Saif arrested for assaulting a businessman

[Mumbaiker]

The only thing that gets my goat is the repeated claim that the businessman "said some 'things' in front of the women" - this is such an Indian way of swaying public sympathy, as all you need to do is drag women's virtue into an argument between men or indeed anybody and that's automatically supposed to restore the said party to rights in everybody's eyes...

Kareena, Malaika and Amrita can handle business - I'm pretty much sure these women weren't gawping, broken witnesses in all the verbal mud-slinging and such like. They're women who've dropped some of the edgiest, verbose comments themselves before - about all kinds of people, all over the media. These women aren't going to melt and cower in the face of any old discourse. To top it off they're as much an intrinsic part of the Hindi film elite as Saif, which hardly ever begs humility in social situations.

Tajdar Amrohi, whose son Bilal was also arrested and later granted bail on Wednesday, told TOI, "It is an unfortunate incident. The NRIs wanted mileage and have managed to gain it by seeing themselves on national news. I am told the senior gentleman started the scuffle and Saif and his group only reacted. Besides they were also passing filthy comments against the women on Saif's table."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Strong-case-against-actor-Saif-Ali-Khan-say-police/articleshow/12010782.cms

I refer to my aforementioned again. Knew they'd keep re-using this crap in defence.

[desigal90]

India TV today telecast a picture of Saif in a torn shirt sitting inside Taj restaurant soon after the scuffle with Iqbal Sharma. Police procured this photograph from the hotel management in course of investigation, reported the TV channel.

At a press conference for his upcoming flick Agent Vinod, Saif said: "This is not a publicity stunt. I hope this matter gets sorted out soon. I feel sorry for what has happened."

Malaika said: "Saif has given his statement, and I'm happy that he got a chance to give his side of the story. We want people to know that it wasn't a one-sided brawl."
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Entertainment/Tabloid/Saif-Ali-Khan-in-torn-shirt-post-brawl/Article1-816276.aspx#.T0dRmprXofA.facebook

The picture is in the article link.

[desigal90]

Another statement by Saif.
This one's entirely in hindi, so I'll just translate the gist of what he's saying.
He says that sometimes there are situations where you behave in a way that you feel was justified, but later on feel that maybe it should have been best if avoided. And that he apologizes for setting a bad example because celebrities have a camera on them 24/7, and they need to be model citizens, but he's only human.
And that this is not a publicity stunts, because who would want this kind of negative publicity on them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KYH53nISpg

[Sanyogita]

Didn't Saif say that he had nothing to do with the NRI's  father-in-law during the press conference? And that the NRI punched him? He has now made a statement that it was the father-in-law who hit him first. Seems pretty contradictory to me.

A satirical article on the incident, heavy-handed, but amusing nonetheless.

[Honeycomb]

Trying to follow the accounts of who hit first, and who did what to who is becoming dizzying...

 I watched the press conference and although I don't speak Hindi, it looked like pretty good damage control on Saif's part.  Saif's calm body language and mild tone of voice indicate that he's a really great actor actually make me believe that he knows that things have gotten out of hand, and he's sorry for it - also that it might have been blown out of proportion by the Indian media, which is nothing less than we can expect from them..

[LinKarish]

I don't think the complainants were as calm and collected as they are now saying they were. I think they had a hand in whatever physical shuffle that happened as well. As I said before, you can see how they left a lot of the earlier details out in that NDTV interview.

However, I still think it escalated most likely due to Saif's party, and the fault lies mostly with his party.  I haven't watched that latest vid, but I agree that Saif knows things have gotten out of hand, and knows he himself was a party to it.  However he's also trying to spin it so that it comes out more favourable on his side.  But overall, I agree... he does know things got out of hand... and on his part as well.

[Aishwarya4eva]

I don't think the complainants were as calm and collected as they are now saying they are. I think they had a hand in whatever physical shuffle that happened as well. As I said before, you can see how they left a lot of the earlier details out in that NDTV interview.

However, I still think it escalated most likely due to Saif's party, and the fault lies mostly with his party.  I haven't watched that latest vid, but I agree that Saif knows things have gotten out of hand, and knows he himself was a party to it.  However he's also trying to spin it so that it comes out more favourable on his side.  But overall, I agree... he does know things got out of hand... and on his part as well.

I agree with you. I don't think any of us believe it was one-sided. I mean, they both have injuries to prove it, but it's so childish to play this game of 'oh he started it,' just be adults and tell the truth. We're all human. It'll look a lot better on whatever party just tells exactly what happened, especially if it was their fault because people will respect that. But to lie and twist the story in your favor just makes things worse, especially when you're a public figure.

And can I just say....the two Khans, Saif and Shahrukh, have been doing so much brawling lately I'll bet Salman is feeling pretty good about himself right about now.

[Darshana]

Didn't Saif say that he had nothing to do with the NRI's  father-in-law during the press conference? And that the NRI punched him? He has now made a statement that it was the father-in-law who hit him first. Seems pretty contradictory to me.

A satirical article on the incident, heavy-handed, but amusing nonetheless.

I love that article!! I think it's truly clever!  starting with megaphone.

[Aishwarya4eva]

^ OMG I am DYING of laughter at that article. Whoever came up with this I bow to them. If only I could come up with something that funny.

[latishya]

Didn't Saif say that he had nothing to do with the NRI's  father-in-law during the press conference? And that the NRI punched him? He has now made a statement that it was the father-in-law who hit him first. Seems pretty contradictory to me.

A satirical article on the incident, heavy-handed, but amusing nonetheless.

That was a terrible attempt at satire. Clearly the writer has no appreciation for delicacy or subtlety, and there were so many clunky, long-winded sentences. The whole 2/7ths thing was a total dud. A GOOD satirist could have done wonders with the incident, but that guy certainly isn't one.

[desigal90]

The lady finally comes to his defense. Kareena's own words.

Saif was provoked: Kareena Kapoor

I haven't spoken about what happened that night, but now I feel I should because whatever is being said is completely one-sided. This man (Iqbal Sharma) is publicity-hungry. How can a man with a broken nose and jaw speak continuously on TV for more than 10 hours?

Saif was provoked. He's a thorough gentleman and would never get into a brawl, especially with women around.

We were having dinner at Wasabi (a restaurant in Mumbai) when Iqbal stormed into our corner and started screaming at us. The only people present at that time were Sharma's group and ours. We were laughing and talking, but certainly not screaming! There was no reason for this man to come to our table and shout at Saif. Even so, Saif said sorry but he continued to rant.

Now he's saying he didn't know that there were actors present at the table. But his wife Tarina (who has acted in "Dhol" and "Bhool Bhulaiyya") and Malaika had greeted each other just a little while before! The funny thing is when Tarina saw her husband making a scene, instead of stopping him she got into the lift and ran away!

The fight happened when Iqbal was returning from the washroom and Saif was going down. Iqbal pushed Saif and the old man joined in. When Shakeel (Ladak) and Bilal (Amrohi) saw this, they came to his rescue. Saif is very respectful towards seniors and he knows how to behave in public places. I am not saying this because I am in a relationship with him. It's a fact.

Saif was also hit and has a swollen eye. He has given a statement and each one of us stand by it. We were witness to what happened and this is a sure case of Saif being targeted because of his celebrity status. It's disgusting!

An insider account...

You've heard Saif Ali Khan's version and you've heard Iqbal Sharma's version. DT has an insider's account of what really happened. As for the CCTV footage that everyone is waiting for - it is simply not there.

" Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Karisma Kapur, Malaika Arora Khan, Amrita Arora Ladak and another guy (Amrita's husband Shakeel) arrived at Wasabi for dinner post drinks at Harbour Bar. Iqbal and his guests were already there and had more or less finished dinner. Saif and gang were very noisy, so Iqbal complained to the Maitre d'. The manager closed the curtains of the private dining room, but the noise was still too loud. After some time, Saif went to the washroom. When he returned, Iqbal abused him. That's when Saif and he got into a scuffle, leading to the actor breaking Iqbal's nose and ripping his kurta.

While the restaurant staff gave Iqbal a Wasabi shirt to wear, an old couple who was with Iqbal reprimanded Saif for his behaviour. The senior lady actually went up to Saif to give him a piece of her mind, so Saif said he was sorry. She said, "Tell them, not me." Saif said, "Forget it" and walked out. When the other guy in Saif's party was walking out, he passed the old lady's husband who muttered, "Terrible!" or something like that. The man turned around and slapped the old man, who fell down.

Post that, everyone left, so Iqbal asked the hotel's security what to do. They told him he could file a report, but it was better to let things be. Following this, Iqbal went to the hospital and discovered that his nose had been broken, so he filed a police report. All this happened around midnight. The police came to the hotel at 3am and asked the restaurant staff for details of what happened. Everything, except what happened at Wasabi, is on CCTV, as the hotel likes to keep dining areas free of cameras."

source : TOI

[Aishwarya4eva]

The only people present at that time were Sharma's group and ours. We were laughing and talking, but certainly not screaming! There was no reason for this man to come to our table and shout at Saif. There was no reason for this man to come to our table and shout at Saif. Even so, Saif said sorry but he continued to rant.

This is so untrue! Saif NEVER said he apologized when the guy came over, not in that press conference anyway. He said that he told the guy 'if you want quiet, go to a public library'? That doesn't sound like an apology to me! Bebo and Saif really need to learn how to conspire together, gee whiz.

[desigal90]

After some time, Saif went to the washroom. When he returned, Iqbal abused him. That's when Saif and he got into a scuffle, leading to the actor breaking Iqbal's nose and ripping his kurta.

So twice eh? First at the table, then again here.
Its pretty obvious that BOTH sides were at fault here. So why the constant slant against Saif? And Sharma needs to cool down already. He kept provoking people as well just becuase they were too loud.
The guy is a hot shot businessman who has an affiliation with the South African government.
I see equal power dynamics here. And an equal set of EGOES to match.
This isnt a case of Saif went in and smashed a poor man's nose or a middle class man's nose.

[Aishwarya4eva]

I keep saying time and time again that I don't believe nor do I thing ANYONE here believes it was all Saif's fault or all the businessman's fault. Or that it was a one-side fight. And clearly your story has changed because two pages ago Saif was almost completely free of guilt. I'm just pointing out the blatant LIES coming out of both Saif and his girlfriend's mouth. For God's sake they're contradicting each other! Considering they're dating you'd at least think they'd get together to work something out so their stories would be the same!

Anyway it sounds like the real flare up happened when words were exchanged coming back from the washroom, and it sounds like Bebo doesn't even believe the guy's nose was broken by Saif ('oh if his nose was broken, how could he talk?') when the staff clearly confirmed that he did. I'm just saying these people need to tell the truth because when they get caught lying like this it just makes them look totally dumb.

[Honeycomb]

I'm totally confused.

If Mr Sharma's party was about to finish their dinner,  wouldn't they just want to get out of there instead of starting a brawl over the noise??
In my book there's a bit of fight-mongering here. As another fellow New Yorker(where there's always a loud party somewhere), common sense dictates that if you're in a public place, and there's a party who's very rowdy, and won't quiet down despite the shushing of the staff you just get the hell out of there because it's not going to end well.

I don't know who pushed who first, but something doesn't sit well with any of these versions.

[desigal90]

Aishwarya4eva, you are quick to point out Saif and Kareena's contradicting statements, yet you dont sense any contradictions in the other side?

I was just listening to both the wife and husband's interviews.

The WIFE claims - Saif hit my father, a senior citizen.

The HUSBAND claims - Shakeel hit my father in law.

CLEARLY a discrepency here, dont you think?
BOTH sides are tweaking the story. Sharma's side came all out making it seem liek they were poor innocent victims who Saif bashed up when they "politely" asked him to tone it down.
Even the insider witness says that Iqbal abused Saif.
But according to Iqbal's story, Saif stormed at him saying, "Do you know who I am?"

No wonder Shobha De defended Saif on national television, that woman doesnt give two hoots about these celebrities. She's known to publically criticize them in her writings.
Salman also recently said that the Media has been very unfair with Saif and has completely painted him the villain.
And yes, I know no one on bollywhat thinks is one sided, but unfortunately, the majority who are watched television that entire first day it happened, were bombarded with just one side of the story. And a false one at that.

Honeycomb, glad you also feel that something about htese versions is off.
Without a doubt, even Kareena & Saif's versions are skewed, but I have NO problems beliving that
A) Saif also got hit, because it was clearly visible
B) He was also attacked, becuase there is a photos of him with torn clothes that TOI managed to get.
C) Saif did NOT hit ht senior citizen, becuase that much is clear even in the other party's story. Saif only got into a fight with Sharma. Only the wife said Saif slapped my dad.
D) And there was DEFINITE provocation from the other side. Like I said, no one is THIS shallow that they would punch a guy in the face just becuase they were asked to keep their voices down.

[James]

I'm just pointing out the blatant LIES coming out of both Saif and his girlfriend's mouth. For God's sake they're contradicting each other! Considering they're dating you'd at least think they'd get together to work something out so their stories would be the same!

Have you ever been involved in an altercation before, Aishwarya4eva? Or been a witness in court or anything like that? Actually, it's usually when people all agree perfectly that one must worry about lies because that indicates they've gotten together and planned their testimony in advance. People remember events differently, memories are coloured by emotions, we don't see or hear events as clearly as others depending on emotional involvement, vantage point, etc., and you can have 20 honest eye-witnesses to the same event who will tell 20 different stories, which is why eye-witness testimony is generally considered in law to be very unreliable. Thus the police saying that they would have had a strong case if they had the CCTV footage.

I'm not taking a stand one way or the other, either, as to what happened here. It'll go to court and there will be more in depth information revealed at that time. However, Kareena Kapoor contradicting something Saif Ali Khan says does not indicate stupidity or lies, but actually increases her credibility insofar as it appears she's telling the truth as she remembers it.

[desigal90]

Salman comes out in support of Saif.
Amrita & Malaika are Arbaaz's in laws.

http://youtu.be/0iNmI3D7KBM?t=3m21s

[victoria]

Salman comes out in support of Saif.
Amrita & Malaika are Arbaaz's in laws.

http://youtu.be/0iNmI3D7KBM?t=3m21s

Coming from Salman? What a glowing recommendation

What bothers me about this whole thing is the way that they keep saying Iqbal "abused" and "provoked" Saif. Getting angry and yelling at someone does not give them license to hit you. And if Saif snapped because the guy delivered a low blow verbally, that makes him human but it still puts him at fault. There are very very few scenarios (and they'd have to get quite personal) where hitting someone because they were yelling at you would be justified.

[tabula rasa]

The WIFE claims - Saif hit my father, a senior citizen.

The HUSBAND claims - Shakeel hit my father in law.

CLEARLY a discrepency here, dont you think?

Ah, actually, no. The wife's father WOULD be the husband's father-in-law, yes?

[Darshana]

^ 2 different hitters, similar names

[tabula rasa]

^ 2 different hitters, similar names

Who? I thought it was Iqbal and his father-in-law, and the wife who apparently ran off in the lift.

This is all very confusing...

[mala]

Who? I thought it was Iqbal and his father-in-law, and the wife who apparently ran off in the lift.

This is all very confusing...

Hahaa, I figured it out.  The emphasis was on the wrong words.  Try reading it like this:

The wife claims - SAIF hit my father, a senior citizen.

The husband claims - SHAKEEL hit my father in law.

So one person is saying Saif hit the elderly man, and the other person is saying that it was Shakeel who hit him.

[Sanyogita]

Hahaa, I figured it out.  The emphasis was on the wrong words.  Try reading it like this:

The wife claims - SAIF hit my father, a senior citizen.

The husband claims - SHAKEEL hit my father in law.

So one person is saying Saif hit the elderly man, and the other person is saying that it was Shakeel who hit him.

Maybe both of them hit the poor old man? 

[desigal90]

Haha, yeah sorry, I put the emphasis on the wrong names.
Victoria, if you listen to Saif's recent appearance nad what he says, he does say that he's sorry that he behaved the way he did, even if at the time he felt like he was justified. He said that celebrities should set a better example, and that they always have a camera on them, and he's sorry that he set a wrong example for his fans, but he's only human.
But what he did say was that every coin has two sides, and that no one bothered to hear his side of the story.