On Her 79th Birthday, Saira Banu Talks About Her Magical Love Story With Dilip Kumar

Evergreen star Saira Banu turned 79 today. The actress known for roles in Junglee, Shagird, Diwana, Sagina, and Bairaag, has spent decades ruling the Indian film industry. For Saira Banu, birthdays have always been a grand affair. The actress shared that her mother, actress Naseem Banu, would always make it a point to celebrate this day. But interestingly, back in 1966, her birthday celebration changed her life, as she was noticed by the legendary star Dilip Kumar, who eventually proposed to her. Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu got married in 1966.

Sharing some throwback pictures from her birthday album, Saira Banu said that it was always a “special” occasion for her. She wrote, “My mother Pari Chehra Naseem Banuji went to the ends of the world to always give me the best fun time with my friends, whether here in Mumbai or in London School — not to forget once a towering layered cake that would have put the “Qutub Minar” to shame!” As soon as she finished her education, she came back to Bombay and was lucky to have secured a role in the film Junglee which became the talk of the town at the time. “Soon life became a blast of light and joy, and occasions such as birthdays blossomed into a flood of appreciation, flowers, messages from friends and fans, making the whole house into a “Garden of Eden.”

For Saira Banu, her good luck started in 1966 with several miracles in her way. She said, “Can you imagine that the “Emperor Of Acting” for whom the world was his stage. Mr.Dilip Kumar, who knew me since I was a little girl and consequently refused to work with me but soon after meeting me at this House Warming Party, exclaimed, ‘You have grown up into a beautiful girl!’.” During the next few days, he flew from Madras to Bombay every other night and had dinner with the actress. One such evening, he asked, “Will you marry me?” Saira Banu expressed that she then came to realise that this was a dream she had nurtured since her teen years. “We were happily married, and I started my life from an admiring fan to a devoted wife. I got to see the different aspects and qualities of this great human being. He was unlike any person that I had ever met—a man who oozed a royal halo of understated elegance.”

Saira Banu joined Instagram on Dilip Kumar’s death anniversary this year and has been sharing snippets and stories from the late actor’s personal and professional life with the audience.