![\"In](\"https:\/\/images.bhaskarassets.com\/web2images\/1884\/2026\/08\/16\/comp-11_1786859204.gif\")
<\/picture><\/div>\nIn October 2011, Saif Ali Khan was declared the 10th Nawab of Haryana’s Pataudi princely state through the ‘Pagdi Rasam’ (turban ceremony).<\/span><\/p>\n It was the 1990s when a young Saif Ali Khan found himself involved in an unusual road incident in Mumbai. Saif was travelling with his partner and a friend when another car suddenly took a wrong turn and came face-to-face with theirs. What began with an angry exchange quickly turned into a street fight, with people from both cars getting involved.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In the middle of the scuffle, Saif and the other man even bit each other. But the argument ended in an unexpected way. Moments after fighting, the two men burst out laughing and hugged each other. The incident became one of the many unusual stories from Saif\u2019s younger days.<\/p>\n Neighbour became saif\u2019s \u2018second mother\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n Saif\u2019s childhood was spent in a family of celebrated personalities. His father, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, was a renowned cricketer, while his mother, Sharmila Tagore, was a leading actress.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n However, Sharmila was extremely busy with work after Saif\u2019s birth and often worked two shifts a day. During this period, their neighbour Sunita Goswami played an important role in Saif\u2019s upbringing. She was also a teacher at Saifi Mahal, Saif\u2019s school.<\/p>\n Sunita and her husband, Jatin Goswami, helped take care of Saif and were closely involved in his everyday life. Sharmila later described Sunita as Saif\u2019s \u201csecond mother\u201d<\/strong>, acknowledging the important role she played during his childhood.<\/p>\n Sharmila Tagore had stated that in Saif’s early childhood years, she couldn’t be as present for him as she later was for her daughters Soha and Saba.<\/span><\/p>\n Saif from the Nawab family used to take DTC bus to office<\/strong><\/p>\n Even though Saif Ali Khan was born into the royal Pataudi family, his life before entering films was not like that of a royal prince. After finishing school, Saif worked for about two months in an advertising agency in Delhi.<\/p>\n Interestingly, at that time, Saif’s father Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi used to let him go to work by DTC bus instead of sending him to the office in royal splendor.<\/p>\n According to an old India Today report, Saif’s father used to send him to the office by bus and gave him only 200 rupees a week as pocket money for expenses.<\/p>\n Saif Ali Khan’s father, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi (‘Tiger’ Pataudi), played a total of 46 Test matches in his international Test career.<\/span><\/p>\n Before entering films, Saif Ali Khan was working at an advertising agency in Delhi. A family friend suggested that he appear in a commercial for Gwalior Suitings. The advertisement brought him to the attention of filmmaker Anand Mahendroo, who was impressed by his appearance and personality and offered him a lead role.<\/p>\n Saif then moved to Mumbai, believing that he had finally found his entry into films. However, his debut project was eventually shelved, leaving his Bollywood journey uncertain.<\/p>\n removed from \u2018bekhudi\u2019 before its completion<\/strong><\/p>\n Saif was later signed for Rahul Rawail\u2019s \u2018Bekhudi\u2019, which also starred Kajol. However, he was removed from the film before it was completed.<\/p>\n Saif had previously said that he was forced to choose between his personal life and the film, leading to speculation that his relationship with Amrita Singh was behind his exit.<\/p>\n However, director Rahul Rawail denied this in 2026. According to Rawail, Saif was dropped because he lacked discipline and commitment towards the project. He reportedly arrived late for shoots and was not serious enough about his work at the time.<\/p>\n Saif Ali Khan had replaced actor Kamal Sadanah in the film ‘Bekhudi’.<\/span><\/p>\n He was asked to do a nude scene in \u2018Omkara\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2018Omkara\u2019 became a turning point in Saif Ali Khan\u2019s career, with his performance as Langda Tyagi earning widespread praise. He worked extensively on the role, including learning the Western Uttar Pradesh dialect. He was so committed to the character that even during a holiday in the Maldives, he spent time under an umbrella reading the script and practising his dialogues.<\/p>\n For the role, Saif also changed his familiar appearance. He cut his hair and adopted the look required for the character. His mother, Sharmila Tagore, had reportedly cautioned him about changing his appearance, hoping that director Vishal Bhardwaj had a clear vision for the character.<\/p>\n Another interesting incident took place while shooting a scene in which Saif had to deliver a long monologue in front of a mirror. Bhardwaj asked him if he would be willing to perform the scene nude.<\/p>\n The director\u2019s idea was not to show Saif explicitly but to film him as a silhouette from behind. The visual was intended to give the scene a darker and more mysterious feel.<\/p>\n Saif Ali Khan’s ‘Langda Tyagi’ character is based on ‘Iago’, the villain from William Shakespeare’s famous play ‘Othello’.<\/span><\/p>\n Saif joked about the nude scene<\/strong><\/p>\n Saif later recalled that there were several people on the set, which made him hesitate at first. He jokingly told Vishal Bhardwaj, \u201cIf you direct me nude, I will do it.\u201d Bhardwaj immediately refused, and the conversation ended on a lighter note.<\/p>\n Saif later said that, in hindsight, he felt he should perhaps have done the scene. He believed the silhouette effect could have made the sequence look even more intense and frightening.<\/p>\n Mother had warned him before marrying Amrita Singh<\/strong><\/p>\n Saif Ali Khan\u2019s first marriage was to actress Amrita Singh. Saif was around 21 at the time, while Amrita was 33, making them 12 years apart.<\/p>\n The two first met during a photoshoot where several actors had been invited. Amrita was already an established star, while Saif was at the beginning of his career.<\/p>\n During the photoshoot, Saif casually placed his hand on Amrita\u2019s shoulder. She found the gesture unusual and looked at him closely. However, there was no romantic connection between them at that point.<\/p>\n Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh got married in October 1991.<\/span><\/p>\n Saif and Amrita decided to marry within three months<\/strong><\/p>\n After their first meeting, Saif and Amrita gradually became closer. On one occasion, Saif was at Amrita\u2019s house and had to leave for a shoot but did not have any money. When he asked her for \u20b9100, Amrita gave him her car instead. She later admitted that one reason for doing so was to have an excuse for Saif to return and meet her again when he came back to return the car.<\/p>\n Their relationship soon became serious. After dating for around three months, the two decided to get married. Interestingly, they reportedly took the final decision just two days before the wedding.<\/p>\n Sharmila Tagore had advised Saif against marriage<\/strong><\/p>\n Saif later recalled that a day before his wedding, his mother, Sharmila Tagore, spoke to him about his relationship. She told him that she hoped he was happy with Amrita but also advised him not to rush into marriage.<\/p>\n Despite his mother\u2019s concerns, Saif followed his heart and married Amrita Singh.<\/p>\n The marriage lasted for nearly 13 years before the couple divorced in 2004. Saif later married actress Kareena Kapoor in 2012.<\/p>\n Preity Zinta once said Saif would be her last choice for help<\/strong><\/p>\n The devastating Indian Ocean tsunami of December 26, 2004, affected several countries, including Thailand, where actress Preity Zinta was staying in Phuket at the time.<\/p>\n In a 2018 interview with India Today, Preity recalled the terrifying experience and said she lost several close friends in the disaster. She also revealed that she was the only survivor from her group.<\/p>\n Saif and Preity have worked together in many films like Kya Kehna (2000), Dil Chahta Hai (2001), Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003) and Salaam Namaste (2005).<\/span><\/p>\n Preity said Saif would be her last choice for help<\/strong><\/p>\n On Koffee With Karan<\/em> Season 2, Karan Johar asked Preity Zinta which Bollywood celebrity she would be least likely to call for help if she were kidnapped. Preity named Saif Ali Khan. She explained that during the 2004 tsunami, Saif had messaged her asking, \u201cHey PJ, are you underwater?\u201d<\/p>\n Why Saif avoided the Pataudi surname<\/strong><\/p>\n Although Saif belongs to the Pataudi royal family, he chose not to use the surname when he entered Bollywood. In an interview with Zoom, he said he wanted to avoid putting his family\u2019s reputation at risk if his acting career failed. He therefore chose to be known simply as Saif Ali Khan.<\/p>\n Saif\u2019s road fight story<\/strong><\/p>\n Actor Kamal Sadana once recalled an unusual incident involving Saif, Amrita Singh and himself. While they were travelling by car, another vehicle suddenly took a wrong turn. Saif became angry and gestured towards the driver.<\/p>\n The disagreement soon escalated into a confrontation, with people from both cars getting out. What started as an argument eventually turned into a physical fight. Interestingly, the situation ended on an unexpected note, with Saif and the other man eventually laughing and hugging each other.<\/p>\n An old picture of Saif Ali Khan, Amrita Singh, Kamal Sadanah and Navneet Nishan.<\/span><\/p>\n After this, both got out of their cars and got into a fight on the road. Kamal and Amrita were watching this entire incident sitting on the car’s bonnet. During the fight, both angrily bit each other with their teeth, but the story didn’t end there. A little while later, both suddenly started laughing and hugged each other. After this, Saif went straight to the hospital and got a tetanus injection.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In October 2011, Saif Ali Khan was declared the 10th Nawab of Haryana’s Pataudi princely state through the ‘Pagdi Rasam’ (turban ceremony). It was the 1990s when a young Saif Ali Khan found himself involved in an unusual road incident in Mumbai. Saif was travelling with his partner and a friend when another car suddenly…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":33089,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[26495,19936,21939,24969,28744,28745,25757,28746],"class_list":["post-33088","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-7","tag-90s-bollywood","tag-bollywood-actor","tag-celebrity-controversy","tag-mumbai-news","tag-mumbai-street-fight","tag-royal-family","tag-saif-ali-khan","tag-saif-ali-khan-anecdote"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33088","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33088"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33088\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33089"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33088"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33088"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/petrolnews.in\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33088"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Sharmila](\"https:\/\/images.bhaskarassets.com\/web2images\/521\/2026\/08\/15\/befunky-sample_-_2026-08-15t163932_858_1786792256078.jpg\")
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