When Saira Banu Recited ‘An English Line’ During Preparation of Junglee

New Delhi: Veteran actressSaira Banu completed 62 pricelessyears in the industry. She markedher acting debut with Shammi
Kapoor’s Junglee in 1961. But didyou know, Saira Banu wassupposed to kick-start her careerwith Sunil Dutt’s Hum
Hindustani? On Tuesday, theyesteryear star added yet anothergem to her Instagram timeline. Theopening slide is a poster ofJunglee. Next, we get a glimpse ofSaira Banu in a green saree. Sharingthe pics, the actress wrote,”Fortunately, upon returning from
London, I was offered moviesfrom renowned South Indianstudios such as A.V.M. andGemini alongside distinguished
filmmakers like Kamal Amrohi,Ramanand Sagar, B.R. Chopra,and the illustrious SashadharMukherjee of Filmalaya, known
for delivering hits like ‘Love InSimla’ and ‘Dil Deke Dekho’, whilegiving two illustrious heroinesSadhana and Asha Parekh to the
Industry. Mukherjee Uncle, theman at Bombay Talkies, laterestablished “Filmistan Studios”.This warm welcome to the film
industry for Saira Banu was trulyattributed to being the daughterof ‘Pari Chehra’ Naseem Banu.The anticipation surrounding
Naseemji’s daughter added an airof suspense and expectancy thatOh! How promising would beNaseemji’s daughter! Mukherjee
uncle had a keen interest in castingme alongside Sunil Dutt in theirgrand colour project “HumHindustani,” directed by RamMukerji (Rani’s father) but thestory required a mature actor tocomplement the hero’s subdued,scholarly role.”After this, Sashadhar
Mukherjee advised Saira Banu toconsider his brother SubodhMukerji’s directorial Junglee. Sheadded, “Then, Mukherjee Uncle
advised us to consider his brotherSubodh Mukherjee’s impendingventure “Junglee” where theheroine is a capricious prankster.
It suited my nature to the ‘Tee’ asI was a curious blend of ayoungster who climbed trees inthe garden and insisted on having
lunch perched in the branches.Simultaneously, I’d dash aroundthe garden barefoot, yet whenvisitors arrived at home, I’d
become the shy recluse. Thisunique combination still definesme to this day- a recluse and anoutgoing Leo.”
Talking about the preparationfor her acting debut, Saira Banusaid, “To prepare for “Junglee,”they familiarised me with lights
and the camera, Mukherjee Uncleplaced me in front of the cameraand asked me to relax and speakfreely In front of the camera. I
asked if I could recite an Englishline that had left a deep impressionon me. I still recall that momentvividly when I recited, “It is a
breach of good manners to inflictupon another the irritatingnecessity of deciphering an illwrittenscrawl”! In school, if
our homework was untidy wewere made to write this dozensof times! So I said this in a verymatter-of-fact manner.” She
concluded by saying, “Towardsthe end of the day, I’ll be talkingabout my first scene in Jungleewhich to this day remainsprecious to me.”

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