Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan has allegedly called a Johannesburg businessman an “idiot” before punching him.
|||“You are an idiot! If you want peace and quiet, go to a library!” Those were the words South African businessman, Iqbal Meer Sharma, says that Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan uttered – before allegedly punching him in the face and breaking his nose at the Taj Hotel, in Mumbai.
Khan, 41, and two others were arrested last night by the Colaba police and charged with assault for the incident on Tuesday night.. They were later released on bail, assistant Commissioner of Police, Iqbal Shaikh said.
Sharma, a former deputy director-general in the department of trade and investment, was in Mumbai to celebrate his third wedding anniversary with his South African-born Bollywood actress wife, Tarina Patel, who is in India shooting a movie.
Sharma, who lives in Johannesburg, said he was having dinner with his wife and in-laws, at the Wasabi Restaurant at the hotel.
Bollywood celebrities, including Khan, his girlfriend Kareena Kapoor, Malaika Arora Khan, Amrita Arora Ladak and a other few friends, were also having dinner and sitting directly behind Sharma’s table.
Speaking to the Daily News today, Sharma said the group was extremely rowdy and he had asked the hotel management on three occasions to ask them to consider the other diners and lower their voices.
Sharma said: “They just ignored the hotel management on all three occasions. My in-laws are elderly and could not handle the noise. We decided to leave and have our coffee in the hotel lounge, situated one level below.”
He said as they were walking down the stairs, Khan was returning from the lobby. “He looked like a madman. Like he was on drugs or something. He looked me in the eye and called me an idiot. He said if I wanted peace and quiet, I should go to the library. The next thing he threw a punch in my face. My nose broke and there was blood everywhere.”
He alleged he had fallen to the ground and Khan continued to punch and hit him. “My father-in-law, who is 69, tried to come between us. Khan pushed him and he fell to the ground. He hit him, too. Minutes later, his friends joined him and they just continued hitting us. Khan kept asking us if we knew who he was. They then walked away.”
Sharma said as they made their way to the hotel reception to contact the police, one of Khan’s friend’s returned and hit his father-in-law on the back of his head before running away.
He said he was rushed to a local hospital where an X-ray revealed he had a broken nose.
“This was like something out of a movie. Thankfully, my wife and mother-in-law were unharmed.
“Some of these Bollywood stars believe they are above the law. I will prove them wrong.”
Sharma is expected to return to South Africa on Friday.
According to NDTV news channel, Khan issued a statement shortly after his arrest.
He described it as an “ugly incident last night where my friends and the ladies with us were abused and I was assaulted”.
Khan said he had seen the television interviews and “they look like decent people and I cannot believe that the same people were so aggressive the night before and the lies that they are saying about me with such straight faces”.
He said he hoped the closed circuit television footage would reveal the truth. “I hope the media is able to remain impartial while the matter is being decided. I don’t think any gentleman would have behaved differently.” - Daily News