Mumbai: On Vyjayanthimala’s 91st birthday on Tuesday, Saira Banu wished the actress, whom she fondly called “Akka”, and recalled their first meeting during the shoot of a song.
Sharing a photo with Vyjayanthimala, Saira wrote: “Wishing my favourite, Padma Vibhushan, Vyjayanthimalaji (Akka elder sister) a very happy birthday! When I write about her, you will know how she became Akka to me.”
Talking about her first memory related to Vyjayanthimala, Saira Banu said that it was when I went to Mehboob Studio with my mother, who had come to meet her friend Mrs. Akhtar Mehboob Khan.
“I was thrilled to see such a wonderful song in ‘Radha Krishna’ where Vyjayanthimalaji was swaying in a beautiful ghagra choli. After that, when I started working in ‘Junglee’, we met.”
Saira Banu recalled how Vyjayanthimala spotted her at a film premiere and lovingly caressed her cheek and called her ‘beautiful’.
“I think I didn’t wash my face that week! I have always loved Sahib and Vyjayanthimala’s jodi; the pair has given the most number of hits together, and my all-time favourite is the classic ‘Ganga Jamuna’.”
Saira said that Vyjayanthimala did a “fantastic job” as Dhanno.
Saira Banu told, “Sahib worked very hard on his pronunciation to record the Purbi dialogues on tape with the correct intonation and dialect. Sahib and Akka had a certain understanding and the onscreen chemistry worked in their favour.”
The ‘Nahle Pe Dehla’ actress said that Vyjayanthimala had once said that she learnt a lot from working with the late legendary star Dilip Kumar, whom Saira Banu calls ‘Sahib’.
Saira Banu said, “It was wonderful to see him getting immersed in the character and being oblivious to everything else. However, once there was an unfortunate misunderstanding between them and somehow, after a few days of shooting for ‘Ram Aur Shyam’, he was replaced.”
He added: “Sahib and Akka, along with her husband Dr Bali, used to meet each other at functions and festive dinners in Delhi. During one such meeting, the four of us met. Sahib and Dr Bali sat together and chatted happily, while Akka and I sat together and chatted.”
“This went on for a while, and they both started avoiding eye contact, until I got fed up and brought them together to be friends again. It was a huge achievement!”
Saira Banu told that Vyjayanthimala and her son used to visit her and her late husband.
“After this spontaneous visit, Akka and her son Suchendra always visited our house when travelling from Madras. Once, a complicated issue was troubling both of them for a long time, and Sahib and I, by sheer good luck, managed to resolve that complicated situation completely,” he said.
Saira Banu concluded: “From then on, Vyjayanthimala dubbed me her ‘pari’, and for me, Vyjayanthimala turned into Akka.”
