Saira Banu recalls how she'd wait for Dilip Kumar to open eyes in his final days: 'When he did, it was like Eid for me'

Saira Banu spoke about her late husband, actor Dilip Kumar at the Hero of Heroes festival in Mumbai on Saturday.

Veteran actor Saira Banu got emotional at the Dilip Kumar Hero of Heroes event in Mumbai on Saturday. PVR Cinemas and INOX with Film Heritage Foundation organised a two-day film festival to celebrate cine legend Dilip Kumar’s 100th birth anniversary on Sunday.

Saira Banu at an event Dilip Kumar Hero of Heroes. (PTI)

At the inauguration ceremony on Saturday, Saira got emotional as she spoke about Dilip. Speaking about his final days, she said, “Aisa lagta hai mujhe ke karwat lekar so rahe hain mere paas. Aur jab unki beemar halat thi, pichle saalo mein (I feel he is still sleeping next to me with his face on the other side. When he was ill in the last few years), he used to sleep long hours. And I would always naturally be by his side, the woman in love that I am with him still. Aur jab woh kabhi unki aankh kholte the (And when he would open his eyes), it was a festival for me, it was Eid for me.”

Saira Banu, Waheeda Rehman and Asha Parekh.

She added, “He would turn around, look at me with those beautiful penetrating eyes, the most beautiful smile and say ‘Saira, abhi tak yahan baithi ho (You are still sitting here).’ I would tell him, "Yes of course, abhi tak baithi hu aapke liye ki aapki aankh khule, aapke face pe, aapke jism pe koi harkat ho. Jab aap sote hai, ye duniya bahut khamosh hojati hai, meaningless hojati hai mere liye. Lekin jab aap jaagte ho, is duniya mein harkat aajati hai log chalne phirne lagte hain (Yes, of course I am still sitting for you so I can watch you open your eyes, make a movement. When you are asleep, the world becomes meaningless for me. But when you wake up, people start moving again)'.”

Waheeda Rehman, Javed Akhtar, Shabana Azmi, Ramesh Sippy, Subhash Ghai, Biswajit, R Balki and Rohan Sippy attended the opening.