Biografía

His first wife Geeta Bali was one of the last victims of Smallpox.

He was one of the first persons in India to contribute to the web boom.

When he was in his early 20s, he wanted to marry the megastar Madhubala. His mother told him that since he is a Hindu and she is a Muslim, the marriage can never take place. Soon, he fell in love with Geeta Bali and married her, while Madhubala married a Hindu Kishore Kumar, and both marriages lasted until death. Shammi later acted with Madhubala in films and was sad when she died at the early age of 36. Ironically, he became related to her after her death. His wife Geeta's niece is Yogeeta Bali, who became Kishore Kumar's wife after Madhubala died.

Of all his heroines, he had the most onscreen chemistry with Asha Parekh, and they were paired romantically in four films. He was her first hero in Dil Deke Dekho (1959) for writer-director Nasir Hussain which became a hit and made her a star. Hussain brought them back together several years later for a film he wrote and produced titled Teesri Manzil (1966). Vijay Anand directed and edited the hit film, and after 50 years, it's still a favorite among moviegoers. Shammi and Asha were paired together romantically in two more films Jawan Muhabat (1971) and Pagla Kahin Ka (1970). Neither film became a box office hit, but the latter film was a favorite for both actors. In real life, they didn't have a romantic relationship, since he was married to Geeta Bali, who died suddenly during "Teesri Manzil". Even though, he was now a widower, he didn't pursue a romance with Asha, since she was involved with Hussain, so he started a relationship with Mumtaz Askari. He affectionately called Asha bhatiji (niece), while she called him chacha (uncle). In her 2017 memoir "The Hit Girl", Asha wrote about how he played a prank on Mumtaz by telling her that he married Asha, but she eventually saw thru the prank and laughed it off. His relationship with Mumtaz didn't last, and he had an arranged marriage with Neela Devi. Asha kept in touch with both of them, until his death.

His second wife Neela Devi was the Queen of Bhavnagar.