Saira Banu
Saira Banu (born 23 August 1944) is an Indian actress who mainly worked in Hindi films. Regarded amongst the finest actors of Hindi cinema, she was among the most popular actresses of the 1960s and early 1970s. Banu received four Filmfare Awards nominations throughout her career.
Banu made her acting debut with Junglee (1961), for which she received Filmfare Award for Best Actress nomination. She received three more Best Actress nominations for Shagird (1967), Diwana (1967) and Sagina (1974). Banu went onto be part of many successful films including - Bluff Master (1963), Ayee Milan Ki Bela (1964), Jhuk Gaya Aasman (1968), Padosan (1968), Victoria No. 203 (1972), Hera Pheri (1976) and Bairaag (1976). Her final film before retirement was Faisla (1988).
Banu married actor Dilip Kumar in 1966. The couple did not have any children. Banu also worked as a producer for the Bhojpuri film Ab To Banja Sajanwa Hamaar (2006).
Saira Banu was born on 23 August 1944 in Mussoorie to actress Naseem Banu and producer Mian Ehsan-ul-Haq. She had one brother, Sultan Ahmed who was five years older than her. Banu's niece Shaheen Banu married actor Sumeet Saigal. Her grandniece Sayyeshaa, is also a film actress and is married to film actor Arya.
Banu was 16 years old in 1960 when she started work for her debut in Hindi films. She said in a programme that she had basic talent and little dancing experience. Her peers all were classically trained, which was why she was not put in the top league. Banu started taking Kathak and Bharata Natyam lessons, and trained herself professionally. Soon she became a dancer, and her films featured more of her dancing.
Banu made her acting debut opposite Shammi Kapoor in the 1961 film Junglee, for which she earned her first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress. Junglee was written by Aghajani Kashmeri (aka Kashmiri and Agha Jani), who also coached her in Urdu dialogue delivery, given his background in Urdu literature and poetry from Lucknow. Her image was that of a romantic heroine and she acted in many love stories.
She did one more film opposite her first hero Shammi Kapoor, Bluff Master, directed by Manmohan Desai. Banu costarred with all the popular heroes of the 1960s and established herself as a successful heroine: Jhuk Gaya Aasman (1968) and Ayee Milan Ki Bela (1964), with Rajendra Kumar,[ 11] April Fool (1964), with Biswajit Chatterjee, Aao Pyaar Karen (1964), and Shagird (1967) with Joy Mukherjee and Pyar Mohabbat with Dev Anand (1966).[ 12] [ 13]
The 1967 film Aman, opposite Rajendra Kumar, was her first release after marriage. She acted in three films with Manoj Kumar, Shaadi, Purab Aur Paschim and Balidaan. The cult film Padosan (1968), opposite Sunil Dutt catapulted her to the top league and she continued to play the heroine for a few more years after that.[ 14] The heroine-oriented Victoria No. 203 with Navin Nischol is her biggest hit. She acted in three films with her husband: Gopi, Sagina and Bairaag.[ 15] Only Gopi was successful at the box office. She acted in six films with Dharmendra: Jwar Bhata, Aadmi Aur Insaan, Resham Ki Dori, Pocket Maar, International Crook and Chaitali out of which 5 were hits. [ 16] [ 17] In an interview, she said that she regretted missing the chance to work with Rajesh Khanna. She quoted: "I was supposed to work with him in Chhoti Bahu (1971), but I could not because I was ill. I shot with him for two days and found that he was very charming, humble, and a shy person."[ 18] She was paired with Vinod Khanna in Aarop and Amitabh Bachchan in Zameer and Hera Pheri. Nehle Pe Dehla with Sunil Dutt in 1976 was her last successful film. With a slew of flops and some films going on hold, she drew the curtains on her career as a heroine.[ 19]
She has earned three Filmfare nominations for Best Actress: Shagird (1967), Diwana (1968), and Sagina (1974). However, despite Banu's success, several critics bemoaned that she "made it on glamour and not on talent". In response to the criticism, she stated in a 1973 interview:[ 20]
Banu appeared in a cameo opposite her husband in Duniya (1984), wherein the song "Teri Meri Zindagi" became very popular. Her delayed film Faisla was eventually released in 1988 and is officially her last film.[ 21]
Banu married actor Dilip Kumar on 11 October 1966.[ 22] [ 23] Banu was 22 and Kumar 44 years old at the time of marriage.[ 24] Banu and Kumar lived in Bandra. They did not have any children. In his autobiography, Dilip Kumar: The Substance and the Shadow, he revealed that Banu had conceived in 1972, but developed complications in the pregnancy, leading to a miscarriage. Following this, they did not try to have children again, believing it to be God's will.[ 25] [ 26]
Banu is regarded as one of the beautiful actresses of Hindi cinema. In 2022, she was placed in Outlook India' s "75 Best Bollywood Actresses" list.[ 27] Banu was placed 9th in Rediff.com' s "Best Bollywood Debut Ever" list, for Junglee.[ 28] She was also placed in Times of India' s "50 Beautiful Faces" list.[ 29] Dinesh Raheja of Rediff.com noted, "Saira Banu is a fey beauty, as delicate as filigreed lace. But the painted talons she flashed on screen were also a symbol of her tenacity and spirit."[ 30] India TV termed her a "terrific actress" and noted, "Three words that best describe legendary actress Saira Banu are elegance, divine and gorgeous."[ 31]