The nawab of Bollywood, Saif Ali Khan, was recently making headlines for paying a huge amount to a hotel chain, Neemrana Group of Hotels, to buy back his ancestral home located in Pataudi, Haryana. As per reports, the actor was there for nearly a month settling down the deal his father had made with the hotel group, giving the property on lease for Rs 800 crore, while enjoying the idyllic life back there. However, these all turns out to be a “massive exaggeration” and “miscommunication”, as tells the owner of the property Saif Ali Khan himself.
Quashing the rumours, the actor said, “It’s impossible to put a value to it in monetary terms because emotionally, the property is priceless. Contrary to reports, I did not have to buy it back because I already owned it.”
To Saif, Patauti Palace is very close to his heart and he is spiritually connected to it, “My grandparents and father are buried there, there’s security, serenity and a spiritual connection there for me. The land goes back by a few centuries, but the palace that my grandfather built for my grandmother is around a hundred years old. He was the ruling monarch then, but since then, privy purses and titles have been abolished. These are different times, which is why my father leased it out and Francis (Wacziarg) and Aman (Nath), who ran a hotel in the palace, took good care of the property and were like family. My mother has a cottage there and she was always comfortable.”
The nawab of Pataudi also revealed how much he wanted to buy back the palace after his father’s demise in 2011, “So, when I was offered the chance, I wrapped up the lease that was left, paid up and took possession of our home again. It was a fair financial arrangement. In my teenage years, I was the black sheep, so it feels nice now to do this for the family and our heritage.”
Meanwhile, on the professional front, Saif is soon to commence shoot for his upcoming project ‘Bhoot Police’. The actor has recently wrapped up the shoot of ‘Bunty Aur Babli 2’ last month, and has his mythological masterpiece ‘Adipurush’ lined up for a 2022 release, where he will be essaying the role of a menacing villain
