Bollywood's tragedy king, Dilip Kumar, fell in love and married a superstar who was 22 years younger than him in 1966. We are talking about none other than Saira Banu, who was born on August 23, 1944, to actress Naseem Banu and producer Mian Ehsan-ul-Haq. Saira Banu was 16 years old in 1960 when she started work for her debut in Hindi films. She was heavily inspired to join the acting world after she witnessed Dilip Kumar on the sets of Mughal-e-Azam. Saira Banu made her acting debut opposite Shammi Kapoor in the 1961 film Junglee. She became a superstar right after her first film.
Saira Banu is included in the list of top actresses of the 60s and 70s. After spending her childhood in London, Saira Banu came to India and fulfilled her dream of becoming an actress. Early on in her acting career, Saira Banu fell in love with Dilip Kumar against her family's wishes.
Saira Banu was 22 and Dilip Kumar was 44 years old when the couple got married. But, despite getting married so young, being in love, and being committed to starting a family, Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu never had any children. Dilip Kumar, in his autobiography, once revealed that Saira Banu sadly suffered a miscarriage in the 1970s. It was after this that the couple never tried to have children again, believing it to be God's will.
Saira Banu continued to work in films after marriage for many years but then eventually decided to quit because she wanted to focus on her personal life. Faisla, which was released in 1988, is officially her last film.
Saira Banu now stays in touch with her fans through her social media accounts. She often shares memories and photos from the yesteryear, reminiscing about her life and also about her marriage to Dilip Kumar.
Born on December 11, 1922, Dilip Kumar started his acting career in 1944. He died on July 7, 2021.
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