Saira Banu : versatile actress and beauty queen, turns 78 today

Veteran actor Saira Banu clocks her 78th birthday on Tuesday. Banu was one of the leading ladies of Hindi cinema who ruled millions of hearts with her magnificent acting and exquisite fashion sense.

Banu made her acting debut in 1961 through the film Junglee at the age of 16, for which she earned her first Filmfare nomination as Best Actress later on.

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Since then, there was no stopping or denying the charm Saira possessed. She was the 3^rd and 4^th highest paid Bollywood actress from 1963 to 1969 and from 1971 to 1976, respectively.

With dynamic performance, the actress gave twenty years of her life to the film industry and finally drew curtains on her acting career with a cameo in the film Duniya, directed by Ramesh Talwar and starring Dilip Kumar, Ashok Kumar, Rishi Kapoor, and Amrita Singh, in the year 1984.

Apart from being an amazing actress, Saira Banu has been a fashion enthusiast. Tight fitted and well-pinned saree, tied hairstyle, coral-colored lips, bright skirts and dresses, pearl jewelry and winked eyeliner were one of her statement styles.

In a career spanning slightly over 15 years, she gained a lot of fame and appreciation for her performances.

Dedicated to Saira Banu’s twenty years in the industry, on her 78^th birth anniversary, here’s a list of 10 films of Saira Banu that are a must-watch and 10 style statements that made her the most popular fashion diva of the ’70s.

Top 10 Must-Watch Movies of Saira Banu

• Junglee (1961)

Directed by: Subodh Mukherji

Star Cast: Shashikala, Lalita Pawar, Shammi Kapoor, Anoop Kumar

• Padosan (1968)

Directed by: Jyoti Swaroop

Star Cast: Kishore Kumar, Om Prakash, Sunil Dutt, Mehmood

• Purab Aur Pachhim (1970)

Directed by: Manoj Kumar

Star Cast: Pran, Ashok Kumar, Manoj Kumar, Bharti

• Balidaan (1971)

Directed by: Ravi Tandon

Star Cast: Bindu, Dev Kumar, Bharat Bhushan, Jankidas

• Hera Pheri (1976)

Directed by: Prakash Mehra

Star Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Vinod Khanna, Shreeram Lagoo, Sulakshana Pandit

• Gopi (1970)

Directed by: A. Bhimsingh

Star Cast: Dilip Kumar, Pran, Johnny Walker, Sudesh Kumar

• Pocket Maar (1974)

Directed by: Ramesh Lakhanpal

Star Cast: Nasir Hussain, Mehmood, Prem Chopra, Dharmendra

• Zameer (1975)

Directed by: Ravi Chopra

Star Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Shammi Kapoor, Madan Puri, Indrani Mukherjee

• Bluff Master (1963)

Directed by: Manmohan Desai

Star Cast: Shammi Kapoor, Tun Tun, Mohan Choti, Niranjan Sharma

• Nehle Pe Dehla (1976)

Directed by: Raj Khosla

Star Cast: Prem Nath, Om Prakash, Sunil Dutt, Vinod Khanna

10 Times Saira Banu Nailed Her Look