The superstar Dilip Kumar was 44 when he married the 22-year-old Saira Banu. His past romantic relationship with Madhubala used to be the talk of the town, but they broke up while filming the legendary epic Mughal-e-Azam. Despite drifting apart, they shared a special bond with each other, and Saira, who had complete faith in her husband, never objected to this. Soon after Dilip and Saira got married in 1966, he got a message from Madhubala requesting an urgent meeting. And instead of questioning her husband about why his ex wanted to see him, Saira insisted that he visit Madhubala.

Dilip Kumar revisited this story in his memoir, The Substance And The Shadow: An Autobiography. He said that among the many “sterling” qualities that Saira possessed, the one that stood out to him was that she lived in the moment and never stressed over the past. He shared that after their marriage, when they were staying in Madras (now Chennai), presumably for the shoot of Ram Aur Shyam, he got a message from Madhubala. “Soon after our nikah (marriage), while we were staying in Madras, I received a message from Madhubala that she wished to see me urgently. I confided in Saira as soon as we returned to Bombay about the message. Saira at once insisted that I should meet Madhu since it must be something she was distressed about,” he recalled.

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Dilip said that when he visited Madhubala at her house, she looked extremely weak, but she wished him well for his marriage. “When I went to Madhu’s home, I was pained to see that she was frail and looked very weak. The pallor on her face not only belied her ill health, but her magnificent, impish smile seemed such an effort. She was happy to see me and said: ‘Hamarey shehzade ko unki shehzadi mil gayi hai, main bahut khush hoon!’ (Our prince has got his princess, I am very happy),” he wrote.

Madhubala had summoned him because she needed some personal advice. He wrote, “She was worried about some personal matters that she needed my advice on and we discussed them until she was somewhat satisfied that they could be sorted out. She then relaxed. That was the last time I saw her. She passed away on 23 February 1969.”

Madhubala and Dilip Kumar started dating when they were filming Tarana, and planned on marrying each other. But, he said that the growing interference from Madhubala’s father hampered their relationship. Madhubala married Kishore Kumar in 1960 but their relationship had its share of difficulties too.

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