Sharmila's transition from an actress to 'begum'
by IANS
Bhopal: Sharmila Tagore's transition from an acclaimed Bollywood actress to the matriarch of the former royal family of Bhopal was evident during her recent visit to this City of Lakes, where she settled family feuds and intervening in issues relating of the Haj.

Sharmila, known as Begum Ayesha Sultana to people here, was in Bhopal for the first time since the death of her husband, former India cricket captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, in September.

She stayed here for four days Dec 27-30 and met Pataudi's sister Saleha Sultan, 71, and Arjuman Ali Khan, husband of another sister Sabiha Sultan, 69, to settle their decades-old property dispute.

After the death of Pataudi's mother Begum Sajida Sultan, the last nawab begum of Bhopal, the cricketer was recognised as the head of the royal house. However, Saleha and Sabiha have been fighting for what they claim is their share of the ancestral heritage....more    
12:36 PM, Jan 02, 2012