Saira Banu, no happy birthday without Dilip Kumar

This is the once-legendary-in-her-own-right Saira Banu ’s second birthday without her legendary-in-every-right husband, her life her love her reason to live, Dilip Kumar who was oxygen to Saira. In his absence, she has no will to live any longer.

“I am surviving, not living,” was Sairaji’s heartbreaking confession recently.

Perhaps if there were offsprings, Saira’s grief would gave been diminished. She has no regrets about not having children. Her marriage was the most important thing in her life. She doesn’t miss having a child because her Saab (that’s what she called her husband) was like a child at heart.

During their 55-year-old marriage, Kumar strayed only once… in the early 1980s. Before marriage, there were link-ups with the most gorgeous actresses Waheeda Rehman , Madhubala and Vyjayanthimala . But then, 22-year-old beauty Saira Banu was the one to wed the insanely eligible Dilip Kumar. Their rosy marriage hit the shaky ground once when Kumar was apparently “trapped” into marrying a fan named Asma. Saira Banu bore the humiliation stoically. She knew her Saab would come to his senses. He did.

For Saira, it was always her Saab, no one else. She was his fan from the time she can remember. While still a teenager, she wanted to be his wife. Being very headstrong, once Saira made up my mind, there was no stopping her. She knew many beautiful women wanted to marry her Saab, but he chose her.

“It was my dream come true and that’s what my marriage has been a perfect dream,” Saira Banu said.

She feels herself to be singularly blessed to be a granddaughter to one of the most accomplished classical vocalists Shamshad Begum (not the popular playback singer of the 1950s) of her time, daughter to one of the most ravishingly beautiful actresses ever Naseem Banu, and wife to the greatest actor India.

Saira was a top-notch actress in the 1960s with hits to her credit like Junglee, Padosan and Shagird when she gave up her career to be Mrs Dilip Kumar in 1966. Dilip Kumar never asked her to give up her career. In fact, he encouraged her to continue working after marriage. But, her heart was not in it.

“I just wanted to take care of Saab. Our marriage is the most important thing in my life,” she once confided.

When reminded that such devotion is rare she would remind me that all Indian wives look after their husbands. In her family, she had seen generations of women being devoted to their husbands.

As an actress Saira always chose unusual projects. She always wanted to be comfortable with what she was doing. When Rajkumar Kohli made Nagin, he persuaded Saira for six months to play the title role. She was never convinced she was right for it.

Saira claims Vijay Anand’s Guide was offered to her not once but twice. Ted Danielsky the director of the English version of Guide approached her with the offer. But at that time Saira was supposed to start Mehboob Khan’s Habba Khatoon. Mehboob required uninterrupted dates in Kashmir. The leading man opposite her was none other than Dilip Kumar.

Habba Khatoon never got made. But Saira’s 55-year companionship with Dilip Kumar began from after Habba Khatoon was initiated.Playing Mrs Dilip Kumar was hands-down the most fulfilling role of Saira Banu’s career.

Subhash K Jha is a Patna-based film critic who has been writing about Bollywood for long enough to know the industry inside out. He tweets at @SubhashK_Jha.

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