Saira Banu pursued acting despite the disapproval of her family. They, who were good friends with Dilip Kumar, requested him to dissuade her from entering into the film business. Published: November 1, 2024 4:16 PM IST By Saira Banu was just 12 years old when she was captivated by Dilip Kumar.
Despite not knowing him directly, she had a fantasy of marrying him while she was living in London. As she became older, she decided to work in the film industry. Her family, though, disapproved of her decision.
They reached out to their family friend Dilip Kumar, and they asked him to discourage her from entering the industry. You won’t believe but the veteran star turned down several opportunities to work with Saira to fulfil her family’s wish. According to her, this was the only thing she disliked about him.
Speaking to ATN Canada, Saira Banu revealed how Dilip Kumar declined to work with her on movies. He turned down jobs hoping she would change her mind. “Do you know he (Dilip) refused film after film with me, including Ram Aur Shyam; this is something I hold against him, ” she 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 betrayal if I did a film with her, exp.