Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan says he does not believe in titles and is still getting used to being referred to as a Nawab. The 42-year-old actor assumed the honorary title of the 10th Nawab of Pataudi at a ceremony in October 2011, following the death of his father Mansoor Ali Khan. “Nawab of Pataudi just reminds me of my father and somehow does not sound right in reference to me. I do take it seriously but I don’t really believe in titles. We are a democratic country and the time for such titles is gone. I don’t think it suits a film actor,” Saif told PTI during a visit to London to promote his next film ‘Race 2’. His father, the former cricketer referred to as Tiger Pataudi, was to have an annual lecture named after him but the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to formalise plans around it. Saif’s mother, Sharmila Tagore, had written to BCCI president N Srinivasan last November expressing her displeasure over the reluctance to officially name the India-England series after her late husband and the delay in instituting the Pataudi Memorial Lecture. “I’m not sure what the BCCI is doing but Lord’s (Marylebone Cricket Club) has named the India-England trophy after my father. They also had an amazing evening at the Long Room last year to celebrate his life, which he would have been very proud of. I think that is enough,” Saif said in reference to the MCC’s decision to commission the Pataudi Trophy back in 2007 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the first-ever India-England Test series in 1932. Saif returns as Ranvir Singh in the sequel to his 2008 box office hit when ‘Race 2’, which also stars John Abraham, Anil Kapoor and Deepika Padukone.
