Yesteryear actress Saira Banu charmed her way into the hearts of people in the 60s and 70s. She exuded a charming smile and radiating beauty with elegance. At an age when people do not even know much about love and romance, Saira Banu had decided that she was in love and knew whom she wanted to marry. Her love story with Dilip Kumar, 22 years older than her, and their blissful 54 years of marriage has been well documented over the years. Saira Banu entered the film industry with the 1961 film Junglee, opposite Shammi Kapoor. She scored a smash hit with her first film itself and received her first Filmfare nomination for Best Actress. Saira Banu’s mother Naseem Bano, who had herself been a reputed actress in the 40s, initially did not want her daughter to join the film industry and sent her daughter to London, where she spent most of her childhood. When she was offered Junglee at the age of 16, Naseem Bano did not object.
Saira Banu’s illustrious career boasted numerous blockbuster films. Among them, notable titles such as Shagird, Deewana, Sagina, and Padosan particularly highlighted her talent, earning her special acclaim and recognition. Her successful career and fame is complemented by the story of her love story with Dilip Kumar. When Saira Banu was just 12, she had seen Dilip Kumar on screen and had instantly fallen in love with him.
In 1960, when Dilip Kumar’s magnum opus Mughal-e-Azam premiered at Mumbai’s Maratha Mandir, Saira Banu attended just so that she could catch a glimpse of the actor. Unfortunately, Dilip Kumar could not attend the screening. Later, it was Naseem Bano who played cupid for both of them. Despite the big age difference, both of them got married when Saira Banu was 22 and Dilip Kumar was 44. The couple have had no children in their 54 years of marriage. Dilip Kumar passed away in 2021 at the age of 98.
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