It’s not like Saif Ali Khan is slowing down his acting output, but he quietly makes a killing leasing out his ancestral property, the Pataudi Palace, to film productions. And after appearing prominently in the Prime Video series Tandav a few years ago, not to mention the Julia Roberts-starrer Eat Pray Love and Aamir Khan’s Rang De Basanti, the sprawling property was seen in the new blockbuster Animal. Directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga and starring Ranbir Kapoor, the film has emerged as a major commercial success despite middling reviews.
Fans were quick to spot the Pataudi Palace’s expansive lawns and hallway in the film. A scene in which a bloodied and shirtless Ranvijay – Ranbir’s character – walks menacingly with murder in his eyes seems to have been shot in the same hallway that was seen in a picture shared by Saif a few years ago. The trophy at the back and the photo frames on the wall seem to be intact, as does a bureau on one side of the frame. The scene in which a clean-shaven Ranvijay poses for a family picture was filmed at the property’s grounds. Last year, pictures from the Pataudi Palace set of the film were shared on social media.
Also read – Animal box office collection Day 4: Ranbir Kapoor’s blockbuster beats Jawan, Pathaan, Gadar 2’s first Monday records
Valued at hundreds of crores, the Palace was built in the 1930s by Saif’s grandfather, the Nawab of Pataudi, Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi. After the death of Mansoor Ali Khan, the property was leased to a hotel chain. In interviews, Saif has said that he didn’t inherit anything, and had to buy the property back from the chain. “So, even 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 in an interview with mid-day. Later, in an interview to Bollywood Bubble, Saif clarified his statements and said that he didn’t literally buy back the property after all. “It wasn’t really re-buying, it was like clearing a lease,” he said.
Every few months, either Saif’s wife or his sisters, Soha and Saba Ali Khan, share pictures from the Palace on social media. The family spends a significant amount of time at the Palace, where the youngest generation – Taimur, Jeh, Inaaya – are able to live more freely than they can in Mumbai. In addition to all the photos, fans got a close look at the interiors of the Palace in an advertisement for the House of Pataudi fashion label. It provided glimpses at the lavish rooms and the various antiques that they house, with Saif himself playing the tour guide.
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Ranbir Kapoor’s house in Animal is actually Saif Ali Khan’s Pataudi Palace, see inside pictures – The Indian Express
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