Bless You Bollywood!: A Tribute to Hindi Cinema on Completing 100 Years. p. 108. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  6. ^ Bollywood: A Guidebook to Popular Hindi Cinema. Routledge. p. 145.
  7. ^ Routledge Handbook of Indian Cinemas. Routledge. p. 165.
  8. ^ Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema. p. 446. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  9. ^ "Kismet: The biggest blockbuster before 'Sholay'". The Times of India. 7 October 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  10. ^ Bollywood's Top 20 Superstars of Indian Cinema. p. 115. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  11. ^ Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema. Oxford University Press. p. 293.