Mumtaz says she was not allowed to meet Dharmendra in the hospital as he was on a ventilator

Mumtaz revealed that when she went to Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital, she was told he was on a ventilator and that no visitors were allowed. Despite waiting for about 30 minutes, she was eventually turned away and left without seeing him.

Mumtaz said that the last time she met Dharmendra was in 2021 at his home, a meeting she now cherishes as their final get-together.

In her interview with ETimes, she described Dharmendra as warm-hearted, genuine, and deeply loved by all who knew him. Mumtaz also said that she tried to meet Dharmendra during his hospitalisation but was not permitted to meet him.

“I went to see him at the hospital, but the staff told me he was on the ventilator and no one was allowed to meet him. I sat there for 30 minutes hoping I might still get to see him… but I couldn’t. I left without meeting him,” Mumtaz said.

Reflecting on their work together, Mumtaz recalled films like Jheel Ke Us Paar, Loafer, Kaajal, and Aadmi Aur Insaan, hits from the 1960s and 1970s, which established them as one of the memorable on-screen pairs of their era. She said he was more than a co-star; he was a friend and a person with “a truly golden heart.”

Mumtaz took to her social media on Thursday and penned down an emotional note she wrote, “ Dharam ji… He was many things to me. Loving Husband, adoring Father of our two girls, Esha & Ahaana, Friend, Philosopher, Guide, Poet, my ‘go to’ person in all times of need - in fact, he was everything to me! And always has been through good times and bad. He endeared himself to all my family members with his easy, friendly ways, always showing affection and interest in all of them.”

Dharmendra passed away on Monday (November 24) at the age of 89 due to age related issues.