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Veteran actress Saira Banu turned 82 on Sunday and marked her birthday by revisiting cherished memories of her childhood, her journey in Hindi cinema and her enduring love for late legendary actor Dilip Kumar.

Sharing a series of photographs on Instagram, Saira recalled how her family would make elaborate arrangements for her birthdays and revealed that two passions occupied a special place in her heart — acting and Dilip Kumar, whom she had admired from the age of 12.

“I had been hopelessly smitten with him from the age of twelve. I cherished the most unreasonable hope that, one day, I might meet him or, more improbably still, have the good fortune to share a film with him,” she wrote.

Saira said Dilip Kumar initially considered her too young and would decline her romantic notions. Her memories also included her mother, actress Naseem Banu, and grandmother Shamshad Waheed Khan, who she said went to extraordinary lengths to make her birthdays memorable.

Describing her childhood celebrations, Saira recalled lavish parties, elaborate cakes and carefully chosen gifts. She said her mother eventually took her affection for Dilip Kumar a step further by building a house next to his residence at Pali Hill.

“My mother… once went so far as to build me a house next to Dilip Sahib. Imagine that! I received a house beside the man who was to become one of the great loves and constants of my life. That was my mother’s idea of a birthday gift,” she wrote.

Saira also recalled a particularly special birthday in 1966, when Dilip Kumar travelled from Madras to attend her birthday party at her mother’s insistence.

“I am exceedingly glad she insisted. For had she not, perhaps one of the sweetest traditions of my life might never have taken root,” she said.

Looking back, Saira said the greatest gift was not the lavish celebrations but the feeling of being surrounded by people who genuinely cared for her.

“I was loved by ‘The Emperor of Cinema,’ who may occasionally have needed a little reminder about the date but never needed reminding about me,” she wrote.

Saira made her acting debut with ‘Junglee’, which she described as a landmark moment as it was among the early Eastman Colour films released when black-and-white cinema still dominated. She went on to become one of Hindi cinema’s prominent actresses, with films including ‘Junglee’ and ‘Padosan’ among her best-known works.

Born in Mussoorie in 1944, Saira Banu married Dilip Kumar in 1966 and remained closely associated with the actor until his death in 2021.