‘When we had a romantic scene, he chewed onions before his lines’

Bhola, Bindu and Mere Saamne Wali Khidki Mein were three elements that made the 1968 film Padosan a hit.Subsequently co-stars Sunil Dutt and...

Bhola, Bindu and Mere Saamne Wali Khidki Mein were three elements that made the 1968 film Padosan a hit.

Subsequently co-stars Sunil Dutt and Saira Banu went on to become neighbours in real life too, when she married Dilip Kumar and moved to Mumbai’s starry Pali Hill locality. Owing to his close friendship with Kumar, he became a frequent visitor and a dear friend of the couple.

SAIRA BANU

Every shooting schedule with Dutt saab was like a picnic. I did Padosan and Nehle pe Dehla with him. He was always a gentleman and very chivalrous towards the ladies. Whenever we had problems, he was the first person I approached.

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He loved playing pranks. Whenever there was a romantic scene between the two of us, he would chew on onions before delivering his lines, simply to annoy me.

Otherwise he’s one of the most sophisticated people I know. Yet, no one could have played the character of a dullard better than him in Padosan.

My grandmother cracks up every time she watches that film. She giggles so uncontrollably that I set aside whatever I’m doing and watch her laugh.

He and Dilip were very good friends, like brothers. Every fortnight Dutt saab would come over to our house to chat over lunch or dinner in Punjabi. They would discuss everything from politics to family affairs.

When Sanju was in trouble, they stayed up till one in the morning talking about what needed to be done. During Eid, he wouldn’t wait for an invitation. It was like opening our home to a family member.

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The funny thing was, he’d never bring his car to our house. Since we were neighbours, he just walked over.

When Dilip went to Pakistan to receive his award—the Nishan-e-Pakistan in 1999—Dutt saab went with him and recorded the entire ceremony on his camera.

My earliest memories of Dutt saab were on the sets of my film Junglee. Post Mother India, he was already a successful star. He saw me with my mother and was very pleased that I had stepped into acting. Later, he dropped me a telegram saying I would be an asset to the film. I still have that letter with me.

As told to Sulakshana Gupta