Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan denied starting a fight in which he is accused of breaking a man’s nose at a luxury hotel in Mumbai, saying he was acting in self-defence. Khan said the brawl began when his girlfriend, actress Kareena Kapoor, and other companions were verbally abused by fellow diners at the Wasabi Japanese restaurant in the Taj Mahal Palace hotel. “There was an ugly incident where my friends and the ladies with us were abused and I was assaulted,” Khan said in his first reaction to the incident. “I was hit and I defended myself,” he added. Saif Ali Khan also publicly said sorry for the incident.
He also clarified that the incident has nothing to do with the promotion of his forthcoming film ‘Agent Vinod’. “Whatever I had to say, I had cleared yesterday. It shouldn’t have happened. It was an unfortunate incident. In a way I would like to say sorry for whatever happened.” Khan, who was released on bail Wednesday after being charged with voluntarily causing severe hurt, is accused by South African businessman Iqbal Meer Sharma of pushing him and breaking his nose. Police said Sharma claimed he was punched in the face after a “heated argument” with the actor over allegedly “rowdy and raucous” behaviour by Khan and his friends.
“I have been to the police to answer the requirements of law as I am a law-abiding citizen,” Khan said. “I have seen Sharma’s interviews on TV. They look like decent people. I cannot believe how aggressive they were on that night and the lies they are telling about me with such straight faces,” he added. Khan has filed a return complaint alleging Sharma started the incident.