New Delhi:
Veteran Bollywood actress Vyjayanthimala turns 91 today. On this special occasion, another legendary actress Saira Banu shared some throwback pictures on Instagram. The album captured glimpses of the two celebrities sharing a friendly laugh with Saira Banu’s husband and late actor Dilip Kumar. In a note shared with the photo, Saira Banu recalled a few anecdotes from Vyjayanthimala’s life. He emphasized how Sangam the actress became her “Akka” (big sister). “Wishing my favourite, Padma Vibhushan, Vyjayantimalaji (Akka’s elder sister) a very happy birthday! When I write about him, you will know how he became Akka to me. My first memory of him is when I visited Mehboob Studios with my mother who was visiting her friend Mrs. At Akhtar Mehboob Khan’s. I was excited to see such a great song ‘Radha Krishna’ with Vyjayantimalaji twirling in a beautiful Ghagra Choli,” Saira Banu wrote.
Taking a walk down memory lane, Saira Banu said that she decided not to wash her face after Vyjayanthimala touched her cheeks once. “We next met when I started working in ‘Junglee’. He saw me at the premiere of the film and gently touched my cheek saying ‘beautiful’. I must not have washed my face that week! I have always loved the pairing of Sahib with Vyjayantimalaj; the pair have given maximum hits together and everyone my all-time favorite is the classic “Gunga Jumna.” He did a wonderful job as Dhanno, and Sahib worked hard on his words to capture the Purbi dialogues on tape with correct pronunciations and dialect.
The veteran actor continued, “There was a certain understanding between Sahib and Aka and the on-screen chemistry worked in their favour. Akka once quoted that he learned a lot from working with Sahib; it was amazing to see him sink into the character and forget everything else. However, when there was an unfortunate misunderstanding between them and somehow, after shooting for ‘Ram Aur Shyam’ for a few days, he was replaced.
Saira Banu signed off her nostalgic write-up by revealing how she became an ‘angel’ for Vyjayanthimala. He said, “After this smooth sailing, Akka and his son Suchendra always visited our home when they traveled from Madras. Once there was a complicated problem which troubled both of them for a long time and Sahib and I managed to solve that complicated situation with great luck. Ever since Vyjayantimala labeled me an ‘angel’ and as for me, Vyjayantimala turned into Akka.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met her in Chennai after Vyjayanthimala was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian honour, earlier this year. He shared some photos from the meeting on X (formerly Twitter). “Delighted to meet Vyjayanthimala Ji in Chennai. He has just been awarded the Padma Vibhushan and is admired all over India for his exemplary contribution to the world of Indian cinema,” he wrote.
I am glad that I met Vyjayanthimala Ji in Chennai. He has just been awarded the Padma Vibhushan and is admired all over India for his exemplary contribution to the world of Indian cinema. pic.twitter.com/CFVwp1Ol0t
– Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 4, 2024
Vyjayanthimala was a prominent face in Bollywood in the 50s and 60s. Some of his notable films are Sangam, Madhumati, Naya Daur, Devdas and Amrapali.
