Saif Ali Khan refutes rumours of him repurchasing ancestral home Pataudi Palace

Saif Ali Khan has dismissed rumours of him planning to buy back Pataudi Palace, his ancestral home, from a hotel chain. He also pointed out that the property’s price being Rs 800 crore is a “massive exaggeration.” The actor told Mumbai Mirror that he is the owner of the property, which was leased to Neemrana Hotels. However, after his father Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi’s death in 2011 he desired for the family to possess the palace once again. “It’s impossible to put a value to it in monetary terms because emotionally, the property is priceless. 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 (Sharmila Tagore) has a cottage there and she was always comfortable,” said Khan. This year, the actor was seen as Udaybhan Singh Rathod in the historical drama Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior, as well as Jawaani Jaaneman alongside Alaya Furniturewalla and Tabu. Khan also made a cameo appearance in Sushant Singh Rajput’s posthumous release Dil Bechara. Khan’s next project includes Bunty Aur Babli 2, touted as a “rebooted sequel” to the 2005 original, with Rani Mukerji, Siddhant Chaturvedi and debutant Sharvari. The team wrapped the shooting for the YRF comedy in September.