Saira Banu wrote a note in the memory of her late husband Dilip Kumar on the occasion of his first death anniversary.
It’s hard to believe that tomorrow, Thursday was the day when India and Bollywood industry lost the legendary actor Dilip Kumar.
Dilip Kumar died on 7 July 2021 after getting ill for a very long time. On his first death anniversary, Dilip’s wife Saira Banu wrote a note remembering their 56 years together and how every high and low in their life made them strong and strengthen them to fight together.
Saira Banu and Dilip Kumar were also done before their marriage in 1966. Some of them are Sagina (1974), Bairaag (1976), and Gopi (1970). She says that their memories, every moment which they spent together over five decades is what keeps her going.
Let’s have look at what Saira Banu wrote in the note
Walking down memory lane, Saira wrote a note for Dilip on his first death anniversary. A small excerpt from the note that Saira wrote to ETimes reads, “I turn my face away and bury my face in the pillow and try to go back to sleep… as if by doing so I will open my eyes again and see him sleeping by my side, his pink cheeks glowing in the morning rays of the sun streaming into the room. Having said that, I must admit that I consider myself very fortunate that I had my Yousuf with me for 56 years and more. The whole world now knows I fell in love with him at the age of 12 and I grew up with the dream tucked away in my mind that he alone is the perfect man for me. When the dream came true, I knew I was not his only admirer and that I had jumped the long queue of women who were hoping to be Mrs Dilip Kumar. There were countless fans and actors and technicians and students of cinema who looked up to him as their guru.”
She mentioned in her note that whenever she sees his photo or if anyone mentions him, she gets emotional and can’t hold back her tears. Saira wrote, “Not a moment passes in my life every day when he is not before my eyes. If someone has switched on the television and one of his films is playing on the screen if any of the audio devices are on and a song picturised on him is playing- my staff watches and listens avidly but I avoid joining them because I cannot hold back my emotions. I am unable to see any image of my Saheb without breaking it down. Be it a popular song from one of his films or an interview…. or a forward on WhatsApp, replete with stories and anecdotes and personal recollections about his work and his unassuming nature and his genuine simplicity in the way he interacted with people.”
Last year when Dilip passed away, many Bollywood stars including Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, and Shah Rukh Khan went to his home and burial ground to show their respect and love. After just two months after her husband’s death, Saira fall sick and got admitted to Mumbai’s Hinduja Hospital. The reason behind the illness was breathlessness, high blood pressure, and high sugar.
Dilip Kumar’s real name was Muhammed Yusuf Khan and he was often known as the Nehruvian hero, Dilip debuted in the movie Jwar Bhata in 1944 and 54 years later, the last movie of his career was Qila in 1998. In his five-decade career in Hindi cinema, he created epic films Mughal-e-Azam, Devdas, Naya Daur, and Ram Aur Shyam. His work left an impression on everyone’s heart with his incredible journey and his great personality.
