After Bade Miyan SRK, it was Chote Miyans turn to get into scuffle with South African NRI

Saifs first solo hit The brawl inspired aspate of jokes on twitter. One user posted: "This was Saif Ali Khans first solo hit." "Breaking News: WWE talent scouts after Saif Ali Khan to sign a5- year contract," said another user. Another joke went: Shah Rukh Khan has some competition now from Saif Ali Khan. Bhala uska 'bash- up' mere 'bash- up'se safaid kaise? "Saif Ali Khan has assaulted a South African in the TAJ. Seems like TAJ hotel is a pretty unSAIF place," was still another remark in jest. "And this is the man some people have chosen as their Nawab! Not a"saif" choice, I say!" another user said.

œ STAFF REPORTER Mumbai After Shah Rukh Khan, it is the turn of actor Saif Ali Khan to get into a midnight scuffle. At the receiving end were a South African businessman and his father- inlaw, who were allegedly assaulted by 'Chhote Miyan'in Wasabi restaurant at Taj Mahal Hotel in Colaba, allegedly for protesting against the raucous chatter of the actor and his friends.

After remaining 'untraceable'all day, Saif was arrested in the evening from his lawyers chamber at Nariman Point. From here, he was taken to Colaba police station with Mumbais paparazzi in hot pursuit. Top police officers were already waiting for the actor outside the police station, besides the media and scores of fans.

The 41- year- old actor and his two friends have been booked for causing grievous hurt. Ninety minutes later, the actor left, having secured bail after furnishing a surety of Rs 15,000. In the afternoon, the police had sent a team to Saifs house and after failing to locate him there, had ordered him to appear before it as early as possible. Saif was virtually declared 'wanted'for assaulting South African NRI Iqbal Sharma, who is also the director general and CEO of the Trade, Industry & Investments of South Africa.

Khan professes to be innocent and claimed that the

charge against him was " false;" that it was he who was assaulted; and that the ladies with him had been abused.

The actor and the two other accused - film star Amrita Aroras husband Shakeel Ladak and film producer Bilal Amrohi - in their statement recorded by the police blamed Sharma for starting the fracas.

" There was an ugly incident last night when my friend and the ladies with us were abused and I was assaulted.

I was hit and was only defending myself," Khan said, adding, " I don't think any gentleman would have behaved any differently." " I am confident that justice will be done. I think they

( the police) have the CCTV footage from the restaurant. I have seen the interviews given by the complainant and they look like decent people.

I cannot believe that they were so aggressive the night before and the lies that they are uttering about me with such straight faces," the actor said.

Sharma, however, rejected the actors claim and said the truth will come out during the investigation.

Sharma told FPJ that Saif was having dinner with 10 friends when the South African NRI, who was also having dinner on the adjacent table with his family, objected to the loud noise coming from the actors table. It is learnt that Karishma Kapoor, Kareena, Mallaika Arora Khan and Amrita Arora were on Saifs table.

Says Sharma, " I complained to the management that Khan and his guests were making a lot of noise. Soon after that we left the table.

However, four people from the same group, including Khan, approached me at the staircase, and told me that I should not have complained against them. They said there was no need to object to the noise. They pushed me and when my father in law tried to intervene, he was warded off. Khan then punched me on my nose. No well mannered person will behave the way Khan behaved with us." Refuting Sharmas statements, Mahesh Vaswani, advocate of Ladak and Amrohi, said, " Sharma objected to the noise, but Khans family told him to go to a library if they wanted silence. He then abused a woman accompanying the Khan family, which instigated the fight. Let the police investigate the matter." The Colaba Police said that they had recorded Khans statements and the court will now summon him. Saif has been involved in public spats earlier, too, including with some photojournalists in Patiala in September 2008. The actor has won the Padma Shri award, which did not go down well with the Bishnoi community in Rajasthan as he is accused of killing a blackbuck - an animal the Bishnois hold sacred.