Today marks four years since legendary actor Dilip Kumar passed away. On his death anniversary, his wife and veteran actress Saira Banu shared an emotional note, reflecting on their enduring bond. Dilip Kumar died on July 7, 2021, at the age of 98, after a prolonged illness. He had been suffering from multiple age-related health issues and was diagnosed with pleural effusion.
Sharing a montage of the veteran actor, Saira Banu wrote, “The dearth of Sahib could never go… and yet, I am still with him. One in thought, in mind, in life. In this lifetime, and in the next, my soul has learnt to walk beside him even in his absence.”
She added how on this day every years his well-wishers, friends and family drop messages of love and remembrance. “I read each one with a heart full of gratitude, knowing that the world still holds space for the man Sahib was and forever will be.”
Calling him an inspiration for six generations of actors, Saira Banu shared he is a “guiding star for those yet to come.” She added, “He was the finest companion to great statesmen Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Sahab, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sahab, Narasimha Rao Sahab and counted among his dearest friends some of the sharpest minds lawyers, economists, industrialists but never once was he removed from the common man’s soul.”
Saira Banu also revealed Dilip Kumar adored sports and played cricket and football like he’d been born on the field. She recalled, “He often said, ‘If not destiny, I would have been a national-level sportsman.’ But destiny had its own plans and gave the world the greatest actor of all time instead.”
Remembering him, Saira further wrote, “Behind the icon, though, was a tender, charming, witty man.” She recalled an incident from their life and shared, “There was one evening I remember clearly our home filled with the strains of classical music, the darbar in full flow Sahib quietly slipped away, craving a moment of rest. Later, I found a note he’d left behind, ‘Feeling sleepy, what do you suggest, Aunty?… Yours 100%.’A little line but how it overflows with love and mischief. That was him. Always gently unforgettable.”
The veteran actress shared that Dilip Kumar made the ordinary moments eternal and through every jest, note and glance, he left behind something rare: Love that lingers.
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She concluded her note with, “Dilip Sahib is forever. Beyond time. Beyond life. May Allah continue to keep him wrapped in His noor and mercy. Aameen.”
