Saif Ali Khan reclaimed ownership of his ancestral home, the Pataudi Palace, some years ago. The property was leased out to a hotel chain by his father, the late Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi. Now that Saif is the custodian of the home, he plans to restore it and make a portion of it into a museum to highlight his father and grandfather’s achievements.
Speaking to India Today, Saif Ali Khan said, “Heritage-wise, the house belongs to different people over time. My father was born a nawab, he was a nawab. He lived life on his terms, and he was the most amazing man. He said that times have changed, and he decided to rent the house out to a hotel… I remember my grandmother telling me, ‘Never do that’. It’s got a lot of history, and that’s something I take pride in.”
“My grandparents are buried there, my father is buried there. It’s my family home. There are a lot of these old houses, we call them the darbar halls, but I find that an outdated name. I want to call it the long room, after the hall at Lord’s. This house was built by the seventh nawab of Pataudi and my father. I want to put up their cricket places and bats, and I really want to restore this house with their spirit. That’s been my dream, and it’s almost done,” he said.
Saif Ali Khan mentioned that his father had told him early on to expect a huge inheritance to fall back on. He said, “My father told me, ‘Don’t expect any kind of financial inheritance, the world has changed. What I’ll give you is a good education. I’ll pay for that, but besides that, you’re on your own.’”
While Saif’s father had leased the property to a hotel, the actor is taking his grandmother’s advice and is currently transforming a section of the property into an archive to highlight his ancestors’ achievements. Saif Ali Khan is the sole owner of the Palace and doesn’t share ownership with his sisters, Saba and Soha. This is because he was born a ‘nawab’ before privy purses were abolished.
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