9 Bollywood Divas And Their Royal Connection

An ex-model, Sonal who stunned everyone by her performance in the debut movie Jannat, is one of the princesses of the royal Chauhan Rajput family of Manipuri, Uttar Pradesh, besides her three siblings. Her father, a police inspector, belongs to the dynasty which is said to be conservative and traditional by thoughts. Nevertheless, she has come out of that cocoon and is creating vibes across Hindi, Telugu, Kannada and Tamil film industries. She still walks as show stopper for various prominent designers.

The glamorous heroine of 70s and 80s, Parveen Babi owing to her charming look, was speculated to be in relationship with many celebs of her time. And how can’t this be! She was considered as a sex symbol of her era along with actress Zeenat Aman. But when it comes to her family background, she was born in a feudal aristocratic family, whose ancestors hailed from Junagadh, Gujarat’s historical Pathan community, better called as the royal Babi dynasty.

Blessed with two maverick parents – Sharmila Tagore (a veteran actress) and late. Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi (former Indian captain), Soha Ali Khan is the youngest princess of the elegant Pataudi family. Her elder brother, Saif Ali Khan is the 10th Nawab of Pataudi (he took the charge soon after the demise of his father, the 9th Nawab) and this refers to the lineage of rulers of the former princely Pataudi state in Northern India. Soha’s paternal grandmother, Sajid Sultan, was Begum of Bhopal.

Bhagyashree, who started with a promising note in Bollywood with Sooraj Barjatya’s directorial Maine Pyaar Kiya, belongs to the royal Marathi family of Sangli in Maharashtra. Her father, Vijay Singhrao Madhavrao Patwardhan is the current king of Sangli. The actress is married to a Sindhi businessman Himalaya Dassani and has now dedicated her time towards the growth of their organizations, one of them being related to the uplifting of poor girls.

Producer, director and wife of Aamir Khan, the ‘Mr. Perfectionist’ of Bollywood, Kiran Rao was born in Telangana to the parents who are the descendants of the respected Wanaparthy rulers. She is the grand-daughter of J.Rameshwar Rao, Raja of Wanaparthy, Mahabubnagar district. Aditi Rao Hyadri is her maternal first cousin. Lagaan: Once Upon A Time In India, Taare Zameen Par, Swades: We, the People, Talaash and Saathiya are some of her remarkable works as a filmmaker.

The My Husband’s Wife female lead, Alisha Khan has the royal blood of Mohammad Nawab Ghaziauddin Khan aka Wazir Ghazi-ud-din, who was the founder of the city of Ghaziabad in Delhi NCR. She had started her career by featuring in various music videos after which she was signed in for the movie.

Recognised for her acting prowess in noted films such as Bombay, Akele Hum Akele Tum, Khamoshi: The Musical and Dil Se.., Manisha Koirala’s origin is from Nepal. She was born to a prominent Koirala family, whose past two ancestors – father B.P.Koirala and paternal grandfather’s brother Girija Prasad Koirala and M.P Koirala, have served as Prime Minister of the state.

A proficient Bharatnatyam dancer-cum-actor, Aditi carries the culture of two majestic families – one inherited from the family of Sir Muhammad Akbar Nazar Ali Hydari (Akbar Hydari) and the other from the Wanaparthy dynasty. She is the grand-niece of Muhammad Saleh Akbar Hydari, former governor of Assam. Her maternal grandparents are Raja J Rameshwar Rao, the former administrator of Wanaparthy state and Shanta Rameshwar Rao, a recognised educationalist of Hyderabad and the then chairperson of publishing house Orient Blackswan.

The sister duo – Raima and Riya have a good foothold both in Hindi and Bengali cinema, though they are more prominent in the latter than former. In spite of acting in few Bollywood films, they are well-known nationwide as the daughters of the acclaimed director Moon Moon Sen and grand-daughters of yesteryear actress Suchitra Sen. It is not only that they belong to family of actors, but also are the daughters of the royal family of Tripura led by Bharat Dev Varma. Their paternal grandmother and great-grandmother were the princess of Cooch Behar and Baroda, respectively.