New Delhi: October 11 marks the 57th wedding anniversary of veteran actor Saira Banu and late legendary actor Dilip Kumar. Saira Banu posted a video of her wedding ceremony on Instagram, reflecting on her special day. She also penned a heartfelt note along with the video expressing her love for the late actor Dilip.
In the video, apart from Saira and Dilip, Raj Kapoor, Raaj Kumar, and Dev Anand can also be seen.
She wrote, “Today, the 11th of October, is our wedding anniversary. I am writing specially to express my gratitude to the multitude of well-wishers and dearest friends who have thoughtfully always sent me remembrances of this magical day for both of us, Dilip Sahib and I…when time stood still for us with a million happy sparkling stars in the sky. I have resorted after ‘Two Years’ of his physical absence from all of us to write and tell all of you about his real-being, his anecdotes, his likes and dislikes, that I, as his wife of 57 years, would know. I want to express my happiness at the appreciation that all of you are extending to me in my efforts.”
She further wrote, “People have often asked me...What was it like to be married to Dilip Kumar Sahib...the 'SHAHENSHAH' and I always told them, It felt “Like Sharing a Throne without having to slog for it!”
Describing her life with Dilip Kumar, Saira Banu expresses her profound gratitude for being fortunate enough to marry the man of her dreams. She said “It’s a real Cinderella Story! It isn’t every day that a girl is lucky enough to be married to the man of her dreams. It would be too difficult to enlarge this … my life with him. It would take pages and pages. In fact a book."
Narrating their life further she added, “If he had an immense personality, he was also a great human being, he had also been so versatile in his knowledge of the world and everything under the sun that you never feel cramped with him. He has been a book you can never stop reading because you discover a new page to it every day. His interests, apart from films, ran a wide range of subjects such as Urdu and Persian Poetry, Anthropology, International Affairs, Botany, Sports, etc…This is an aspect of him that has been so enthralling and this made him a vibrant, thrilling man."
Saira Banu paints a vivid picture of her husband as a vibrant, thrilling man who touched the lives of all those who had the privilege of knowing him.
“If he had an immense personality, he was also a great human being, he had also being so versatile in his knowledge of the world and everything under the sun that you never feel cramped with him. He has been a book you can never stop reading because you discover a new page to it every day. His interests, apart from films ran a wide range of subjects such as Urdu and Persian Poetry, Anthropology, International Affairs, Botany, Sports, etc…This is an aspect of him that has been so enthralling and this made him a vibrant, thrilling man.”
“Sahib has been that iconic guiding light not only for me, but for all those generations who have stepped forward in their lives, exemplified by his gracious presence and personality. Dilip Sahib is forever. May Allah always keep him in his love and abiding grace. Aameen!,” she concluded.
Saira Banu and Dilip Kumar tied the knot on October 11, 1966, when Saira was 22 and Dilip was 44.