MUMBAI : Veteran Bollywood star Saira Banu went down memory lane as she remembered her Aarop co-star Vinod Khanna on his 77th birth anniversary.
She revisited the day Khanna ‘absconded’ from the set of Atma Ram’s Aarop when Dilip Kumar came there to meet Saira. She also shared how the late actor was a thorough gentleman as he ensured that women working on his film reached home safely after work.
In 1973, while Vinod, Saira and Johnny Walker were rehearsing for a scene of Aarop, Dilip came to meet his ladylove Saira. She had requested Dilp to visit her before taking his flight to Delhi.
“As Sahib arrived, Vinod, Johnny Walker Bhai, and I were rehearsing a scene. While Sahib walked in, Vinod disappeared somewhere. Soon after, Atmaramji sent assistants to look for him so that we could go ahead with the shot. Vinod took pretty long to come onto the set and Sahib had already left,” shared Saira, while posting a poster of Aarop on Instagram.
When Vinod returned, Saira asked him about his whereabouts. “Vinod laughed and said, ‘Oh! Boy! Do you think I can act and perform while Dilipji, ‘The Master Of Acting’, is watching? I would be shaking with nervousness! So I absconded!” the veteran star shared.
One day during the shoot of the film, Saira Banu had to send her car home, and coincidently, the film’s director called pack-up early that day. So, instead of letting her wait for her car, Vinod Khanna offered Saira his car.
“Vinod always ensured that we ladies on the sets had comfort levels while going home from the studio. One day, I sent my car back home for some important work, and unexpectedly director Atmaramji finished shooting much earlier than expected. He had a perky tiny Volkswagen and saw that my car had not arrived, he then looked at all the paraphernalia of needy things I carried with me and immediately offered his car to drive me home safely. I said, ‘Mera Itna Saaman Kahan Aayega, Tumahari Beautiful Choti Si Gaadi Main.’ So he said I will wait until your car arrives. Such a chivalrous man he was,” narrated Saira.
At the peak of his career, Vinod Khanna quit showbiz and became a follower of spiritual guru, Osho Rajneesh. He frequented Pune’s Osho International Meditation Resort (Osho Ashram), and in 1982, he shifted to Rajneeshpuram in Oregon in the US to be with his guru.
His decision to quit movies left the entire Hindi film industry sad. Saira even tried to dissuade him from his decision, but nothing changed.
She wrote, “Vinod, at the peak of his career, had become a disciple of Osho and from 1975 onwards, he had taken a break from films to follow his Guru. At that time, I told him many times, ‘You are one of the brightest stars of today and everyone knows you will scale tremendous heights in your career. You are too promising. Please don’t go. Why are you intending to take this hiatus?’ The entire industry was crestfallen at this move.”
Also read - OH NO! Saira Banu says she is extremely distressed post Dilip Kumar's death
In her note, Saira Banu also recalled sharing a good rapport with Vinod’s wives, Geetanjali and Kavita. “I remember it was a joy to see him and his wife Geetanjali while we shot outdoors at Lonavala, all of us lived together and had fun times. Later on, when he married Kavita, his second wife, they always visited us on occasions, particularly on our ‘Silver Wedding Anniversary’ and mingled so wonderfully as one of our own family,” added Saira, while concluding, “We miss him!”
Vinod Khanna passed away on April 27, 2017, after battling bladder cancer for years.
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Credits - The Indian Express
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