Film veteran Dharmendra died on Monday, November 24. Following his death, legendary actress Saira Banu, who worked with him in numerous movies, shared a special anecdote on Instagram.
Saira Banu highlighted a sweet gesture when her husband, Dilip Kumar, gave his sweater to Dharmendra – a moment she said became the beginning of their “lifelong bond.”
The actress began her post on an emotional note.
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 (Dilip Kumar) ‘Dharam'.”
Saira Banu then recounted Dharmendra's first meeting with Dilip Kumar in 1952.
“With the courage only youth can claim, he entered the home without anyone stopping him. And there he found Yousuf Sahib, fast asleep on the sofa,” shared Saira Banu.
The 81-year-old added that when Dilip Kumar was “stirred awake”, Dharmendra became “frightened… and ran out of the house.”
Destiny reunited the two icons six years later at the “Filmfare Talent Hunt,” revealed Saira Banu.
“The meeting was arranged by Farida, Sahib's younger sister… and it was here that young Dharmendra met the man he idolised, not as a distant star, but as an elder brother whose eyes held warmth, wisdom and a rare gentleness,” she noted.
The Padosan actress fondly recalled that particular evening.
“Yousuf Sahib spoke to him (Dharmendra) 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,” read Saira Banu's concluding words.
Dharmendra died at the age of 89. His last rites were held at Mumbai's Pawan Hans Crematorium.