Saira Banu Reveals: How Dharmendra Became Dilip Kumar's "Brother"

The actress took to her Instagram on Tuesday, and shared a series of throwback pictures featuring the late actor, herself, and her late husband Dilip Kumar. Dharmendra and Dilip Kumar shared a bond of mutual respect and love, with the former even going to the extent of owing his enduring career to Dilip Kumar.

The actress also penned a long note in the caption, and spoke about the bond, as she wrote, “The demise of Dharam ji feels as though a chapter of our shared cinematic and personal history has gently closed its pages, leaving behind a warmth that is rare to find in today’s hurried times. For me, the loss is not merely of a colleague, but he was my dear Yousuf Sahib’s ‘Dharam’. I often return to the story he narrated countless times, with the innocence and wonder of a man who never lost his humility. In 1952, a young boy from Ludhiana touched to the core by the film Shaheed set out for Bombay with only one dream, to meet the actor who had made an impact in his mind. His heart thumped with reverence as he made his way to Pali Hill in Bandra, for that was where Dilip Sahib lived. With the courage only youth can claim, he entered the home without anyone stopping him”.

She further mentioned, “And there he found Yousuf Sahib, fast asleep on the sofa, the afternoon sun falling softly across his face. Dharam stood frozen in awe until Yousuf Sahib stirred awake, and the poor boy, frightened by his own boldness, ran out of the house with the swiftness of a startled deer. It became one of his favourite memories to recount, always with a shy smile. Six years later, destiny brought them together again, this time through the Filmfare Talent Hunt. The meeting was arranged by Farida, Sahib’s younger sister, who worked with Femina, and it was here that young Dharmendra met the man he idolized, not as a distant star, but as an elder brother whose eyes held warmth, wisdom, and a rare gentleness. Yousuf Sahib spoke to him in that affectionate blend of English, Punjabi, and Urdu that only he could make sound like poetry”.

“It was a chilly evening, and before parting, he took off his own sweater and draped it around the young aspirant’s shoulders. That simple gesture, rooted in pure affection, became the first thread of a lifelong bond”, she added.

- IANS