Saif Ali Khan comes out of Colaba police station in Mumbai on Wednesday. (Fotocorp)

Mumbai, Feb. 22: Agent Vinod has apparently done what any gent would do: break the nose of he who dares insult his lady.

Saif Ali Khan, awaiting the release of his “action spy thriller” Agent Vinod, was arrested on the charge of assaulting an Indian-origin businessman at the Taj Mahal hotel for complaining that the actor and his friends, who included Kareena Kapoor, were too loud at Wasabi last night. Wasabi, the Japanese restaurant, was rebuilt after the 26/11 attack, the brunt of which was borne by the Taj Mahal Palace.

The actor was freed on a bail bond of Rs 3,000 soon after the arrest. But he turned himself in only after 8pm today, which ensured that television channels had a full day to themselves to replay the charges many times over. Not all actors awaiting a movie release in exactly a month (March 23) are blessed with such attention, which promotional tours can never fully guarantee.

Saif later filed a counter-complaint and said he had defended himself after he was assaulted and ladies with him were “abused”. “I don’t think any gentleman would have behaved differently,” he said.

He was booked for assaulting South African businessman Iqbal Meer Sharma (picture on Page 4) and his father-in-law. Saif allegedly did not take kindly to guests on the next table complaining of too much noise from the actor and his group of 10-12 friends.

Saif was booked under Section 325 (voluntarily causing grevious hurt) of the IPC after Sharma, a former deputy director-general of South African Trade and Investment, lodged a complaint at Colaba police station. Sharma fractured his nasal bone in the alleged assault, according to a police officer who cited a medical report.

Section 325 is a bailable offence, which means the police can grant bail without taking the accused to a court. But the charge provides for a maximum seven-year imprisonment along with fine.

The police could not find the actor when they went to his Bandra house. His girlfriend Kareena cancelled her shooting in Film City to dodge the media. Saif surrendered at the police station in the evening.

According to the complaint, the actor, who was apparently having dinner with “a boisterous group of friends”, punched Sharma and his friends rained blows on him and his 68-year-old father-in-law.

Sources said Kareena’s sister Karisma, friend Amrita Arora, her husband Shakeel Ladakh and Salman Khan’s sister-in-law Malaika Arora were among the group.

Assistant commissioner of police Iqbal Shaikh said the charge was filed against Saif and two unknown others as the women present during the brawl were not involved. The two others arrested were later identified as Bilal Amrohi, the grandson of Kamaal Amrohi (maker of Pakeezah and Meena Kumari’s husband), and Shakeel. They were also granted bail along with Saif.

Upset at the alleged humiliation meted out, especially to his father-in-law who underwent a bypass surgery recently, Sharma ruled out accepting a mere apology from the actor. “The time for apology has clearly passed now. He should have apologised last night itself, but now we will continue with the criminal proceedings,” Sharma said.

Sharma said six members of his family were dining at Wasabi last night when they were disturbed by the “rowdy and raucous” group at the next table. “They were loud and rowdy. We asked the waiters and management to keep the noise down a little bit. (When that did not happen) we decided to move downstairs and asked the waiters to get our food and drinks to the lower floor of the restaurant. When we were walking down, Saif, who probably had gone to the toilet, was walking in, and he called me an ‘idiot’ and pushed me hard,” said Sharma.

He was part of the 230-member trade delegation accompanying South African President Jacob Zuma when he arrived on a bilateral visit to India in June 2010.

“He said things like ‘you don’t know who I am. He said ‘if you want quiet, then go to the library’. When he pushed me aggressively, my father-in-law intervened. He and three of his friends who joined him from the table then punched and attacked. He fell down the stairs. His left jaw and arm were hurt and my nose was fractured,” said Sharma, whose nose was bandaged.

Sharma’s father-in-law Patel said after he escorted his son-in-law downstairs with a profusely bleeding nose, one person from the group returned and punched him hard on his left jaw. “You don’t expect this kind of behaviour from celebrities and people who are held in high esteem by the public. They were very rowdy. That kind of behaviour is not right,” he said.

Asked if the actor and his friends were inebriated when the brawl took place, he said: “We don’t know if they were intoxicated, but sober people don’t behave like that.”

The South African consulate distanced itself from the incident. “Sharma is no longer a part of the government. He is a businessman, and this is a private citizen. In fact, he has not informed us that he is in Mumbai,” said a spokesperson for the consulate.

Late tonight, Saif issued the following statement: “There was an ugly incident last night where my friends and the ladies with us were abused and I was assaulted.

“I was hit and I defended myself. I have been to the police station to answer the requirements of law as I am a law-abiding citizen. I have also filed a complaint about what happened last night and I am confident justice will be done.

“I have seen the interviews given on TV and they look like decent people and I cannot believe that the same people were so aggressive the night before and the lies that they are saying about me with such straight faces.

“I think they have the CCTV footage in the restaurant that will prove everything.

“I hope the media is able to remain impartial while the matter is being decided. I don’t think any gentleman would have behaved differently.”

ACP Shaikh said that “Wasabi has a customer privacy policy and hence CCTVs are not installed in the restaurant. However, there are CCTVs in the lobbies and passages of the Taj hotel. Tomorrow, we will scan the footage and see what we can get.” According to Sharma, the brawl took place in the narrow passage leading from the upper lobby to the lower lobby of Wasabi restaurant.

The arrest took place a day before Saif is scheduled to unveil the tournament trophy of Bridgestone World Series Hockey, a joint initiative of Indian Hockey Federation and Nimbus Sports.