Saira Banu breaks down as she receives award on behalf of late husband, Dilip Kumar

Mumbai (Maharashtra): After the death of legendary Bollywood actor Dilip Kumar, his wife of 56 years and legendary actress Saira Banu has made a rare public appearance. She received the Bharat Ratna Dr Ambedkar award on Tuesday on behalf of her husband. The actress was visibly heartbroken and at a point even broke down during the ceremony.

As she received the award, Saira stated that Dilip Sahab has not gone anywhere and “was still here”. The actress wiped her tears as she received a bouquet of flowers from MLA Ramdas Athawale and even broke down when Athawale spoke about Dilip Sahab. She was seen stating that this is the reason why she does not like attending award shows as they remind her more of him.

Saira Banu gave a speech reminiscing about Dilip Kumar. Calling him the Kohinoor of Hindustan, she said that a Kohinoor deserves the Bharat Ratna. She said, “He’s still here. He is not in my memories, I believe it’s the truth that he is here with me at every step, because this is how I will be able to live my life. I will never think that he’s not here. Wo mere paas hain, hamesha mera sahara banke rahenge– mera Kohinoor.”

Veteran actor Dilip Kumar passed away on Jun 7, 2021, after facing severe health issues. The actor had gotten married to Saira Banu in 1966 who was 22 years younger than him. The couple stayed strong through thick and thin till his death in 2021.