Saira Banu Turns 80 Today: A Tribute to Her Iconic Career and Enduring Love for Dilip Kumar

Saira Banu, known for her beauty and talent in the Hindi cinema, turns 80 today. She began her acting career at the age of 16. Renowned not only as the wife of  Bollywood’s tragedy king, Dilip Kumar but also a self made ‘beauty queen’ of the Hindi cinema. Despite achieving all the heights of fame, she gave up her acting career in 1988.

ORIGIN AND INFLUENCES  

Saira Banu is the daughter of the beautiful actress Naseem Banu, and granddaughter of Shamshad Begum aka Chamiya Bai, a classical singer and a courtesan. Saira’s grandmother wanted her mother, Naseem, to become a doctor, but her passion for acting couldn’t pull her back, leading to her debut as an actress in Sohrab Modi’s Hamlet. Saira also followed a similar path. Despite her initial dream of becoming a singer, inspired by her grandmother’s teachings, she made her mark in acting.

In an interview with Doordarshan, Saira recalled Ashok Kumar complimenting her mother’s beauty saying, “When your mother entered any room, she would fill it with light. That’s how beautiful she is.”

Saira’s mother had different career aspirations for her and took her to the UK at the age of 6, where Saira attended Queen’s House in London. She frequently travelled to India during her summer vacations. In an interview on the show ‘Ek Mulaqat’, Saira recalled about one of these visits saying, “We had a ritual of taking a tour of the entire Europe and eventually India for our summer holidays. During one such visit, we went on the set of Mughal-e-Azam, when I saw Dilip Sahab. He was standing there in all-white attire. I was like ‘Oh my god’. We all then went to watch a qawwali show.” At the age of 14, she was approached by several producers to star in their films. After completing her matriculation, Saira moved to India, at 16, and was offered around 7 movies, including ‘Junglee’, with Shammi Kapoor, which became her debut film in 1961, further leading her to discontinue her education. 

Saira admitted in her interview that she had no experience in acting, but only basic skills.Her dedication paid off, as she received her first Filmfare nomination for Best Actress due to her role in ‘Junglee’.

CAREER AND NOTABLE DEBUT

Saira Banu began her career at a young age, making a lasting impression, but she quitted early. She may not have a long Bollywood appearance, but she ensured it was memorable.  Her debut movie was ‘Junglee’ (1961) alongside Shammi Kapoor and fortunately, he also became the last hero she worked with. When Saira decided to quit Bollywood, coincidentally, her last movie was also with Shammi Kapoor. 

Saira Banu’s hard work and perseverance finally paid off, making Junglee a ‘diamond jubilee’ success, commencing both, Shammi kapoor and Saira Banu as prominent stars. The film also brought Kashmir into limelight as a popular filming location, influencing many films to follow. This film also created stiff competition for Dilip Kumar’s Ganga Jamuna which was released simultaneously. 

Another  notable film in Saira Banu’s career was ‘Padosan’, published in November 1968. The movie, which was directed by Jyoti Swaroop, also featured a number of other well-known actors, such as Sunil Dutt, Mehmood Ali, and Kishore Kumar. The storyline was considered to be one of the finest comedies in Hindi cinema. Banu’s performance in this film further solidified her place in Bollywood.

For Saira, the journey after Junglee was no cakewalk. While Junglee mostly had free-style dancing, which Saira somehow managed, but for Ayee Milan Ki Bela (1964), she faced challenges while performing traditional folk dances for its title song. For this she dedicated herself to mastering Kathak under Roshan Kumari's guidance to deliver a memorable performance.

In 1976, she starred in ‘Hera Pheri’, a crime drama which revolved around a storyline of two friends Ajay and Vijay, Amitabh Bachchan and Vinod Khanna respectively, who get separated from each other when they discover secrets about their past in their own ways. Yet again one of her notable works which had smashed the silver screens and continued to captivate the audience. This movie also became an inspiration for the 1978 Telugu movie ‘Rama Krishnulu’. 

PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL CHALLENGES

Saira ji’s career was not without its struggles. Raised in the UK, Saira initially struggled with language skills in Urdu and Hindi, as her primary education had been in English, French, and Latin. 

She recalled her first day at the set of Junglee, where she said, “When I went to Kashmir’s Shalimar Bagh for the shoot, there were thousands of people looking. I was a shy person. There was this line in the song “Kashmir Ki Kali” — ‘Pyaar se gussa karte ho, tera gussa humko pyara hai’. Here, I was supposed to turn and lip-sync the song. For some reason, I was struggling to shoot that scene. If I paid attention to my lip-syncing, I would turn wrong and if I paid attention to how I turned, I would miss the song. They took several takes. Eventually, Shammi Kapoor, very true to his Junglee character, walked up to me and was like, ‘What is this? If you want to work, do it properly.’ I was so embarrassed.” 

She revealed that she cried on the first day of shooting, when her Apa came running to her and told her, ‘Look child, there is still time, you can rethink your decision of becoming an actor. This is not for you. Let’s return. This is just the first day of shooting.’ Then she thought to herself, ‘No, this is wrong. I was dreaming of this life for years and I am ruining it’. She resolved to push through and started again from where she had left off, eventually completing the scene.

In an interview with ATN Canada,  there was a time when she was disappointed in Dilip Kumar as he kept refusing film after film with her including Ram Aur Shyam. Clarifying this, Dilip Kumar said, “The decision was made under instructions. Some of Saira’s family members didn’t want her to be in films and I thought I would be displeasing her family members. I was a good friend of her father as well as her grandfather. They had sent messages to me to persuade her to drop all this. Not that I was successful in doing so, but I thought it would be a betrayal if I did a film with her.”

Later to that she got married to Dilip Kumar (1966),  who was 22 years elder to her and also the love of her life. This was a dream come true for her. 

Saira Banu continued to remain an apple to the eye for her fans. After her marriage she managed to give a significant performance which made her movies a superhit.

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

Regarded as one of Indian cinema's mediocre actresses, Saira ji was among the most popular actresses of the 1960s and early 1970s. Throughout her career, she received four Filmfare Award nominations, including three Best Actress nominations for ‘Shagird’ (1967), ‘Diwana’ (1967), and ‘Sagina’ (1974) and one for her debut, ‘Junglee’. Her other notable films include ‘Bluff Master’ (1963), ‘Jhuk Gaya Aasman’ (1968), ‘Victoria No. 203’ (1972), and ‘Bairaag’ (1976). Her final film before retirement was ‘Faisla’ (1988), which she also starred in with Shammi Kapoor. Out of these were Bairaag, Sagina and Gopi which she did with Dilip Kumar, post-marriage. 

In recognition of her contributions to Indian cinema, Veteran actress Saira Banu and actor Jackie Shroff were honoured with prestigious Raj Kapoor Lifetime Achievement and Raj Kapoor Special Contribution annual awards, respectively, by the Maharashtra government. These awards, instituted by the state government, were given at the upcoming 54th Maharashtra State Marathi Film Festival in 2017. 

Lesser known Facts

Between 1963 and 1969, Saira Banu was the third-highest paid actress in Hindi cinema, and from 1971 to 1976, she was the fourth-highest paid actress. She was the fashion icon of her time, often seen in elegant sarees and jewellery created by her mother, Naseem Banu. Her style was admired by both Indian and Western elite class for its grace and sophistication. 

According to Dilip Kumar's Memoir "The Substance and the Shadow" from 2014, Saira Banu experienced a miscarriage in the eighth month of her pregnancy due to high blood pressure. This tragic event led them to decide against having children.

Later in life after achieving all the heights of fame and popularity, Saira banu finally thought of quitting her acting career after her last film, Faisla in 1988. She finally bid adieu to acting due to her changed priorities, saying she wanted to spend more time with her loved ones. After quitting films, Saira Banu focused on her family and started the Women’s Organisation of Relief and Care Services (WORCS), founded on the advice of her husband and mother to support those in need. Since Dilip Kumar’s passing in 2021, Banu has been sharing memories of their life together on her Instagram account. Today, as she turns 80, her legacy continues to be celebrated.

- PTC PUNJABI