Saira Banu recalls joyous chaos of her wedding with Dilip Kumar

Mumbai, Oct 11 (IANS) On their 59th wedding anniversary on Saturday, veteran actress Saira Banu took a nostalgic trip down memory lane, sharing intimate moments from her wedding night with late legendary actor Dilip Kumar.

Speaking about her wedding, Saira said: “A wistful drift into one of the most cherished evenings of my life, our wedding night, 59 years ago. The song “Do Sitaron Ka Zameen Par Hai Milan Aaj Ki Raat” floated through the air like a blessing that wouldn’t fade.”

She revealed that the song played all night long, “echoing the joy in my heart, and I remember thinking that if someone told me I could truly fly that evening, I would have believed them.”

“That’s how unreal, how dreamlike it all felt,” said Saira.

Recalling the simplicity of the day, Saira said: “Nothing about that day was extravagant, yet it was perfect in its simplicity. My wedding joda was lovingly stitched by our local tailor; there were no grand designers, no detailed plans, no printed cards, just hurried excitement and heartfelt emotion.”

Saira said that the nikaah was meant for November, but destiny had other plans.

“I can still hear Sahib’s gentle but firm voice over the telephone from Calcutta saying, “Aap ek Maulvi ko bulaiye aur Nikaah karwa dijiye!” And just like that, the most important day of my life unfolded before I could even blink.”

She described the wedding as delightfully chaotic, with Dilip Kumar’s Baraat arriving down the lane, Ghodi's umbrella brushing against his Sehra.

Saira wrote: “The wedding itself was full of delightful chaos. Sahib and I lived close by, and when his Baraat came down the lane, the Ghodi descended a small slope, the umbrella brushing against his Sehra, a sight so charming that it still makes me smile. In no time, word spread that Dilip Kumar was getting married, and hundreds of admirers found their way into my home.”

She said that the house was “overflowing with laughter, noise, and strangers who felt like family.”

Saira recalled that it took her nearly two hours to make “my way down from the upper floor for the Nikaah ceremony, the bride was delayed by her own guests!”

“The crowd was so large that we even ran short of food, people began pocketing tiny souvenirs: a fork here, a spoon there as if they were collecting tokens from a fairytale. Oh, what a day that was! Unscripted, imperfect, and yet filled with a kind of joy that words can never truly capture.”

“That night remains etched in my heart a memory that still glows softly, even after all these years.”

--IANS

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