Saif Ali Khan shares how he had to earn back ancestral Pataudi Palace from a hotel chain

Mumbai, March 16 (IANS): Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan, the son of Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and Sharmila Tagore, shared that he had to earn back his ancestral palace in the town of Pataudi in Haryana, after it was rented to a hotel chain when his father passed away.

According to a media report, Saif addressed the many assumptions regarding his inheritance of the stunning Pataudi Palace from his father.

"People have a certain fixed notion. For that matter, even (with) Pataudi (palace), when my father (Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi) died, it got rented to Neemrana Hotels."

"Aman (Nath) and Francis (Wacziarg) used to run (the hotel). 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!" Saif said in the interview.

The Jawaani Jaaneman star said that he had to earn back the palace he was supposed to have inherited.

"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."

"There is history, culture, beautiful photographs; and, of course, some land. It has been a privileged upbringing. But there's been no inheritance," he said, reports said.

What's special about Pataudi Palace?

According to web reports, the palace was built 81 years ago. It was built in 1935 by the eighth Nawab and the former cricket legend Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi Ali Hussain Siddiqui.

It is said that the palace costs a whopping INR 800 crore. It has over 150 rooms and over 100 people work here.

Iftikhar's son and Saif's father Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi had the palace renovated by an international architect.

The palace has several big grounds, stables and garages. After the renovation, Saif had shared a photograph of the palace.

Apart from a big drawing-room, the palace has seven bedrooms, dressing and billiard rooms, web reports said.