Mumtaz has voiced her criticism regarding Zeenat Aman’s suggestion that couples should consider live-in relationships before marriage. This remark was made during an interaction with Zoom, where Mumtaz expressed her disapproval of Zeenat, a fellow actress and co-star in the 1971 film ‘Hare Rama Hare Krishna,’ providing relationship advice based on her own turbulent marital experiences.

Mumtaz commented, “Zeenat should be careful with what she is advising. She has all of a sudden come into this huge social media popularity, and I can understand her excitement about sounding like a cool aunty. But giving advice that is counter to our moral values is not the solution to increasing your following,”

She further remarked, “Aap Zeenat ko hi le lo misaal ke taur par (Take Zeenat for example)… She knew Mazhar Khan for years before marrying him. Her marriage was a living hell. She should be the last person doling out advice on relationships.”

Zeenat, who married Mazhar in 1985 and remained his wife until his death in 1998, shared in a 1999 appearance on ‘Rendezvous with Simi Garewal’ her realization of a misstep in her marital decision early on, and her subsequent efforts over 12 years to salvage the marriage, which lacked any moments of happiness.

Recently, Zeenat embraced Instagram to advocate for live-in relationships as an essential trial before marriage.

She shared, “During the very first year of marriage I realised I had made a huge mistake, but I decided to live by it and make it work. I tried to make it work for another 12 years. There was no light at the end of the tunnel for me. There was not a single moment of happiness or joy during those 12 years. But I still tried making it work.”

In her post, Zeenat emphasized the importance of couples testing their relationship through everyday challenges to assess their true compatibility.

Highlighting societal taboos, she concluded, “One of you asked me about relationship advice in the comments section of my last post. Here’s a personal opinion I haven’t previously shared – if you’re in a relationship, I strongly recommend that you LIVE TOGETHER before getting married.”

She continued, “This is the same advice I’ve always given my sons, both of whom have had, or are in, a live-in relationship. It just seems logical to me that before two people get their families and the government involved in their equation, they first put their relationship to the ultimate test. It’s easy to be the best version of yourself for a few hours a day. But can you share a bathroom? Weather the storm of a bad mood? Agree on what to eat for dinner every night? Keep the fire alive in the bedroom? Work through the million tiny conflicts that inevitably arise between two people in close proximity?”

“In short – are you actually compatible? I’m aware that Indian society is a little uptight about ‘living in sin’ but then again, society is uptight about so many things! Log kya kahenge? (What will people say?),” she concluded.

After a hiatus of five years, Zeenat is set to appear in the upcoming productions ‘Bun Tikki’ and ‘Margao Files’ by Manish Malhotra.