She felt that the film industry never stood by anyone. Sairo Bano has been Dilip Kumar’s ‘voice’ for years now.
by Humra Quraishi
She has been the unofficial spokesperson for her illustrious husband for years now. And this was a role probably given to her by him in the first place.
In 1999, I knew that the yesteryear golden couple of Hindi cinema – Saira Bano and Dilip Kumar – were in New Delhi. I was keen to interview them, so I tried all the possible sources that could connect me with them. But the closest I could get by way of a source was a homoeopath who was treating the couple. And the closest he could get by way of helping me get an appointment with them was to tell me that they were staying at the Le Meridien Hotel, in a particular suite.
I landed at the hotel lobby, but before I could move towards that particular floor, I could see Saira Bano and Dilip Kumar in the glass lift descending to the lobby.
I rushed towards them, heart beating fast, but before I could begin with my well-rehearsed lines, introducing the homeopath connection by way of introduction, I could see a frown spread across Dilip Kumar’s face. It was obvious that he hated this intrusion, and in chaste Urdu – well, Urdu so chaste that it seemed out of place and filmi – he said that I should have come only and only with a prior appointment, and they being so very busy here in New Delhi, did not have the time to say even a word.
What’s more, he said, if any words had to be spoken, only Saira would do so, not he.
He continued out of the lobby, with his wife and several others who had gathered around to hear him. I believe the two were meeting several important people in Delhi at the time.
It was the summer of 1999. It was a crucial and tense phase for the couple – that was the year of the big political controversy surrounding Dilip Kumar and the Nishaan-e-Imtiaz, which the Pakistani Government had bestowed on him, and which he refused to return. I remember this meeting in great detail even today, particularly in the current political climate.
When I next got a chance to speak to Saira, this was my first question to her. “Why doesn’t your husband return this award? Why keep it when it is causing so much tension?”
She’d replied, “Return it? Are we living in a democracy or is it some sort of dictatorship? How much we are being bullied! Tell me how much of a mess can you take in your life? After all, this award was not given to him now, but it was given last year, in March 1998. Even then, Dilipsaab was so cautious, that he first took permission from our Government and from the Prime Minister.”
I said, “But your critics are crying themselves hoarse, saying that this is 1999, there’s a war with Pakistan so the scenario has changed…”
To that, Saira Bano said, “Tell me, do we now go looking for all those trophies, awards and citations that our cricketers and sportspersons received when they had played in Pakistan? 
Should we ask them to give back all those awards they’d received earlier? I’m told that even LK Advani sahib had got some citation from Pakistan…all this talk of returning awards seems petty.”
“Your husband’s critics also point out that Rabindranath Tagore had returned the title that the British had bestowed on him, and in keeping with that action, Dilip Kumar should return this Award,” I said.
“Rabindranath Tagore returned it on his way on a certain occasion. He wasn’t labelled anti-national, nor was he bullied and threatened, like we are being bullied and threatened,” was her terse reply.
“It is said that certain Right-wing political parties in Mumbai are not happy with the social service work you undertook after the Bombay riots of 1992-1993. Is this why you are facing this backlash?” I queried.
She said, “There is a communal trace to the whole issue, but let me add that I do social service for all people, people from different communities. I try to reach out to whoever is in need…And I do so with a group of close friends who belong to different communities; in fact, most of my friends are Hindus. We are not high profile at all, but try to serve in a quiet way…I feel very upset by what’s been happening. Witnessing those riots was a nightmare, and the growing fascism and communalism has hurt me, shattered me. I feel grieved, as though my dream has been broken, my glass been shattered. One hopes that common sense prevails and this growing communalism gets controlled, so that we can all coexist in peace.”
I mused on this for a while, observing the still beautiful woman who gave interviews in place of her husband, who spoke with such eloquence about facing censure. She often spoke of him as a “man of honour who was bound to be honoured.” Then I reflected, “Usually film stars stand united in times of crisis, but in this present crisis that you and your husband are facing, film stars are maintaining a studied silence. What do you think of this?”
“Have they stood by anyone? Nobody takes a stand these days! Even when Sanju (Sanjay Dutt) was being harassed, the only two people who spoke for him were Shatrughan Sinha and my husband. Even when the film Fire was in trouble, only my husband spoke out on the matter,” she said.
(Pictures courtesy www.merepix.com, ibnlive.in.com, www.bollywoodshaadis.com, photogallery.sandesh.com)