On October 11, 2020, Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu are celebrating 54 years of their marital bliss.
1. Dilip Kumar awestruck looking at Saira Banu
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In his memoir titled Dilip Kumar: The Substance and the Shadow, Yusuf Khan described how his eyes fell on Saira. He penned, "When I alighted from my car and entered the beautiful garden that leads to the house, I can still recall my eyes falling on Saira standing in the foyer of her new house looking breathtakingly beautiful in a brocade sari. I was taken aback because she was no longer the young girl I consciously avoided working with because I thought she would look too young to be my heroine. She had indeed grown to full womanhood and was, in reality, more beautiful than I thought she was. I simply stepped forward and shook her hand and for us, time stood still."
2. When Saira Banu was smitten by Dilip Kumar
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Earlier in an interview, Saira Banu had confessed about falling for Dilip Kumar. She stated, "I was not just another girl smitten by Dilip Kumar. For me, it was no castle in the air because I had given my dream the strong foundation of faith- faith in myself and faith in God."
3. The first meet!
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Recalling their first meet, Saira Banu had said, "When he smiled at me and remarked that I was a pretty girl, I could feel my whole being taking wing and flying rapturously. I knew somewhere deep within me that I was going to be his wife."
4. The proposal
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While proposing Saira Banu for marriage, Dilip Kumar had asked her, "Saira, you are not the kind of girl I want to drive around with or be seen around with... I would like to marry you... Will you be my wife?" To which she replied, "And how many girls have you said this to?"
5. Love for her 'kohinoor'
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Talking about the love they share even after so many decades of togetherness, Saira had shared, "I am still head over heels in love with my Kohinoor, Yousuf Sahab, the way I was when I first felt attracted to him as a 12-year-old. Ours has been as good and enduring a marriage as so many marriages that have survived the ups and downs for four decades. No marriage is perfect. How can it be, when as human beings we are not perfect? It is mutual love, respect and adoration that keep a marriage ticking."
