How Pataudi Palace maintains its royal grandeur on a budget, Soha Ali Khan reveals details

Soha Ali Khan recently shared some interesting details about her family’s royal heritage and their historic residence, Pataudi Palace, in an interview with Cyrus Broacha on the Housing.com YouTube channel. The palace, which is managed by her brother Saif Ali Khan, has been in their family for generations, and Soha offered insights into how they handle the maintenance of the large property.

Soha mentioned that her mother, veteran actress Sharmila Tagore, is in charge of overseeing the household accounts. She takes care of all the finances, making sure everything runs smoothly. Soha said, “My mother sits with her hisaab-kitaab (account books); she knows the daily and monthly expenses. For example, we don’t paint Pataudi Palace. Instead, it’s whitewashed because it’s much cheaper.” She added that they haven’t purchased any new items for the palace in a long time, as it’s the architecture that makes the place special, not the objects inside it.

Soha also shared a fascinating story about her grandfather, Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, who started building the palace but ran out of money during the construction. As a result, certain parts of the palace have carpets instead of marble floors. She humorously revealed that her responsibility at the palace is managing the "generator room," which she referred to as a two-bedroom unit.

The palace, known as Ibrahim Kothi, is located in Pataudi, Haryana, and was originally constructed by Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, Soha’s grandfather. The property spans 10 acres and features 150 rooms, including bedrooms, billiard rooms, dressing rooms, and opulent dining and drawing rooms. Saif Ali Khan, who inherited the palace from his father, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, now owns it and uses it as a vacation home. Interestingly, Saif had to buy back the palace after it was taken over by a hotel company, and he did so with his own earnings.

Currently, the palace also serves as a popular filming location. Movies like Animal and Saif’s streaming series Tandav have been filmed there. Despite the palace’s grandeur, the family’s careful management of the property highlights their focus on preserving their heritage while being mindful of expenses.

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