It doesn’t happen quite often that the Prince & Princess of UK comes to India to attend events. So obviously, Bollywood is excited about royal couple Prince William and Kate’s visit to Mumbai for a fundraiser event.
The event (to be held at Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai) is going to be attended by all the big names of Bollywood – Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Rishi Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai, Farhan Akhtar, and even cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar.
The event, organised by the British Asian Trust, will raise funds for three charities – Magic Bus, Doorstep, and India’s Childline.
The Royal family in UK is aware that Bollywood is an important part of the cultural fabric of India, so the couple is delighted to have this opportunity to meet India’s most influential people from the film, sport and business fraternities.
Indian Royal Families in Bollywood
You will be surprised to know that Bollywood has some stars with royal blood running through their veins. Yes, that’s right!
Its the power of Bollywood that attracts people (of all stature), not just from India, but from all over the world
Let’s take a quick look of some of the Nawabs (Kings) in Bollywood!
The Pataudis
I guess this is the easiest one. Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi (former India cricket captain) had married Indian actress Sharmila Tagore. Their son Saif Ali Khan is often referred to as the ‘Chote Nawab’, although hw was crowned the nawab of Pataudi (after his father’s death). Saif’s sister Soha is also an actress.
Raima and Reema-Sen
Now this may come as a surprise to many but Raima and Reema Sen (daughters of actress/politician Moon Moon Sen) actually belong to the royal family of Tripura. Their actual surname is Dev Verma and their roots go back to the royals of Baroda. Their paternal great-grandmother was the only daughter of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III of Baroda.
Aditi Rao Hydari
The beautiful Aditi Rao Hydari is still trying to establish herself as an actress in Bollywood (the big movies are still eluding her). But from her surname, you could probably guess that she’s from a royal family. Aditi is part of the family of Muhammad Saleh Akbar Hydari. She is the great granddaughter of Akbar Hydari. The family headed the state of Wanaparthi.
Alisa Khan
Alisa Khan is a newcomer in Bollywood. She has worked in a few movies (but they didn’t do well at the Box Office) and also endorses a few beauty products.
Alisa belongs to the royal lineage of Mohammad Nawab Ghaziauddin Khan (entire Ghaziabad in Delhi NCR is named after this nawab).
Danny Denzongpa
Danny Denzongpa himself is not of Royal lineage, but he married Gawa Denzongpa, a Sikkimese princess and niece of the last chogyal (monarchs of the former kingdoms of Sikkim).
Jacqueline Fernandes & Sheikh Hassan bin Rashid Al Khalifa
Not many are aware that Jacqueline Fernandez dated the Bahraini prince for a couple of years before parting ways with him (the actress reported became too ambitious). Later, Jacqueline was even linked to director Sajid Khan.
Well, you never know, Jacqueline could go back to the Sheikh; after all, not everybody gets the opportunity to be tagged a princess in their lifetime.
