Saira Banu on Dilip Kumar being discharged from hospital: 'His illness felt like a nightmare'

Mumbai: Legendary actor Dilip Kumar’s recovery from kidney-related problems is a miracle, says his wife and former actress Saira Banu, for whom it was a “nightmare” to deal with the sudden deterioration of his health. [caption id=“attachment_3914077” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Saira Banu with Dilip Kumar. Image via Twitter[/caption] Dilip Kumar, 94, was admitted to the Lilavati Hospital on 2 August. Saira, who has been married to the actor since over five decades and is 22 years younger to him, accompanied Dilip Kumar when he was wheeled out of the hospital here. She told the press: “He is in good health now. All of it felt like a nightmare… How he suddenly fell sick. I am thankful to the Almighty… This has been a miracle.” Saira thanked the management, doctors and staff members of the Bandra West facility for taking care of Dilip Kumar, and even expressed gratitude for fans who prayed for his well-being. “The prayers were accepted by Allah and he is feeling well now… I can’t tell you how grateful I am to God that we have come out of this. “It was a terrible thing that happened. Within a few days, he fell so sick that we just didn’t know what to do.” She hoped that “after going home he will feel even better soon”. Ajay Kumar Pande, vice president, Lilavati Hospital, told IANS on Wednesday that Dilip Kumar was “critical” when he was admitted to the hospital over complaints of dehydration and urinary tract infection. High potassium and creatinine levels had raised concerns that the actor may have to be put on dialysis. But doctors had decided against it after he started responding well to treatment. Pande called Saira a “sati Savitri” for her dedication to her husband. Saira laughed and said: “If a woman’s husband is India’s ‘Kohinoor’, why won’t his wife be ‘sati Savitri’. All wives love their husbands and it’s no big deal. Whatever I am doing I won’t say that I am taking care of him… It is my love for him and I am ready to do it 100 times more for him.” Last seen on the big screen in Qila in 1998, the actor was honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1994 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2015. He is known for films like Devdas, Mughal-e-Azam and Karma.