Saira Banu was 12 when she fell in love with Dilip Kumar, marrying him was her dream come true

“My marriage was a dream come true for me. I had pasted his pictures in my room even before we got married. The only other person who made it to those walls was Rock Hudson,” reveals Saira Banu.

New Delhi: Saira Banu was 12 years old when she fell in love at first sight with 34 years old Dilip Kumar. The actor’s ‘lovely free-flowing hair’, ‘polished and sophisticated’ look made young Saira instantly blow away. She said in that very moment she realized that she has met the man of her dreams who is ‘a man of different fibre and of superior material’.

The veteran actress met the legendary actor at a party thrown by filmmaker Mehboob Khan. “While I had seen Dilip saab's 'Aan' in London, I saw him for the first time in person at Mumbai's Mehboob Studios- he was wearing a plain white shirt, white trousers and white chappals. And my God! He had such lovely free-flowing hair, just in sync with his song 'Ude Zulfen Jab Jab Teri' from ‘Naya Daur’. He looked so polished and sophisticated and so different from everyone around. It was a party by Mehboob Khan (director of 'Mother India') and I met him. I fell in love with him almost instantly; I was just 12 then. Even if he was leaning on a chair or standing against a wall, you could easily make out that this is a man of different fibre and of superior material,” shares Saira with ETimes.

The actress made her acting debut at the age of sixteen with Junglee (1960). She was being considered to act opposite Dilip Kumar in 'Ram Aur Shyam' and 'Sangharsh' but the actor asked filmmakers to drop her as she was 22 years junior to him.

Saira was miffed with this, but things took a turn when Dilip Kumar was invited by Saira’s mother for her 22nd birthday and he looked at her and found her extremely beautiful and also a grown-up woman.

“Apparently, my mother invited him and he said he would try to come. And guess what! As I came down the stairs, I got to see Dilip saab getting out from a beautiful car wearing a fantastic suit with a tie. He walked in and shook hands with me. The next thing I heard was, "You have grown up to be a beautiful girl". The next morning he telephoned,” remembers Saira about the beginning of her courtship.

The same year, 22 years old Saira Banu tied the knot to 44 years old Dilip Kumar, who was the man of her dreams. “My marriage was a dream come true for me. I had pasted his pictures in my room even before we got married. The only other person who made it to those walls was Rock Hudson,” reveals Saira.

The couple was married for more than 5 decades and Saira Banu was by the side of her ‘Kohinoor’ as she fondly called her husband during his last moments on this earth.

The legendary actor died on July 7 at PD Hinduja Hospital after a prolonged age-related illness. His death is considered by many as the closing of ‘the golden age' of Indian cinema.