Saira Banu says it’s ‘unimaginable to walk without him’ on Dilip Kumar’s birthday

Saira Banu paid tribute to her late husband, actor Dilip Kumar, on his birthday. The actor passed away earlier this year, on his 99th birthday.

The 99th birthday of renowned actor Saira Banu’s late husband, actor Dilip Kumar, will be a day of peaceful reflection for the ‘lively and vibrant’ man she was married to for 55 years. Dilip died on July 7 after a severe illness. He would have turned 99 on Saturday.

Saira said though it is a ‘terrible vacuum’ to not have him around physically, she still believes that he is walking side by side with her. “I will do the prayers, remember him and I want the day to be very quiet. I want to visit the Juhu garden (Juhu Qabrastan) where he is (buried),” Saira told PTI.

“The house would be full of flowers, there were times when bouquets would be on all the floors, steps and everywhere in the house and we would not have enough room for it. It used to be that wonderful. He was so loved by people. He still is,” she said.

Dilip was defined by Saira as a very active person and a foodie who preferred plain clothing and enjoyed sports. Dilip enjoyed his plain white cotton attire with white boots for everyday use, according to the 77-year-old veteran, despite having several exquisite suits and shirts.

Read more. Throwback to when Saira Banu said Dilip Saab is like a child 

“He was very much into good clothing. And good food and he was a marvelous cook too. Whenever he would want to, he would try (to make) new things like soup and other items,” she said. Saira said the late star shared a great bond with children and had his own tricks to entertain them.

“He is a man who is so alive and vibrant. It is a terrible vacuum for all of us,” she added. Saira shared that for several months she had been sending out meals to the poor on Dilip’s behalf. It is often said time heals all wounds, but Saira said life has become unimaginable without her saheb, as she used to fondly address him.

“I am not too good. I am striving to make myself fitter. You can imagine it is a very difficult job. It is a terrible jolt. I really wonder how long it will take to recover or if I do recover,” she said.

“(I believe) he is walking side-by-side with me with his hands in mine. He is very much there, that’s the way I think and that is the way I want to live and be alive. It is unimaginable for me to walk without him, you know, we have shared a life together. It’s been 55-56 years of togetherness,” she added.

“Every marriage has ups and downs but we had a wonderful happy time together. He has been so supportive in my life. It has been my good fortune to have shared my life with him. I will always treasure him. He will always and always be alive for me,” Saira said.