Dilip Kumar was one of the greatest matinee idols Indian cinema have ever witnessed. He ushered in the new era of heroes in films, who won hearts with their charming looks and enigmatic dialogues. While the legend is no longer with us, it is his work and achievements that continue to live on and reverberate in the hearts of his fans to date. On December 11, 2023, Dilip Kumar would’ve turned 101. And it is in his absence, that his better half and soulmate, Saira Banu who remembered him.
Saira Banu happily startled many as she set out on her social media journey at the age of 79. The veteran actress is a frequent Instagram user, which she has solely dedicated to preserve and share memories of her husband, Dilip Kumar, whom she fondly addressed as Yousuf sahib. Taking to her IG handle on December 11, 2023, Saira shared a bunch of glimpses of her late husband, as she celebrated his 101st birthday. She accompanied her post with a longish note, an excerpt from which can be read as:
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“Once more it is December the 11th, the day of days when the skies are blue with a smattering of dreams like puffy white clouds that seem to be dancing in the skies with happiness and exaltation. The whole house used to be flooded with so many flowers…that it seemed as though we had stepped into the "Garden Of Eden"
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The first glimpse that she shared was a clip from one of Dilip Kumar’s previous birthday celebrations, which was a star-studded affair. The late actor could be seen cutting his birthday cake, along with Saira Banu, Yash Chopra, Shatrughan Sinha, Om Puri among many others. As the video pans further, the actor was seen getting a hug and a peck of love from his wife, Saira Banu.
The following two glimpses included snapshots of greeting cards that Saira used to gift Dilip Kumar on his birthday. These cards featured small handwritten notes, that the doting wifey wrote for her husband. Speaking about these special gestures, Saira expressed how wishes still pour in for Dilip Kumar even in his absence, those that gives her goosebumps. In her words:
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“Now the Birthday greetings and cheer keep pouring in with messages of love and remembrance in a million ways, be it through offerings of beautiful Sketches, Cards, Paintings and umpteen messages of love and dedication that give me emotional goose pimples.”
The final glimpse shared by the veteran diva was a beautiful portrait of the couple. The painting was every bit realistic, and it captured Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu in a tight embrace with one another, as they twinned in black ensembles. Expressing bittersweet memories on her sahib’s birthday, Saira Banu ended her note by describing the immense happiness she got being the wife of a superstar and person like Dilip Kumar. Adding how the latter always filled her life with happiness, the actress concluded:
“As a man as remarkably extraordinary as Dilip Sahib, he deserved nothing less. I always tried to be a devoted wife to him, and I found immense joy in his chivalrous nature, which unfailingly filled my life with happiness. Happy Birthday Yousuf Sahib.”
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In one of her earlier memoirs on Instagram, Saira Banu had once delved into details about the evening when she got a magical proposal of marriage from the love of her life, Dilip Kumar. The actress revealed how Dilip Kumar was especially fond of the season of monsoon and loved to walk in rains. Saira revealed that it was on such eventful rainy evening that Dilip asked for her hand, as they walked together along the Juhu beach in Mumbai.
In yet one of her other IG posts, Saira Banu had revealed about the one dressing attire which Dilip Kumar preferred her to wear. The actress further mentioned that her husband always emphasised her to wear sarees over salwar kameez that would make her look more school-girlish. The diva expressed:
“Sahib preferably always wore white in this Jodhpuri collar kind of "Bush" shirts... I requested and got around him to please wear a few colour shades In his shirts... here he is laughing at me saying look! I am wearing a colour... a yellow that you like Saira... but on condition that you promise to wear fluffy Organdy sarees that make you seem more substantial! Not salwar kameez that makes me want to send you to school again!”
We are in love with the way Saira Banu remembered Dilip Kumar on his 101st birth anniversary!
