Saif Ali Khan to turn Pataudi Palace into a museum? Says, 'My father is buried there...'

Saif Ali Khan said that at a young age, his father had warned him not to count on having a massive inheritance. 

A few years back, Saif Ali Khan took back possession of the Pataudi Palace, his ancestral home. His late father, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, leased the land to a network of hotels. Now the 54-year-old actor has ownership of the palace, he is planning to restore it and transform a part of the palace into a museum showcasing the achievements of his father and grandfather. 

In an interview with India Today, Saif Ali Khan opened up about his royal heritage and palace and 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 There are a lot of these old houses, we call them the darbar halls, but I find that an outdated name.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 added.

Saif Ali Khan said that at a young age, his father had warned him not to count on having a massive inheritance. 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.’”

Saif's grandmother advised him to turn a portion of the land into an archive to showcase his family's accomplishments, even though his father had leased it to a hotel. The Palace is entirely owned by Saif Ali Khan; his sisters Saba and Soha do not share ownership. This is because he was a "nawab" at birth, existing before the prohibition on privy purses.

On the work front, Saif Ali Khan will be seen in Devara: Part 1 released on September 27.