Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu’s eternal love story that spanned 55 years

Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu have been married for over five decades and their bond has only grown stronger each year. The Tragedy King passed away earlier today leaving behind a heartbroken Saira, but left her with a plethora of memories to remember him by. Married for 55 years, Saira Banu stood like a rock beside Dilip Kumar through all the ups and downs of life. Despite the age gap of 22 years between them, Saira Banu and Dilip Kumar's love story is the stuff of fairytales. Here’s taking a look at Saira Banu and Dilip Kumar’s eternal love story...

It was love at first sight for Saira Banu, who was just 12 years old when she fell for the thespian. “It was a party by Mehboob Khan (director of 'Mother India') and I met him. I fell in love with him almost instantly; I was just 12 then,” Saira Banu had told ETimes in an interview. All of 16 years, Saira Banu reportedly went to watch the premiere of ‘Mughal-E-Azam’ at a theatre in Mumbai, in hopes of meeting the love of her life. However, she was left disappointed as Dilip Kumar did not attend the event.

Several meetings and movies later, Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu were deeply in love, despite their age gap of 22 years. Saira Banu's mother, Naseem Banu, reportedly played cupid and brought the two together. With the blessing of their families, Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu got married in 1966. The couple’s age difference of two decades led to speculations that their marriage will be short-lived, but Saira Banu and Dilip Kumar’s relationship stood the test of time.

Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu didn’t have any children, but the couple didn’t regret the same. Speaking to a news portal, the legendary actor had once stated that it would have been great if they had their own kids but they had no regrets. In an interview with PTI, Dilip Kumar had revealed that they lost a child in 1972. “It was also wrongly represented that Saira could not bear a child. The truth is that Saira had borne a child, a boy (as we came to know later), in 1972. We lost the baby in the eighth month of pregnancy... We took the loss in our stride as the will of God," he had said.

Over the past few years, Dilip Kumar has been in and out of hospitals due to ill health but Saira Banu has been by his side all along, like the doting wife she is. Speaking about the same, the veteran actress stated that she is not looking for praise for her devotion to her husband. Saira Banu had told ETimes, “It is out of love and not duress that I look after Dilip saab. I am not looking for praises to be called a devoted wife. Just to touch him and cuddle him is the world's best thing that's happening to me. I adore him and he is my breath itself”.