Birthday wishes and blessings were showered on veteran actor Saira Banu on Wednesday by her close friends and fans. Banu took the opportunity to share with her fans the special birthday when her late husband, superstar Dilip Kumar met her and was smitten by her, eventually leading to a marriage proposal by him. The actor posted two pictures from her birthday parties, belonging to two different eras. In a black and white picture, a young Banu is seen standing next to Kumar, along with yesteryear stars Dev Anand and Rajendra Kumar. In the second picture, she is seen cutting her birthday cake with Kumar. In the caption, Saira Banu recalled how for one of her birthday parties, which was also a housewarming party, her mother invited Dilip Kumar as a guest. It was on August 23, 1966, when he saw the young actor once again and seemed to have fallen for her. Sharing the pictures, Banu wrote, "As far as I can remember, birthdays have been so 'Special' for me -- my mother Pari Chehra Naseem Banuji went to the ends of the world to always give me the best fun time with my friends whether here in Mumbai or in London School -- not to forget once a towering layered cake that would have put the Qutub Minar to shame!" A part of her long caption read, "On 23rd August, 1966 such a quality evening, the House Warming of our new residence at 34-B Pali Hill was on, the house was made intentionally and absolutely Dilip Sahib’s Dar Kay Saamney (Ghar Kay Saamney). He was shooting in Madras and on my mother’s invitation flew into town to attend my birthday.Mr.Dilip Kumar who knew me since I was a little girl and consequently refused to work with me but soon after meeting me at this House Warming Party, exclaimed, 'You have grown up into a beautiful girl!'" View this post on Instagram A post shared by Saira Banu Khan (@sairabanu) The veteran actor also remembered when Dilip asked her to marry him. She wrote, ".On one of these magical evenings he popped the question 'Will you marry Me?' Here came the realization of a dream that I had nurtured ever since I was in my teens. We were happily married and I started my life from an admiring fan to a devoted wife. I got to see the different aspects and qualities of this great human being. He was unlike any person that I had ever met -- a man who oozed a royal halo of understated elegance." Saira Banu's post made fans nostalgic. Many fans expressed gratitude to her for sharing this important memory about their idol Dilip Kumar. In his memoir, Dilip Kumar: The Substance and the Shadow, the actor had recalled the same party where he saw Saira wearing a brocade saree. He had written, "I was taken aback, because she was no longer the young girl I had 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" Saira Banu and Dilip Kumar were married for 55 years. Kumar passed away on July 7, 2021 in Mumbai after prolonged illness. He was 98 years old.
