In the decades following Indian independence, among the many tales of princely rulers and fading royalty, none is more poignant than the story of Maharaja Hanwant Singh of Jodhpur and actress Zubeida.
Their union was dramatic, fraught with social tensions, and one that ended in heartbreak. Over time it has entered Marwar lore, myth and pop culture, perhaps the most enduring being the film Zubeidaa (2001), written by Zubeida's son Khalid Mohamed and directed by Shyam Benegal, which reinterprets the romance, palace intrigues and the fateful crash that took both their lives.
Let's start from the very beginning.
Hanwant Singh: Royalty In Transition
Born on June 16, 1923 into the Rathore dynasty, Hanwant Singh was the heir to the Marwar throne. He succeeded his father and formally took up the position of Maharaja of Jodhpur in 1947: a tumultuous period when princely states were negotiating accession into the new Dominion (later Republic) of India.
In 1943, he married Princess Krishna Kumari (of Dhrangadhra), and they had three children, including a son, Gaj Singh, who would later become Maharaja. This marriage was arranged in the old royal fashion.
Yet Hanwant Singh did not confine himself to ceremonial royalty. He had a love for polo, was vigorous and ambitious, and decided to contest both general and state assembly elections scheduled for February 1952.
The Love Affair
Amidst all this, his personal life took a dramatic turn. He had, reportedly, taken other wives, including the Scottish nurse Sandra McBryde in 1948, and the film actress Zubeida in 1950.
These were seen as secondary marriages within the royal family's customs at the time. He did, however, divorce Sandra McBryde after a brief period.
Hanwant Singh of Marwar set up a gun factory in Mehrangarh Fort. Photo: Royal Archives
But it was Zubeida's love that would lead him to move from the main palace life to Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur, somewhat apart from the royal establishment.
Zubeida: The Star Who Became A Queen
Born in 1926 in Bombay to a Muslim family, Zubeida Begum was part of India's pioneering film families. Her mother, Fatima Begum, was the first female film director in India, and her sister Sultana was among the earliest heroines of Indian cinema.
Zubeida herself became a star in the late 1920s and early 1930s, remembered especially for playing the title role in Alam Ara (1931), India's first talkie.
Her personal life, however, was no less dramatic than her screen roles. After a brief early marriage that gave her a son, journalist and filmmaker Khalid Mohamed, Zubeida found herself drawn into the world of the Jodhpur royal court through Hanwant Singh.
Despite the massive gulf between them--she was a Muslim film actress, he a Rajput ruler--the two fell deeply in love. Against all odds and fierce opposition from the royal establishment, she converted to Hinduism through Arya Samaj rites, taking the name Vidya Rani, and married Hanwant on December 17, 1950.
The union caused a storm in Rajasthan's aristocratic circles. Marrying an actress, that too one from a different religion, was seen as 'scandalous'.
Yet Hanwant stood firm. He brought Zubeida to live in Mehrangarh Fort, and for a brief time, they seemed blissfully united. The couple had a son, Hukam Singh, born in 1951. But their happiness would be heartbreakingly short-lived.
Politics, Fatigue, And The Fatal Flight
By 1951, India's first general elections were underway. The Maharaja was preparing to contest the polls in early 1952. Despite being a former ruler, Hanwant was popular in his region; many predicted he would win.
However, the campaign trail was gruelling. Hanwant barely slept, juggling royal duties, political rallies, and personal pressures. On the night of January 25, 1952, he decided to fly to Udaipur to meet supporters, taking with him Zubeida, who often accompanied him on his travels. The aircraft was a Beechcraft Bonanza: a small, single-engine plane the Maharaja often piloted himself.
In 1943, Hanwant Singh (R) married Princess Krishna Kumari. Photo: Royal Archives
In the early hours of January 26, as the country celebrated Republic Day, the plane went down near Sumerpur in the Godwar region of Rajasthan. Both Hanwant and Zubeida were killed instantly. He was just 28.
The news stunned Jodhpur and sent shockwaves through post-Independence India. Hanwant's death ended a promising political career even before it began; given that Hanwant did win the Jodhpur seat he contested from. For Zubeida, it was an abrupt curtain call on a life that had already bridged two vastly different worlds. Their son, only a few months old, was left an orphan.
The Aftermath And A Legacy Of Loss
Hukam Singh, known affectionately as Tutu Bana, was raised by Hanwant's first wife, Rajmata Krishna Kumari, who brought him up alongside her own children at Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur.
Singh studied at Mayo College, Ajmer, and remained a familiar figure in Jodhpur's social circles. But his life, too, would end tragically, he was found murdered in 1981 under mysterious circumstances, a case that remains unsolved.
For the royal family, the tragedy of 1952, and the subsequent death of Hukam Singh, became part of Jodhpur's modern folklore, often whispered in connection with fate and the cost of love that crossed boundaries.
Decades later, around 2011, parts of the wreckage from Hanwant's Beechcraft Bonanza were rediscovered.
Records note that the remains of the aircraft were stored in a Jodhpur jail cellar for years, before being proposed for transfer to the Mehrangarh Fort Museum in 2012.
What Caused The Crash
There was no official inquiry report made public, but aviation historians have suggested pilot fatigue and possible spatial disorientation as likely causes. The Beechcraft Bonanza was known to be a responsive aircraft but required precision and alertness, qualities that can fade with exhaustion.
Hanwant, running on minimal sleep and perhaps flying under dawn light, might have lost control. There was no credible evidence of foul play or sabotage.
The crash remains classified in records as an accident, though its impact was far-reaching. It altered the course of Jodhpur's political landscape, ending a romance that had defied social conventions.
The Story Retold In Zubeidaa
Nearly half a century later, the tragic love story of Hanwant and Zubeida found new life in cinema. In 2001, acclaimed director Shyam Benegal made Zubeidaa, a fictionalised retelling inspired by the real events, written by journalist Khalid Mohamed, Zubeida's son from her first marriage.
The film unfolds through the eyes of Riyaz, a son seeking to understand the mother he never knew. Through his investigation, Zubeidaa reconstructs the life of a spirited woman who defied social boundaries for love and ultimately paid the price for it.
Karisma Kapoor played Zubeidaa, while Manoj Bajpayee portrayed Maharaja Vijayendra Singh, a character based on Hanwant Singh. Rekha's role as the dignified senior queen Mandira Devi added emotional depth to the royal love triangle.
The film ends, fittingly, with a plane crash that mirrors the 1952 tragedy, symbolising how Zubeida's yearning for freedom and love met a cruel end.
With AR Rahman's haunting score and Benegal's restrained direction, Zubeidaa turned a real-life story into a poetic meditation on identity, love, and belonging.
Now, more than seven decades later, the story of Hanwant Singh and Zubeida Begum remains one of Rajasthan's most poignant tales.