Blast from the past: The mystery behind Dilip Kumar’s divorce saga with Asma

Dilip Kumar’s encounter with Asma Rehman

In his autobiography, ‘The Substance And The Shadow’, Dilip Kumar has given a brief narration of how he met Asma. An excerpt from this book, “Well, the one episode in my (Dilip Kumar) life that I would like to forget and which we, Saira and I, have indeed pushed into eternal oblivion is a grave mistake I made under pressure of getting involved with a lady named Asma Rehman whom I had met at a cricket match in Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh) where she then lived with her husband.” Dilip Kumar’s sisters had introduced Asma Rehman to him, stating that she is one of his fans. Following this, Dilip Kumar used to bump into Asma and her husband on several occasions. He recalls, “Not once, but many times I was surprised by the lady and her husband who popped up from nowhere even when I was in different places out of Bombay to come up to me and greet me and linger on and on. Strangely, they were aware of my travel plans and my itinerary!” In picture above: Saira Banu and Dilip Kumar

Dilip Kumar’s marriage to Asma Rehman!

In 1982, the news of Dilip Kumar’s second marriage to Asma Rehman made it to the headlines. Saira Banu was left completely shattered after this. Dilip Kumar narrated in his book, “It was very painful for me to console her (Saira Banu) as she trusted me and loved me unconditionally.” Within two years, Dilip Kumar divorced Asma. Now, there are two versions of this divorce. In picture above: Saira Banu and Dilip Kumar

Divorce story 1!

The first version stated that Asma and her first husband played games with Dilip Kumar. Apparently, Asma was cheating on Dilip Saab with her ex-husband and was probably also leaking the actor’s secrets to the press along with her former husband. Dilip Kumar caught hold of this and later decided to divorce Asma. In his autobiography, he has revealed, “I became a victim of a situation that was set to precipitate a deep crisis in my marriage with Saira.” In picture above: Saira Banu and Dilip Kumar

Divorce Story 2!

The second version that became famous was that as soon as Saira Banu got to know about his marriage with Asma, she threw a fit and demanded for a divorce. Dilip Kumar wasn’t prepared for it and he then retracted to Saira divorcing Asma instead. As per a report published in Telegraph India then, Asma, who had left her husband and children to be with Dilip Kumar, tried to commit suicide after the divorce. Reports stated, “Asma remained the loser all the way, as she had left her husband and children to be with her beloved. She tried suicide and later went back to her former husband.” In picture above: Saira Banu and Dilip Kumar

Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu’s love conquers all!

The mystery still remains unsolved. But at the end, Saira Banu’s true love for Dilip Kumar won. Even today, Saira Banu and Dilip Kumar are the most adored couple of Bollywood and probably this would remain unchanged for years to come. Rightly called as the evergreen couple of Bollywood, Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu have set a perfect example for all those who believe in the institution of love. In picture above: Saira Banu and Dilip Kumar