Republic Day 2026: Saira Banu shares what India meant for Dilip Kumar
Veteran Hindi cinema star Saira Banu has reflected on the idea of India, her husband and late megastar Dilip Kumar believed in, and wanted to protect.
“He often said that the soul of India doesn’t lie in its monuments or history books, it lives in its people. In their kindness. In their empathy. In their belief that we rise by lifting others. For him, humanity wasn’t an ideal. It was a responsibility.
He believed that when compassion guides us, even the impossible becomes achievable.
Despite all our diversities of caste, culture, language, or belief, what truly unites us is dignity for every human being.
That was the India he believed in.
And that is the India we must protect.”
Talking about her idea of Republic Day, Saira said, “Republic Day has never been just a date on the calendar for me.
It has always been a feeling.”
Remembering her childhood days in England, she said, “As a child, I moved to England and spent my growing years in London. But strangely, distance didn’t dilute my connection with India; it deepened it. The farther I went, the closer my country.”
She added, “Living away made me realise something profound: nations are not remembered for their borders or buildings. They are remembered for their humanity.”
The actress further added, “Peace and humanity may sound like different ideas, yet one cannot exist without the other. True peace is born only where humanity breathes.
In every corner of this land, from crowded streets to silent villages, there lives an unspoken truth: we may look different, speak different languages, follow different customs… yet our hearts beat with the same instinct to help, to care, to stand by one another.”
The actress further added, “Sometimes it’s just a glance of reassurance from a stranger.
Sometimes, a hand that reaches out in difficult times.
Sometimes laughter shared without a common language.
These small moments define us far more than grand speeches ever could.
Dilip Sahib deeply believed in this very spirit. Happy 77th Republic Day.”
For the uninitiated, Dilip Kumar, fondly remembered as the Tragedy King of Indian cinema, was also part of several films whose main plot revolved around deep patriotism and love for the country.
Some of his notable patriotic and socially rooted films include Shaheed in 1965 and Kranti in 1981.
On the personal front, Dilip Kumar shared a legendary love story with Saira Banu. The couple got married on October 11, 1966, despite a 22-year age gap. They then went on to become one of Bollywood’s most enduring and admired pairs.
Dilip Kumar passed away on July 7, 2021, at the age of 98.
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