Saif booked under Assault case/ Kareena speaks out Pg21 - Page 15

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."

As told to Upala KBR