Saif Ali Khan, Bollywood’s Nawab, boasts an extraordinary lineage that weaves together two prestigious legacies: one of royal heritage and the other of intellectual brilliance. His mother, Sharmila Tagore, hails from the illustrious lineage of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. On the other hand, his father’s family shares a fascinating connection with the legendary Urdu poet, Mirza Ghalib.
As per a report in Etimes, the connection between the Pataudi family and the great Urdu poet, Mirza Ghalib, dates back to the early 19th century. In 1810, Mirza Ghalib married Umrao Begum, the daughter of Nawab Ilahi Bakhsh Khan, who happened to be the younger brother of the first Nawab of Loharu, Ahmad Baksh Khan. Decades later, in 1939, Saif Ali Khan’s great-grandfather, Nawab Ibrahim Ali Khan Pataudi, married Shahar Bano Begum, who happened to be the daughter of Nawab Amiruddin Ahmad Khan, a direct descendant of the first Nawab of Loharu, Ahmad Baksh Khan. And here’s the fascinating link- Both Pataudi and Ghalib’s families were married to Begums from the Loharu dynasty.
At the core of the Pataudi family’s extraordinary cricketing legacy stands Nawab Iftikhar Ali Khan, the final ruling Nawab of the esteemed Pataudi dynasty. Born to Nawab Muhammad Ibrahim Ali Khan of Pataudi and Shahar Bano Begum, he held the distinction of being the only Test cricketer to have represented both India and England. In 1932 and 1943, he represented the England team in test matches while in 1946 he captained the Indian cricket team.
In 1939, Nawab Iftikhar Ali Khan tied the knot with Nawab Begum Sajida Sultan, daughter of the Nawab of Bhopal. They were blessed with four children, including the legendary Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, who later became one of India’s most celebrated cricket players.
Nawab Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, affectionately known as Tiger Pataudi, took the reins of the Pataudi principality after the demise of his father in 1952, at the tender age of 11. Despite facing a tragic road accident that impaired his right eye in 1961, the indomitable spirit of Tiger Pataudi drove him to achieve greatness on the cricket field.
In December 1968, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi married the renowned Bollywood actress, Sharmila Tagore, whose lineage boasts a rich heritage from the eminent poet, writer, social reformer, and painter, Rabindranath Tagore. Sharmila had ancestral connections to him through both her maternal and paternal families. Her paternal great-grandfather, Gaganendranath Tagore, was a nephew of Rabindranath Tagore, while her maternal grandmother, Latika Tagore, was the granddaughter of Rabindranath Tagore’s brother, Dwijendranath Tagore.
Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and Sharmila Tagore have three children: Saif Ali Khan, Saba Ali Khan, and Soha Ali Khan. Saif now holds the esteemed title of the 10th Nawab of Pataudi, which he received in a symbolic pagri ceremony held in Pataudi after his father’s demise in 2011.
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