Rajputs protest against Zubeidaa

Kamla Bora in Jaipur

Ace film director Shyam Benegal's Zubeidaa faced sharp protests in Rajasthan, opposing the portrayal of the Maharaja of Jodhpur, Hanumant Singh.

Police had to provide tight security at the cinema theatres screening the film featuring Karisma Kapoor, Rekha and Manoj Bajpai to avoid any disturbance in Jaipur and Udaipur.

Police had to use mild force to disperse a demonstration by Rajput youths who were turning violent outside the Prem Prakash Cinema, Jaipur. The protestors had damaged a police vehicle parked outside the cinema hall.

However, the film screened at that cinema hall went on undisrupted. A heavy police picket has now been deployed outside it.

Similarly Rajput youths staged a noisy protest outside the Chetak Cinema in Udaipur forcing police to deploy heavy force to protect the screening of the film.

According to Shyam Benegal, the film was inspired by the life of Jodhpur Maharaja Hanumant Singh who died with his paramour Zubeidaa when the plane he was flying crashed in 1952.

Tight police security arrangements were made in Jodhpur too when the film was released in Kalpataru Cinema hall, as Rajput student leaders staged protest demonstrations and released statements in the local papers.

Maharana of Udaipur, Arvind Singh, also reportedly opposed the portrayal of the Jodhpur Maharaja in the film.

Benegal has repeatedly clarified that although the film had been inspired by the late Jodhpur Maharaja's life, the storyline was completely fictional, written by Khalid Mohamed, who is Zubeidaa's son.

Maharaja Hanumant Singh, married twice - first with royal princess Krishna Kumari from Dhrangdhara in Saurashtra and then with an English nurse Sandra McBride.

However, he was reportedly infatuated with Zubeidaa who was his constant companion during his last days, when he was contesting the first general elections from two seats for the Lok Sabha and the state assembly. When the results were declared after his death, he had won both the seats with resounding margins.

Maharaja Hanumant Singh is also remembered for his dealings with Mohammad Ali Jinna, who gave him a paper and a pen to write his conditions for merging his state with Pakistan and the same would be accepted on the spot.

The Maharaja signed papers to join India.