Somewhere behind the fame of Dilip Kumar, we have considered Saira Banu only as the wife of the ‘Tragedy King’, but she herself has been a successful and talented actress. By 1988, Saira Banu was one of the highest paid actresses of Hindi cinema. She gave many hits in her career and was also known as an excellent dancer without any professional training. Her debut was with the 1961 film ‘Junglee’, in which she appeared opposite Shammi Kapoor.
Saira Banu’s childhood and family
Saira Banu was born to Naseem Banu, who was known for her beauty. Naseem Bano was the daughter of classical singer and courtesan Chamiyan Bai. Saira Banu told in a Doordarshan interview that actor Ashok Kumar had once said, “When your mother would enter a room, the room would be filled with light.”
However, Saira’s grandmother did not like Naseem becoming an actress. She wanted her daughter to become a doctor, but due to her stubbornness, Naseem Bano entered the world of acting with Sohrab Modi’s film ‘Hamlet’.
Saira Banu’s education and film journey
Saira Banu was sent to UK in her childhood so that she could concentrate on her studies. Saira told in an interview, “My mother wanted me to become a lawyer or a doctor, but I always wanted to come into films.” When Saira was 14 years old, she came to India during her holidays and saw Dilip Sahab on the sets of the film ‘Mughal-e-Azam’. Then he also started getting offers for films. He had to face a lot of opposition for the film ‘Junglee’, but he did not lose courage and started his film career.
Struggle during the shooting of ‘Junglee’
Saira was not confident in her acting during the shooting of the film ‘Junglee’. “I felt very insecure. I didn’t even know how to dance, and my Hindi and Urdu were also not good,” she told in an interview. On the first day of shooting of the film in Shalimar Bagh, Kashmir, when Saira was lip-syncing for a song, she was not able to do it properly. Shammi Kapoor scolded him and said, “If work has to be done, do it properly.” Saira cried on this. But then he controlled himself and performed better.
Success of ‘Junglee’ and Saira’s career
‘Junglee’ became a “diamond jubilee” upon its release, making both Shammi Kapoor and Saira stars. This film was in tough competition with Dilip Kumar’s ‘Ganga Jamuna’ and both the films proved to be big hits of that time. The success of ‘Junglee’ marked the beginning of the era of color films in Bollywood.
Saira Banu’s story teaches us how she made her place, overcame struggles and established herself as a successful actress in the film industry. His career is proof that any dream can be fulfilled with true hard work and dedication.