Saira Banu and Sanjay Dutt.

Actor Sanjay Dutt is celebrating his 65th birthday on Monday, and veteran actress Saira Banu is marking the occasion with a special anecdote from his childhood.

On Monday, the actress took to her Instagram stories and shared a throwback image of a young Sanjay with her late husband, Dilip Kumar.

Alongside the picture, Saira recounted a charming story from when Sanjay was a child.

The actress penned a note over the picture as she shared a story from the time when a young 'Sanju' expressed his wish to marry her.

Saira wrote: "@duttsanjay has always been like a family to me. My entire family, starting from Ammaji to Aapaji, to Sahib, and to me, we've watched him grow from a tiny toddler into the remarkable person he is today. I still remember when Nargis Aapa would come to our house for functions, and he would accompany her, this cute, good-looking kid.”

The actress continued, "Nargis Ji would then shake his hands and say, ‘Chalo, Saira Ji ko bolo tum kya bolte ho mujhe?’ And then Sanju would look at me and say, "Main Shaila Banu se shaadi karunga" in a cute little voice. Hahahah, so adorable! I believe Sharmila Tagore and I were the top favourites of Sanju. ‘Many hands make light work’, and we've all cherished being part of his journey.”

Saira expressed that Sanjay holds a special place in her heart, concluding with, "With all my love and blessings, I wish him a very happy birthday.”

Indo-Asian News Service