Saif Ali Khan converting Pataudi Palace into a Museum? Here's what the actor says

Actor Saif Ali Khan has addressed rumors that he plans to convert the historic Pataudi Palace into a museum. The rumors had been circulating online, suggesting that Khan was considering opening the palace to the public as a tourist attraction.

In an interview with India Today, Khan clarified that he has no plans to convert the palace into a museum. He explained that the palace holds significant sentimental value for him and his family, and he is committed to preserving its heritage.

The actor mentioned that his father is buried here, and he wants to restore the place as authentically as possible.

Talking about the historic value of the Pataudi Palace, Saif told India Today, “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 There are a lot of these old houses, we call them the darbar halls, but I find that an outdated name.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.

In a recent interview with Cyrus Broacha on the Housing.com YouTube channel, Soha Ali Khan shared that their mother, Sharmila Tagore, manages the household finances to keep everything organized.

He added, “My mother sits with her hisaab-kitaab; she knows daily expenditure and monthly expenditure. For example, we whitewash Pataudi, it’s not painted because it’s a lot less expensive. And we haven’t bought anything new for a long time. It’s the architecture of the place that’s most inviting; it’s not the things, it’s not the objects,” she said.

Pataudi Palace is currently owned by Saif Ali Khan, who is married to actor Kareena Kapoor. It used to belong to his father, the late cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan. After a hotel company took over the property, Saif decided to buy it back with his own money. The palace was built by his grandfather, the Nawab of Pataudi, Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi. Saif's mother, actor Sharmila Tagore, currently lives there.

Also known as Ibrahim Kothi, the palace is located in Pataudi, in Haryana’s Gurgaon district. It features luxurious interiors and covers 10 acres, with 150 rooms, including seven bedrooms, seven dressing rooms, and seven billiard rooms, as well as grand drawing and dining rooms.

The family now uses Pataudi Palace as a vacation home and rents it out for film shoots. The recent movie Animal and Saif's streaming series Tandav were both filmed at this iconic property.