Sanjay Dutt and Saira Banu Khan remembered the late Sunil Dutt on his 95th birth anniversary on Thursday, sharing throwback pictures with the actor from their family albums and recalling his humane side.

Sanjay, who is the son of Sunil and his wife Nargis, penned an emotional note, pledging to stand by the values taught to him by his father. On her part, Saira reminisced about Sunil’s steadfast friendship with her late husband Dilip Kumar and the time she had spent with the actor on the sets of films like Nehle Pe Dehla (1976) and Padosan (1968).

“Happy birthday dad, I miss you and love you, I have and will follow all that you have taught me, the values, and most of all to be a humble and a good human being who helps the needy, love you dad,” wrote Sanjay alongside a childhood picture that shows him and his sister with their father.

In her post, Saira recalled Sunil’s unwavering commitment to his friend Dilip Kumar. “Dilip Sahib and Dutt Sahab shared a friendship that was more like family. They were always there for each other through thick and thin. Whenever one of them faced a challenge, the other was right by his side, offering support and encouragement,” she wrote alongside throwback pictures featuring her, Dilip Kumar and Sunil.

The Aarop actress went on to acknowledge Sunil and Dilip Kumar’s generosity, dedication and compassion. “Despite their iconic status and luxurious lives, Dilip Sahib and Dutt Sahab never turned a blind eye to the struggles of their fellow members in the film fraternity. They were always at the forefront, burning the midnight oil together, whether it was tackling industry-wide issues or facing crises head-on. Their dedication knew no bounds, whether it meant discussing solutions at three or four in the morning,” she wrote.

In the latter part of the post, Saira recalled her lighthearted banter with Sunil on the sets of different films they had worked on together.

“Ever since we first met, Dutt Sahab and I were offered many films together, especially from the South, but unfortunately, the projects never materialized. Eventually, when we were doing Padosan, Sunil Dutt raised his hands in dismay and exclaimed, ‘Sairaji, what is this? We are doing such comedy together whereas we both should have starred in a magnificent romantic subject such as Anthony & Cleopatra,’” she recounted.

The 79-year-old actress penned a couple of paragraphs on her experience of working with Sunil in Raj Khosla’s 1976 family drama Nehle Pe Dehla. She mentioned that the shooting of the film took place at Sunil’s bungalow. Since they were neighbours at the time, the actress could see the shooting venue from her make-up room. This arrangement enabled the assistant director of the film to whistle for Saira whenever it was time for her to film her scene.

This mode of interaction between Saira and the assistant director prompted Dilip Kumar to make a humorous suggestion about a bridge being built between the two bungalows. “When Dilip Sahib saw this constant buzzing of the whistle, he laughingly suggested that a bridge should be built across the two walls for me to quickly go across into the shooting instead of walking the slope,” she wrote.

Saira noted how Sunil was in the habit of cracking jokes before doing any romantic scene with her during the filming of Nehle Pe Dehla. “He was such a comedian that whenever we had to do any romantic scenes in Nehle Pe Dehla, which was a very glamorous film for me, Sunil Dutt would share the romantic shot with me but first tease me by calling out to his assistants, ‘Aarey Bhai! Hum log romantic scene karney waley hain, toh sabsey pehley ek plate main achchi pyaaz laao. Let us start the scene with eating onions.’ He was such a brat,” the actress signed off.

Sunil last appeared in Rajkumar Hirani's 2003 satirical comedy-drama Munna Bhai M.B.B.S., which starred his son Sanjay in the lead. The actor-politician died on May 25, 2005, at his residence in Bandra, Mumbai.