Media365
Saif Ali Khan’s sister Saba Pataudi was 27 when she was diagnosed with a benign brain tumour. About six months later, she underwent brain surgery. Post-surgery analysis identified the growth of a slow-growing, Grade 1 brain tumour attached to an area associated with her short-term memory. The period was extremely difficult for Saba, who received support from her mother, Sharmila Tagore, brother Saif Ali Khan and other extended family members. However, she was upset with her younger sister, Soha Ali Khan, for not being as present during that time.
Speaking on Soha’s podcast, All About Her, Saba opened up about her disappointment, while Soha explained that she was young and did not fully understand how to be there for her sister. Recalling an incident from that time, Soha spoke about how a doctor had asked Saba whom she would want to take care of her if she could no longer look after herself.
While asking Saba about her recovery, Soha said, “I remember Amma said that they asked you, God forbid, if required, who is that one person that you would want to look after you if you can’t look after yourself. You apparently thought for a very long time.”
Saba responded, “Yeah. And what was my answer? Because I don’t remember it.” Soha revealed, “Ultimately, you said Amma.” Saba agreed, saying, “I might have.”
Soha then asked, “But I don’t know who were you up against. Maybe this Japanese doctor.” Saba in the podcast had revealed that she had a crush on a Japanese doctor, who was looking after her treatment.
“I don’t think so. I maybe thinking of who would…” Saba began, before the neurosurgeon present on the show interrupted to point out that she had not even considered Soha. “She is not even saying your name,” the doctor remarked, gesturing towards Soha.
When Soha responded, “No, I was nine in my mind,” Saba explained why she had been upset with her sister during that period.
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“Soha was actually barely in touch. That is something I actually do remember being a little upset with because my brother was there. My mother was there. And like she said, she wasn’t that young. Now that she realises she was 25, she was busy with her…” Saba said.
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The neurosurgeon intervened again, suggesting that it might have been difficult for Soha to process the news that someone so close to her had been diagnosed with a brain tumour.
Saba was willing to give her sister the benefit of the doubt, saying, “We can give her the benefit of doubt.” However, she also made it clear that the incident had stayed with her. “After the show, we sisters can sort that one out,” she added.
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Explaining her feelings further, Saba said, “It was something that upset me. I think you were caught up in your life at that point and you didn’t realise.” She added, “I know you loved me and you were concerned, because I was going through a lot.” However, it affected Saba that while her cousins and extended family members reached out to her, her younger sister was nowhere in the picture.
Saba then went on to discuss her recovery following the surgery and the emotional challenges she experienced during that period. She revealed that she would often find herself crying without understanding why. “I didn’t want to be dependent on anyone. I didn’t want to become a vegetable. I didn’t want to be in a position where someone had to take care of me,” she said.
Recalling the moments leading up to her surgery, Saba spoke about being asked not to eat or drink while undergoing medical tests.
“Everybody was having a party when I was tested and told not to eat and drink. There was Amma there, then a friend of her, there was my brother. So, there was this picnic happening. I also got my periods. I was like, thanks for compounding,” she recalled.
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She continued, “I don’t remember seeing they were all there, but I remember something that was told to me. When they kind of start giving you an IV to get you prepped for the surgery, they say you are not completely unconscious. I told them, ‘Don’t wake me up, in case I have lost my memory.’ That was my last sentence. I was with Amma and there was this Sikh family that was very sweet.”
Saba is the second child of Sharmila Tagore and the late Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi.
