Pataudi Palace, the home of Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor and family, is worth Rs 800 crore and the actor had to once 'buy it back' from a hotel chain
As the titular Nawab of Pataudi, Saif Ali Khan is the head of the ruling family of the erstwhile kingdom of Pataudi. The actor’s ‘seat’, as the Nawab, is in Pataudi, which is now in Haryana’s Gurugram district. The sprawling Pataudi Palace, from where generations of nawabs ruled, has an interesting history.
History of the Pataudi Palace
The palace, also called Ibrahim Kothi, was built after Nawab Ifthikar Ali Khan Pataudi (Saif’s grandfather) wed the begum of Bhopal, merging the two families. The nawab felt that his family was too modest for the new bride and he commissioned Robert Tor Russell to design it in the style of colonial-era mansions. The Pataudi Palace is currently the residence of the erstwhile royal family during the winters.
When Saif Ali Khan had to earn back the Pataudi Palace
After the death of the previous nawab, Saif’s father Mansoor Ali Khan in 2011, the palace was rented to Neemrana Hotels. As per an HT report, Francis Wacziarg and Aman Nath,owners of the Neemrana Hotels network of “non-hotel hotels” and the late Mansoor Ali Khan worked out a 17-year lease. In an interview to India Today, Saif recalled, “Francis passed away. He’d said that if I wanted (the palace) back, I could let him know. I said that I want it back. They held a conference, and said, okay, you have to give us lots of money.”
Over the years, Saif earned throug his films to buy back his ancestral property, something he eventually managed by 2014. “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,” the actor added.
How much is Pataudi Palace worth?
Spread across 10 acres, a Hindustan Times report states that the Pataudi Palace is currently worth around Rs 800 crore. The Pataudi Palace reportedly gas 150 rooms, which includes seven dressing rooms, seven bedrooms, seven billiard rooms, and several other rooms. The property sees the nawab and his family – wife Kareena Kapoor Khan and sons Taimur and Jeh – spend a lot of time there, particularly in the winters. Saif’s sister Soha, her husband Kunal Kemmu, and daughter Inaaya also stay here from time to time, as do Saif’s two children from his first marriage – actors Sara and Ibrahim (who shares his name with the palace).
The palace has also been used as a location for the shoot of several films such as Julia Roberts-starrer Eat Pray Love, Veer Zara, and Mere Brother ki Dulhan. Saif himself filmed parts of his web series Tandav here.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Saif Ali Khan with Kareena Kapoor and Karisma Kapoor at the Pataudi Palace")
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}