Another day, another priceless anecdote by veteran actress Saira Banu. The 78-year-old has been sharing major throwback moments featuring her husband, Bollywood legend Dilip Kumar, on Instagram. In her latest post, Saira Banu revealed how the film Gopi, released in 1970, was like “a dream come true.” Directed by A. Bhim Singh, Gopi featured Saira Banu and Dilip Kumar in lead roles. After the “roaring success” of her debut project Junglee in 1961, Saira Banu got multiple work opportunities with the “choicest stars,” but Dilip Kumar always refused to work with her. The actress recalled, “He [Dilip Kumar] emphatically refused each film he was offered with me, saying that "She [Saira Banu] is too young and I have seen her growing up.”
Saira Banu wrote, “When I talk about Gopi, for me it is like a dream come true. I think the whole world knows by now that I have been madly in love with [Dilip Kumar] Sahib since I was a twelve-year-old girl when I first saw him in Aan at a special screening in London, and then I had the good fortune to repeatedly see him in person at venues and functions in Mumbai. Soon after schooling, when I joined the film industry with Junglee, the roaring success of the film gave me many opportunities to work with the choicest stars, but since Sahib was a family friend and he had seen me growing up, he emphatically refused each film he was offered with me, saying that "She is too young and I have seen her growing up", the last film he refused working with me was Ram Aur Shyam. On that magical evening of August 23, 1966, my birthday, he especially flew from Madras for our housewarming party. He walked across, shook hands with me, looked into my eyes, and said, “You have grown up into a beautiful girl.””
Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu got married in 1966. Soon after their marriage, the lovebirds were offered Gopi, which turned out to be their first film together. Posting some glimpses from the movie on Instagram, Saira Banu recalled how she was nervous and struggled to shoot “a casual scene set in Gopi's village.”
Saira Banu added, “In our first shot together, I felt that the Earth would part and the sky would shake with thunder, the way I was nervous. It was a casual scene between us set in Gopi's village house and I was trying my utmost to emote in a very subdued Dilip Kumarish manner. We had many rehearsals under Bhim Singhji's direction and writer Rajender Kishenji who was like a father figure stood by watching the rehearsals. Something was not going right for me with my performance and soon Rajenderji called me over, made me sit, and said “Beta you are doing very well and you are Saira Banu, you try and be yourself when you say the dialogues. You are standing in Dilip Kumar's shadow, trying to deliver your lines like him. Don't do that, relax your shoulders and be yourself! Act as your own self!” Ultimately with great help, patience and gentle understanding from Sahib, I performed the scene to satisfaction!”
“Gopi will always be special to me all my life,” she added. Saira Banu and Dilip Kumar have also worked together in films such as Sagina, Bairaag and Duniya.
In a previous post, Saira Banu talked about how Dilip Kumar was super organised “but like all other important and terribly occupied husbands, he never remembered special days like birthdays or anniversaries.” Saira Banu also shared a few throwback photographs and a priceless video from her birthday album on Instagram.
Dilip Kumar died in 2021 after a prolonged illness at the age of 98.