Pooja Pillai is an entertainment journalist with Asian Media Group, where she covers cinema, pop culture, internet trends, and the politics of representation. Her work spans interviews, cultural features, and social commentary across digital platforms.
She began her reporting career as a news anchor, scripting and presenting stories for a regional newsroom. With a background in journalism and media studies, she has since built a body of work exploring how entertainment intersects with social and cultural shifts, particularly through a South Indian lens.
She brings both newsroom rigour and narrative curiosity to her work, and believes the best stories don’t just inform — they reveal what we didn’t know we needed to hear.
Madhya Pradesh High Court rejects Saif Ali Khan’s plea in the long-running Bhopal royal property dispute.
The estate, worth £1.4 billion (₹15,000 crore), has been declared “enemy property” due to links with Pakistan.
Trial court verdict naming Saif and family as heirs overturned; retrial ordered.
Government may soon initiate takeover of key Pataudi family properties in Bhopal.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court has dealt a severe legal setback to actor Saif Ali Khan and his family by striking down a previous court ruling that recognised them as legal heirs to a sprawling £1.4 billion (₹15,000 crore) royal estate in Bhopal. The court declared the property as “enemy property,” a classification that allows the government to take control of assets once owned by individuals who migrated to Pakistan.
Saif Ali Khan’s royal inheritance in Bhopal declared enemy property after court verdictGetty Images
High court overturns 2000 verdict favouring Saif’s family
In its latest order, the High Court dismissed a trial court ruling from 2000 that had recognised Saif Ali Khan, his mother Sharmila Tagore, and his sisters Soha and Saba as rightful inheritors of the estate of Sajida Sultan, daughter of Nawab Hamidullah Khan. The challenge came from other descendants of the Nawab, who argued that the property distribution should have followed Muslim Personal Law, not state-backed recognition. The court has now ordered a retrial, directing the lower court to conclude proceedings within one year.
Saif Ali Khan with family Getty Images
Declared ‘enemy property’ over Pakistan connection
The dispute took a sharp turn in 2014 when the Custodian of Enemy Property notified that several Pataudi properties in Bhopal, including the Noor-Us-Sabah Palace and Flag Staff House, would be classified under the Enemy Property Act. This decision stemmed from the fact that Saif’s great-grandmother, Abida Sultan, sister of Sajida Sultan, migrated to Pakistan post-Partition, renouncing her Indian citizenship. Under the Act, properties linked to such individuals can be acquired by the Indian government.
An exterior view of the Noor Us Sabah Palace now listed under enemy property Getty Images
Saif’s challenge fails as deadline passes
Saif Ali Khan had managed to secure a temporary stay on the government’s move in 2015. However, the court lifted the stay on 13 December 2024 and gave the family 30 days to appeal to the appellate tribunal. As no claim was filed within the stipulated time, the properties are now eligible for acquisition by the government. The Bhopal district administration may soon begin the takeover process.
Saif Ali Khan loses claim to Pataudi family properties as court cites Pakistan connectionGetty Images
Legacy of the Pataudi family under scrutiny
The estate at the heart of the dispute includes some of Bhopal’s most valuable landmarks, not just in monetary terms but also in heritage. This legal turn of events has reignited debate around the Enemy Property Act and how it continues to affect Indian families with cross-border ties. For Saif Ali Khan, whose royal lineage has long been part of his public identity, this verdict could be a deeply personal and legal setback.
Everyone is saying it: Diane Keaton is gone. They will list her Oscars and her famous films. Honestly, the real Diane Keaton? She was a wild mash-up of quirks and charm; totally stubborn, totally magnetic, just all over the map in the best way. Off camera, she basically wrote the handbook on being unapologetically yourself. No filter, no apologies. And honestly? She could make you laugh until you forgot what was bothering you. Very few people could do that. That is something special.
Diane Keaton never followed the rules and that’s why Hollywood will miss her forever Getty Images
Remembering the parts of her that stuck with us
1. Annie Hall — the role that reshaped comedy
Not just a funny film. Annie Hall changed how women in comedies could be messy, smart, and real. Her Oscar felt like validation for everyone who had ever been both awkward and brilliant in the same breath.
2. The nudity clause she would not touch
Even as an unknown in the Broadway cast of Hair, she had a line. They offered extra cash to do the famous nude scene. She turned it down. Principle over pay, right from the start.
3. The Christmas single nobody saw coming
3.At 78, she released a song. First Christmas. Not for a movie. Not a joke. Just a sudden, late-life urge to put a song out into the world.
4. The wardrobe — menswear that became signature
Keaton made ties and waistcoats a kind of armour. She was photographed in hats and wide trousers for decades. Style was not a costume for her; it was character. People still imitate that look, and that is saying something.
5. Comedy with bite — First Wives Club and more
She could be gentle one moment and sharp the next. In The First Wives Club, she carried the ensemble effortlessly, landing jokes while letting you feel the heartbreak beneath. Friends who worked with her spoke about her warmth and how raw she stayed about life.
6. A filmmaker and photographer, not just an actor
She directed, she photographed doors and empty shops, she wrote. She loved the weird corners of life. That curiosity kept her working and kept her interesting.
7. Motherhood, chosen late and chosen fiercely
She adopted Dexter and Duke and spoke about motherhood being humbling. She was not pressured by conventional timelines. She made her own map.
8. The last practical act
Months before she died, she listed her Los Angeles home. A quiet, practical move. No drama. It feels now like a final piece of business, a woman tidying her own affairs with clear-eyed calm.
9. The sudden end — close circle, private last months
Friends say her health declined suddenly and privately in recent months. She kept a small circle towards the end and was funny right up until the end, a friend told reporters.
10. Tributes that say it plain — “trail of fairy dust”
Stars poured out words: Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler, Ben Stiller, Jane Fonda, all struck by how singular she was. They kept mentioning the same thing: original, kind, funny, utterly herself.
Diane Keaton’s legacy in film comedy and fashion left a mark no one else could touchGetty Images
So, that is the list.
We will watch her films again, of course. We will notice the hats, laugh at the delivery, and be surprised by the sudden stab of feeling in a small, silent scene. But more than that, there is a tiny, stubborn thing she did: she made permission. Permission to be odd, to age, to keep making mistakes and still stand centre screen. That is the part of her that outlives the headlines. That is the stuff that does not fade when the credits roll.
By clicking the 'Subscribe’, you agree to receive our newsletter, marketing communications and industry
partners/sponsors sharing promotional product information via email and print communication from Garavi Gujarat
Publications Ltd and subsidiaries. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time by clicking the
unsubscribe link in our emails. We will use your email address to personalize our communications and send you
relevant offers. Your data will be stored up to 30 days after unsubscribing.
Contact us at data@amg.biz to see how we manage and store your data.