3 min readMumbaiMar 12, 2026 10:39 AM IST
Veteran actor Mumtaz, born Mumtaz Askari, was one of the most successful actors in Bollywood in the 1970s with films like Tere Mere Sapne and Roti. In 1974, in the midst of a successful career, she married businessman Mayur Madhvani, and quit working in films. Recently, the veteran star spoke about her inter faith marriage and embracing aspects of Hinduism in her life as she married a Hindu man. Speaking about her spiritual beliefs, Mumtaz said she holds deep faith in Hindu deities despite being Muslim by birth.
‘I believe in Lord Shankar’
Mumtaz, in an interview on the YouTube channel Sitaron Ka Safar, said, “My favourites are Lord Shankar and Lord Krishna. I believe in them deeply, even though I am a Muslim.” She further shared that devotional practices are part of her daily routine at home. “Whenever I walk down the stairs in my house, there is an idol of Lord Ganesha, who is my favourite, and I bow at his feet. I also believe in Lord Shankar. Since childhood, I have always loved good-looking people, and I feel he is the most handsome god. So I love him. These are the two deities I especially believe in.”
During the same conversation, Mumtaz also reflected on her interfaith marriage, saying she and her sister both married Hindu men and are very happy in their relationships. “I believe in both religions. I married a Hindu, and my sister also married a Hindu. We are both happy. My husband takes great care of me. I don’t understand why people keep talking about Hindu and Muslim divisions, I don’t believe in that.”
‘I married a Hindu and I am very happy’
She also expressed strong views against the practice of polygamy among some Muslim men, saying she personally disagrees with it. “I always say that I married a Hindu, and so did my sister, and we are very happy. Among Muslims, many men have married three or four times and then left their wives. How does that make Muslims better than Hindus? A man should not marry three or four times in the first place. I myself am Muslim, and I say this is wrong, to keep one wife and then marry another, and then a third. Have you ever thought about how possessive women are in relationships? This is one relationship where every woman is possessive. Leaving one and marrying another, how is that right? Isn’t that a sin?”
She then added, “In that sense, Hindus seem better, they usually marry once. Sometimes they may marry twice, but it’s not about easily leaving one person and moving on to another. That is wrong.”
Mumtaz and Mayur Madhvani have two daughters: Natasha Madhwani and Tanya Madhwani.
