Mumbai: Festival of Janmashtami will always remain special to veteran actress Saira Banu.
On the occasion of Janmashtami, Saira Banu dropped a video of herself singing ‘Kanha’ song from her film ‘Shagird’. In the caption, she mentioned that it was a coincidence that she had filmed the song on the same day as the festival.
Banu recalled that she was shooting at Filmistan Studios along with the actor Nazir Hussain. At the same time, Nazir was also working in Chennai with Dilip Kumar on the film ‘Ram Aur Shyam’.
Facing date conflicts, Nazir Hussain, a renowned character actor who played a pivotal role in both their lives, shuttled between the two sets. Nazir treated her like family, and they got along well on set.
On that Janmashtami night, as Saira Banu sang a bhajan in front of a serene Lord Krishna statue to Lataji’s enchanting playback, she couldn’t resist her playful spirit. She asked Nazir Hussain to deliver a message to Dilip Sahab.
“Nazir Sahab treated me like his own kid and vibed very easily on the sets with me. As I sang the Bhajan on Janmashtami night in front of a beautiful statue of Lord Krishna with Lataji’s melodious enthralling voice in the playback, I turned to Nazir Sahab and with a mischievous smile on my face asked him for a favour! ‘You are working with Dilip Sahab, Oh! You are so lucky enough to be working with Dilip Sahab. Please tell him that Saira is dying to work with him, and if he doesn’t, then ask him to marry me!’.”
“Nazir Sahab was dumb-struck and then he rolled from side to side with the resounding laughter that he was famous for. So Nazir Sahab travelled to Madras the next morning and dutifully conveyed my impudent message to the Shahenshah. Dilip Sahab, I am told, gracefully smiled and acknowledged my cheeky message, to probably cover his embarrassment gracefully —- although I think you could have knocked him down with a feather,” she recalled.
‘The next evening Nazir Sahab came onto the set of ‘SHAGIRD’ to shoot with me and told me that he had conveyed to Dilip Sahab my exact imploring message. ………. ‘Dilip Sahab there is a Gudiya who is crazy about you;! Wonder of wonders we finished the Janmashtami song and can you believe it within the next few days it so happened that Dilip Sahab walked into my life, gazed into my eyes and asked my grandmother and mother for my Hand in marriage,” she added.
Saira Banu described this extraordinary turn of events as nothing short of a miracle, and fans of the iconic couple continue to be enchanted by their timeless love story.
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