He Will Always Be Alive For Me: Saira Banu Remembers Dilip Kumar On His 99th Birth Anniversary

For us, the Millenials, to believe in forever-kinda love. We may have grown up reading fairytales that promised us happy endings, but real life proved to be way different from that.

But if there is one couple that reinstates your faith in love and relationships, it has to be Saira Banu and Dilip Kumar.

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For veteran actor Saira Banu, the 99th birthday of her late husband, actor Dilip Kumar will be a day of quietly remembering the ¡®lively and vibrant man she was married to for 55 years.

Dilip Kumar married Saira Bano in 1966 | Photo: Pinkvilla

Saira said though it is a ¡®terrible vacuum¡¯ not to have him around physically, she still believes that he is walking side by side with her.

¡°I will do the prayers, remember him, and I want the day to be very quiet. I want to visit the Juhu garden (Juhu Qabrastan) where he is (buried),¡± Saira told PTI.

Remembering the past birthdays of Dilip, Saira said the house used to be filled with flowers and colourful bouquets as wishes came pouring from his fans in India and around the globe.

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¡°The house would be full of flowers, and there were times when bouquets would be on all the floors, steps and everywhere in the house, and we would not have enough room for it. It used to be that wonderful. He was so loved by people. He still is,¡± she said

Saira described Dilip as a very lively person and a foodie who had a penchant for simple clothes and loved sports.

Describing how much Dilip loved his simple white cotton clothes with white footwear for everyday wear, she added,

¡°He was very much into good clothing. And good food and he was a marvellous cook too. Whenever he would want to, he would try (to make) new things like soup and other items,¡± she said.

Saira said the late star shared a great bond with children and had his tricks to entertain them.

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"He is a man who is so alive and vibrant. It is a terrible vacuum for all of us," she added.

Saira shared that she had been sending out meals to the poor on Dilip's behalf for several months. It is often said time heals all wounds.

Saira added her life has become unimaginable without her saheb, as she used to address him fondly.

¡°I am not too good. I am striving to make myself fitter. You can imagine it is a very difficult job. It is a terrible jolt. I wonder how long it will take to recover or if I do recover,¡± she said.

Saira had shared screen space with Dilip in quite a few films like Sagina, Bairaag and Gopi, before their marriage in 1966.

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The actor said that the memories of over five decades she spent with Dilip keep her going.

¡°(I believe) he is walking side-by-side with me with his hands in mine. He is very much there, that's the way I think, and that is the way I want to live and be alive. It is unimaginable for me to walk without him; you know, we have shared life. It¡¯s been 55-56 years of togetherness,¡± she added.

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¡°Every marriage has ups and downs, but we had a wonderful happy time together. He has been so supportive in my life. It has been my good fortune to have shared my life with him. I will always treasure him. He will always and always be alive for me,¡± Saira said.

Dilip, who turned 99 today, died on July 7 due to prolonged illness.

(With inputs from PTI)

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