Saif Ali Khan is known for his unfiltered nature off-screen and his ability to deliver dry humour spontaneously. Recently, he once again demonstrated why he is a favourite among interviewers as he opened up about his “struggles” growing up in the Pataudi Palace as the son of the last recognised titular nawab, Indian cricket legend Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi. He also revealed that he used to steal money from his father’s pocket, only to be caught by his mother, veteran actor Sharmila Tagore.
During his appearance on the chat show Two Much with Akshay Kumar, Saif was asked by hosts Twinkle Khanna and Kajol about his upbringing. “When Akshay was hustling for tips in Bangkok, Saif was taking money out of his father’s wallet,” Kajol pointed out. In response, he said, “Because he (his father) wouldn’t notice, but my mother would. She always knew.” As Akshay asked why he stole from “Tiger” Pataudi, the Jewel Thief actor said, “I wasn’t a very good boy; I was very naughty.”
When Kajol asked if he had sneaked the money for food, the National Award-winning actor in him suddenly awoke, and he began narrating his “struggles.” “They weren’t feeding me,” he said, cracking everyone up. Twinkle then pointed out that he grew up in palaces, hearing which Saif quipped, “They were unpainted palaces. It was a big struggle. It was tough. It wasn’t air-conditioned.”
As the topic shifted to Akshay’s upbringing, Twinkle recalled the time he took her to see his grandmother’s house in Chandni Chowk, Delhi, where he grew up. “It was a small 10 ft x 10 ft room. She told me that 13-14 of you would stay there,” she shared, hearing which Akshay corrected her that the right number was 24.
During another interview earlier this year, he had spoken at length about his childhood growing up in the small house . “We were 24 people living in the same house in Chandni Chowk. We all would sleep in the same room. In the morning, when we woke up for exercise, everyone would jump over each other to get out,” he told news agency ANI.
His family later moved to Mumbai. “I swear to God, there wasn’t a single day where we did not smile or laugh. Now, that we have money, sometimes we feel a bit sad but at that time, there was nothing to be sad about, We would have dal chawal, jeera aloo, aloo gobhi, bhindi, we would eat all of this and we were happy,” the Jolly LLB 3 star added.
