Saif in a brawl: Story in pics

Actor Saif Ali Khan has been released on bail after paying Rs. 15,000 on Wednesday night after a case was registered against him by a man named Iqbal Sharma, who said Saif broke his nose in a fight at 12.30 am. Iqbal had his injury treated at south Mumbai's GT Hospital before filing a complaint at 4am.

Here's a look at how the things unfolded on Wednesday.

Iqbal Sharma, a businessman from South Africa, who was seated near Saif at the restaurant last night, said he asked the actor to speak softer. Saif reportedly retorted that if Iqbal wanted quiet, he should visit a library. The fight then turned physical. In his police complaint, Iqbal said that two men who were with Saif also attacked him.

He told NDTV, "They were making a lot of noise. And we asked the management to ask them to be quiet so that we could also enjoy our evening. This failed on about three occasions at least. And then we decided to go downstairs...We were going down, Saif was coming up so we crossed each other and he sort of accosted me, called me names and said that why are you complaining, this is not a library...Then we exchanged some words and then he pushed me."

The Mumbai police later said that Saif's girlfriend, actor Kareena Kapoor, was with him when the fight broke out.

In this pic we can see Kareena's back.

She was spotted leaving Saif's apartment building in a white Mercedes.

Till 5 pm, the Mumbai police was trying to track down Saif who was unreachable. Assistant Commissioner of Police, Iqbal Sheikh said CCTV cameras had not captured the incident but the footage could help to establish that Saif was at the restaurant.

The police then said, when found, Saif will be questioned first and a token arrest is likely after which he will get bail at the police station.

The actor has been booked under Indian Penal Code 325 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt), a bailable offence.

There was tight security outside the Colaba police station after reports started coming in that Saif along with his girlfriend Kareena Kapoor will be reaching the station in the evening after a meeting with their lawyers.

Tight securty was in place at the Colaba police station ahead of the actor's arrival. Scores of fans and onlookers were gathered outside to catch a glimpse of Saif and Kareena.

The surge of cameras and the crowd that had gathered for a glimpse of Saif Ali Khan made it almost impossible to get a good look at the actor as he arrived at the Colaba police station at 8 pm on Wednesday evening.

Girlfriend and co-star Kareena Kapoor accompanied him. 90 minutes later, the actor left after having paid Rs. 15,000 and being granted bail.

Around 7.50 pm Saif was arrested by the police at his lawyer's office based on a complaint by a man named Iqbal Sharma.

Then came reports that the couple had other Bollywood friends with them - Kareena's sister Karisma Kapur; Amrita Arora and her husband, Shakeel Ladak; and Bilal Amrohi, a producer.

Shakeel Ladak and producer-director Bilal Amrohi have also been accused in the complaint. They were also granted bail.

Later Saif issued a statement and said Mr Sharma was rude to the women at his table and that's when he intervened, Mr Sharma threw the first punch. "I acted in self-defence. I was hit...I've got hit on the eye," he said in a press conference. Earlier, in a press statement released just after he got bail, Saif said, "I don't think any gentleman would have behaved differently." (Full text of Saif's statement to the police)

The Mumbai Police say that security cameras at the staircase of the restaurant where the incident occurred did not capture the fight.

An exclusive image of Saif Ali Khan after the incident.

Saif Ali Khan's home production Agent Vinod is due to release on March 23 and features Kareena in the lead with him.