Celebrities are often subjected to public scrutiny. In India, especially, Bollywood celebrities are papped and judged for everything that they do. Whether they are hitting the gym or stepping out for a meal with their friends, they are constantly and closely monitored for their actions, opinions, and even lifestyle. While there’s no denying the fact that they are more privileged than most of the Indian population, they do have their own share of struggles and troubles.
In a recent interview with Mid-Day, actor Saif Ali Khan opened up about how he earned back Pataudi Palace from the money he made in films. After the death of his father Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, the palace was rented out to Neemrana chain of hotels. Speaking about it, he said, “People have a certain fixed notion. For that matter, even [with] Pataudi [palace], when my father died, it got rented to Neemrana Hotels. Aman [Nath] and Francis [Wacziarg] used to run [the hotel]. Francis passed away. He’d said that if I wanted [the palace] back, I could let him know. I said: ‘I want it back’. They held a conference, and said, ‘Okay, you have to give us lots of money!’ Which I then consequently earned.”
He went on to add that, unlike popular opinion, he didn’t inherit his ancestral property, but earned it back. “The house I’m supposed to have inherited has been earned back through money from films. You can’t live off the past. At least we can’t in our family, because there was nothing. There is history, culture, beautiful photographs; and, of course, some land. It has been a privileged upbringing. But there’s been no inheritance,” he added. Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, and their son Taimur, often spend their holidays at the Pataudi Palace. In fact, this year, Kareena celebrated her birthday with the Khans and her sister Karisma Kapoor at the palace.
The actor went on to talk about his childhood and his early days. “I was born and raised in Bombay. My father lived with my mother in her flat. He had just finished playing cricket. His last Test series was when I was four/five. My mother says he was bunking his responsibilities. His mother was looking after things in Bhopal and Pataudi. She’d got old. So we moved to Delhi to live with her,” he reminisced.