A death hoax about yesteryear actress Mumtaz made rounds of the internet once again. She had to clarify being alive in a recent interview. An upset Mumtaz went on to ask 'is this a joke' after hearing another death hoax about her.

“Oh! I am hale and hearty. Main abhi zinda hoon. I am glad someone called to check officially,” Mumtaz told TimesOfIndia after they contacted her soon after the news broke.

Stating that last year (in 2019) when they news broke, it shook her family, Mumtaz added, “I don’t know why someone is deliberately doing this. Is it some kind of a joke?”

Talking about her current situation, she added, “This year, my daughters, grandkids, sons-in-law and my husband are all here with me in London. The lockdown has kept us all at home, together, and safe. Of course, I have more relatives around the world who got worried reading what made the rounds last night. Mujhe kyun maarna chahte hain log? Jab waqt aayega to main khud hi chali jaaongi.”

An upset Mumtaz also said, “Jab marungi, to meri family officially bata degi sabko. It won’t be a secret. It will be all over the place, I know that and I am sure of that. Death is as real as life and everyone will face it some day. But I can’t get my head around these death hoaxes that make the rounds once or twice in the year about a few of us.”

She said the least anybody could do is ask her nephew, actor Shaad Randhawa, who is currently in Mumbai before spreading the rumour. “In times like these, when the world is fighting a pandemic, I wonder who thought of this insensitive hoax to get a few eyeballs. I am not even stepping out of my house. My kids don’t let me do it. They are all taking such good care of me and trust me, my health is great,” she said in conclusion.