Saira Banu often shares anecdotes from her life on her Instagram profile. 70-year-old Saira Banu will turn 80 next month in August. She recalled anecdotes about Manoj Kumar on his birthday today i.e. 24th July. While sharing his pictures, she also told how Dilip Kumar was ready to close a film when he asked her not to work after marriage, but was not ready to replace him with anyone else.

Sharing a photo with Dilip Kumar and others, Saira Banu wrote, “Soon after my first film I got a lot of offers, one of which was “Shaadi”. In this I worked with Manoj ji for the first time. I was a very shy girl and had a habit of behaving weirdly on the set while doing romantic numbers. Manoj ji is very understanding, he would quietly leave the set when I was filming a solo shot. We both used to speak very little, but worked comfortably together.”

He further added, “Manoj ji’s idol has been sahab. They were very close and were always making different kinds of omelettes, flying kites and doing shayari. There’s a big joke, when both of them worked in “Aadmi”, Manoj ji started adopting sahab’s mannerisms. After which sahab laughingly told Manoj ji, “yaar you do the shots like me, I will find some other way”!! Ha ha!! (sic).”

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Saira Banu further explained how Manoj Kumar was ready to shut down a film but not to replace her. She wrote, “Sahib and I had decided that I would not continue my film career after marriage, but see! I had signed “Purab Aur Paschim” before marriage, in which I play a westernised young girl opposite Manoj ji. Manoj ji said that he would shut down the project if sahib did not allow me to work in it. Later in the film I was unwell and sahib told Manoj ji that we would never be in a misunderstanding if he replaced me, but Manoj ji promised that he would shut down the film rather than replace me. I will always respect him for this generous gesture.”

She and Dilip Kumar became close to Manoj Kumar and his family. The note read, “You know Manoj ji’s wife Shashi was very close to us and such a lively talented woman. She used to tell me Saira, if a bumblebee came into the bedroom, Manoj ji would go under the bedsheet and ask her to shoo the insect away! In “Balidan” one day outdoor Manoj ji and I were shooting in China-creek. We both were running from the bandit who was coming towards us on a horse and we were handcuffed to each other and running barefoot in the flowing water. As soon as the camera turned on, the bandit was chasing us whipping in the air and Manoj ji was supposed to hold the whip and stand in front of me to protect me like he-man, instead when the shot started Manoj ji quickly ran behind me instead of protecting me. What a laugh! In later years Manoj ji remained close to our family. (sic).”

Saira Banu and Manoj Kumar have worked together in three films – ‘Shaadi’, ‘Purab Aur Paschim’ and ‘Balidan’. Last year, at the age of 78, Saira made her debut on Instagram.