Back in 2001, Shyam Benegal released Zubeidaa, a film that soon became a cult classic. Featuring Karisma Kapoor, Rekha, Manoj Bajpayee, and Surekha Sikri in key roles, the movie was based on the real-life journey of actress Zubeida Begum.
The screenplay was penned by journalist Khalid Mohammed, who is Zubeida’s son. What unfolded on screen was a tale of glamour intertwined with heartbreak, family conflicts, and lingering mysteries that continue to haunt even decades later.
A star’s rise and a tragic fall
Zubeida Begum was a well-known actress of the 1950s. But her life came to an abrupt end on 26 January 1952, when she died in a plane crash alongside her husband, Maharaja Hanwant Singh of Jodhpur. While officially marked as an accident, whispers of conspiracy have never really faded. Even today, locals claim her spirit lingers in the halls of Ummid Bhavan Palace, where fragments of her unfulfilled story seem to echo.
Why did her family resist her film career?
Born into a wealthy and influential Muslim household, Zubeida grew up in an artistic environment but faced strict opposition from her father, Qasim Bhai Mehta, a successful businessman. He disapproved of her acting ambitions, which caused major rifts within the family.
Reports suggest she was once cast in the film Usha Kiran opposite Geeta Bali, but the project never materialised. Legend has it that her father stormed the film set with a pistol, forcing the shoot to be cancelled. Soon after, he arranged her marriage with the son of a family friend. From this marriage, her son Khalid Mohammed was born, but the union ended in divorce.
How did her royal marriage change her fate?
Zubeida’s second marriage to Maharaja Hanwant Singh brought her into the Jodhpur royal household. But acceptance did not come easily. Being a Muslim woman, she was reportedly asked to convert to Hinduism in 1950, taking the name Vidya Rani. Even then, the royal family resisted embracing her.
The Maharaja eventually left Ummid Bhavan to live with Zubeida at Mehrangarh Fort. Their relationship was passionate but short-lived, ending in tragedy with the 1952 plane crash that killed them both.
A family marked by sorrow
The grief didn’t stop there. Years later, their son Rao Raja Hukum Singh met a gruesome end in 1981. His body was found brutally mutilated, with his severed head thrown onto a street in Jodhpur. His violent death added yet another dark chapter to Zubeida’s already tragic legacy, a mystery that still remains unsolved.
Highlights:
- Zubeida Begum, actress of the 1950s, died in a plane crash with Maharaja Hanwant Singh.
- Despite converting to Hinduism, she was never fully accepted by the Jodhpur royals.
- Her son Rao Raja Hukum Singh was brutally murdered in 1981, deepening the family’s tragic history.