Saira Banu shares precious anecdotes from her debut film ‘Junglee'

Saira Banu, renowned for her captivating performances on the silver screen, recently took a trip down memory lane and offered a glimpse into the making of her debut film, the iconic 'Junglee,' released in 1961. The veteran actress shared some behind-the-scenes moments from her journey in the film industry, shedding light on the warm welcome she received thanks to her lineage.

In a recent post, Saira Banu shared two photographs. The first is the official movie poster of 'Junglee,' in which she starred alongside Shammi Kapoor. The second image captures her in a green saree and white blouse, holding a rose, exuding elegance. 

In her heartfelt note accompanying the post, she reminisced about receiving movie offers from prominent South Indian filmmakers upon her return from London. She attributed her warm reception in the film industry to her mother, Naseem Banu, often referred to as 'Pari Chehra' (the fairy-faced). 

The  Padosan actress credits this warm welcome to her mother Naseem Banu as she further expressed, “This warm welcome to the film industry for Saira Banu was truly attributed to being the daughter of 'Pari Chehra' Naseem Banu. The anticipation surrounding Naseemji's daughter added an air of suspense and expectancy that Oh! How promising would be Naseemji’s daughter!”

Banu further recalls how veteran filmmaker Ram Mukherjee wanted to cast her in a film alongside Sunil Dutt. She wrote, “Mukherjee uncle had a keen interest in casting me alongside Sunil Dutt in their grand colour project "HUM HINDUSTANI," directed by Ram Mukerji (Rani's father) but the story required a mature actor to complement the hero's subdued, scholarly role.”

She further continued, “Then, Mukherjee Uncle advised us to consider his brother's Subodh Mukherjee’s impending venture “JUNGLEE” where the heroine is a capricious prankster. It suited my nature to the ‘Tee’ as I was a curious blend of a youngster who climbed trees in the garden and insisted on having lunch perched in the branches.”

She further continues, “Simultaneously, I'd dash around the garden barefoot, yet when visitors arrived at home, I'd become the shy recluse. This unique combination still defines me to this day- a recluse and an outgoing LEO.”

Banu opens up on the kind of preparation she had to undergo as she wrote, “To prepare for "JUNGLEE," they familiarised me with lights and the camera, Mukherjee Uncle placed me in front of the camera and asked me to relax and speak freely In front of the camera. I asked if I could recite an English line that had left a deep impression on me.”

She concluded her note with a heartwarming anecdote, highlighting the importance of her first scene in 'Junglee,' which remains a cherished memory. “I still recall that moment vividly when I recited, “It is a breach of good manners to inflict upon another the irritating necessity of deciphering an ill-written scrawl”! In school, if our homework was untidy we were made to write this dozens of times! So I said this in a very matter-of-fact manner. Towards the end of the day, I'll be talking about my first scene in Junglee which to this day remains precious to me.”

Saira Banu's journey in the world of cinema, as revealed through these stories is so much intriguing that fans often wait for her bts posts.