When the Kohinoor of Indian cinema, Dilip Kumar had tied the knot with the gorgeous actress, Saira Banu, it was a union of a lifetime. An epitome of pure love, Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu had made everyone believe in the notion of companionship. Saira had always devoted herself to Dilip saab, with whom she had fallen in love at the age of 12.
Saira Banu lost the love of her life, Dilip Kumar, forever, when the actor breathed his last on July 7, 2021. It was Saira who was by his side throughout his journey. August 23, 2021, marks Saira Banu's 77th birthday, and this is the first time, she will be celebrating the day without her soulmate, Dilip Kumar.
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Saira Banu was 22 when she had gotten married to a 44-year-old Dilip Kumar. But do you know that Dilip Kumar was unsure whether his family would accept Saira Banu? In his autobiography, The Substance And The Shadow: An Autobiography, Dilip Kumar has mentioned how he told Saira about being sceptical about his family's approach towards their relationship.
Peening details about the same, Dilip Kumar had written, "One day, I sat with Saira on a quiet stretch of beach and told her that I had been such a confirmed eligible bachelor for so long with a family in tow that was very accustomed to being in charge of me, whether we attended functions together, arm in arm, or we reserved a whole row of seats in a popular cinema house for films based on Tennessee Williams’ stories (for instance, A Streetcar Named Desire, 1951, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, 1958)."
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He had further revealed how he had told Saira that it would be difficult for her to live with his family, without any problems. The excerpt can be further read as "I pointed out to her that it would be difficult, if not impossible, for them to easily reconcile to a new person in my life, as also for her to live together with the family without any problems arising between them."
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Sharing his thoughts about how his family is accustomed to him being a loner, he had continued, "I went on to tell her that it was inevitable that 'Main saatve aasmaan ki hoor bhi laaoonga, to usey accept nahin kar paigi meri family'. They were so used to my being a loner and were not used to sharing me with anyone." However, Saira had won the heart of Dilip saab's family with her charm and gentleness.
Saira Banu had literally and wholeheartedly fulfilled her wedding vow to be with her spouse 'in sickness and health'. In an interview with The Times Of India, Saira had once said, "It is out of love and not duress that I look after Dilip saab. I am not looking for praises to be called a devoted wife. Just to touch him and cuddle him is the world's best thing that's happening to me. I adore him and he is my breath itself."
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Dilip Kumar got married to Saira Banu on October 11, 1966.
