Be vegetarian: Saif and Kareena

Mumbai, Dec. 25: The last time he had found himself in a hospital bed, he went cold turkey on smoking. This time the turkey itself seems the culprit.

Saif Ali Khan, 38, was admitted to hospital with acute stomach pain after a solid Christmas lunch today.

And yes, he had indeed gorged on the traditional stuffed roast turkey “and eaten Kareena’s portion as well” (she is a vegetarian) before his tummy rebelled, a source said.

The menu included mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, braised vegetables and plum pudding apart from other traditional items for dessert.

“He was brought in by Kareena and some friends with acute stomach-ache, which started after lunch. He is under observation and will be released by tomorrow if all goes well,” said a doctor at Lilavati Hospital in Bandra.

Saif had been admitted to the same hospital with acute chest pain last year and was diagnosed with a slight blockage in his heart. He immediately quit smoking.

A year earlier, he had had surgery for appendicitis after suffering severe stomach pain while shooting in Malaysia.

This year the actor, who flew in from Philadelphia yesterday to be with Kareena during Christmas, will spend Yuletide between hospital sheets with his ladylove by his side.

The couple were to go off on holiday together right after Christmas and were not to be back till New Year.

This is Saif’s first Christmas with Kareena’s family although the two have been going out for nearly two years. Last year, both Bebo and the Chhote Nawab were shooting for their film Tashan in Greece.

“So this year he took a break from his shoot (in the US with Deepika Padukone for his home production) to be with Bebo’s family. I think his jetlag coupled with the rich food made him sick,” a source close to Kareena’s family said.

One of the parents of Kareena’s mother Babita, former actress and estranged wife of actor Randhir Kapoor, was Christian. Kareena, elder sister and actress Karisma, and Babita are regulars at Bandra’s Mount Mary Church, a kilometre from their home. The 300-year-old Catholic church built by the Portuguese is the oldest church in Mumbai.

“Babitaji believes in the power of the Virgin Mother and wanted Kareena and Saif blessed on Christmas after Mass,” the source said.

As a dutiful would-be damaad, Saif had been keen to please his future mother-in-law.

“He landed after a 17-hour flight and then attended Midnight Mass with Bebo (Kareena), Lolo (Karisma), and Babitaji. He stayed the night at their place in Khar and pitched in to decorate the lovely Christmas tree the family puts out every year,” the source said.

“After the Christmas lunch, a real big affair in their home, he began feeling very uncomfortable. Given his past health scares, he was rushed to hospital.”