Actor Saif Ali Khan has said that reports about the purchase of his ancestral home, the Pataudi Palace, from a hotel chain are a “massive exaggeration”. He said the property is priceless and questioned the reported price of Rs 800 million.
In an interview, Saif said that since he already owned the property, he did not have to buy it back from the Neemrana group, but that other financial arrangements were made.
The actor, who recently returned to Mumbai after a quick visit to Pataudi, told the Mumbai Mirror that the estimated value is “a massive exaggeration; really a lack of communication. ‘ He added: “It is impossible to put a value on it in monetary terms because emotionally, the property is priceless. There my grandparents and my father are buried, there is security, serenity and a spiritual connection there for me. The land dates back a few centuries, but the palace that my grandfather built for my grandmother is around a hundred years old. He was the ruling monarch at the time, but private titles and portfolios have since been abolished. These are different times, that’s why my father rented it and Francis (Wacziarg) and Aman (Nath), who had a hotel in the palace, took good care of the property and were like a family. My mother (Sharmila Tagore) has a cabin there and she was always comfortable. “
Saif said the property was leased to Neemrana Hotels, but he felt the desire to have it back in the family after his father died. “So when I was offered the opportunity, I closed the remaining lease, paid, and took possession of our house again. It was a fair financial arrangement and, contrary to reports, I didn’t have to buy it again because I already had it. In my teens, I was the black sheep, so it feels good now to do this for the family and our heritage, “said the actor, adding that he rents certain parts of the property for movie shoots, so he can support himself.
Earlier, in an interview with Mid-Day, Saif said: “People have a fixed notion. For that matter, even [with] Pataudi [palace]When my father died, they rented it to Neemrana Hotels. A man [Nath] and Francis [Wacziarg] Used to run [the hotel]. Francis passed away. He had said that if he wanted (the palace) back, he could let him know. I said, ‘I want it back.’ They held a conference and said, ‘Okay, you have to give us a lot of money!’ Which I later won. “
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He added: “So even the house that I am supposed to inherit has been recovered with money from the movies. You cannot live from the past. At least we can’t in our family, because there was nothing. There is history, culture, beautiful photographs; and, of course, some dirt. It has been a privileged education. But there has been no inheritance. “
Saif described the Pataudi Palace as a “Lutyens Delhi-syle colonial, large, colonial country house” with seven bedrooms and beautiful gardens. He said the books have been restored and the family portraits are back on the walls.
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