SRK: I feel like I'm the source of a Shakespearean farce

A day after Shah Rukh Khan is said to have roughed up the husband of his former best friend at a party thrown by actor Sanjay Dutt to celebrate the success of his film Agneepath, conflicting accounts are emerging from various eyewitnesses of what really happened at the posh Juhu lounge where many of Bollywood's A-listers were present.

Both Shirish Kunder and Khan were nonchalant following the altercation. Khan made an indirect reference to it in a tweet and Kunder kept his sense of humour on Twitter despite nursing a swollen face. In a cryptic message on his Twitter page, Khan described the whole incident as a Shakespearean farce.

"Reading stuff and watching tv...Feel like I am the source & author of a Shakespearean farce...without the poetry or the prose of course!!!," Khan tweeted on Tuesday without giving any details of his version on what happened.

The Kunder-Farah Khan camp alluded to Khan's pent up anger and frustration in their version of events and hinted that the actor, whose mega-budget film RA.One was drubbed at the Filmfare Award that he co-hosted with Ranbir Kapoor, was facing a career crisis. Khan's company Red Chillies Entertainment did win the Best VFX award for RA.One.

Kunder, who assisted director Farah Khan in editing her film Main Hoon Na in 2004 and married her the same year, was reportedly thrashed by Khan in the early hours of Monday, January 30. Khan has denied hitting Kunder.

Several versions of what actually happened at the party were reported. Khan is said to have arrived at the party around 3:30 AM straight after hosting the 57th Idea Filmfare Awards with Ranbir Kapoor who won the Best Actor trophy for his anguished portrayal of a musician in Rockstar.

According to eyewitnesses, an inebriated Kunder followed Khan around the posh Juhu lounge and bar and even entered the bathroom with him. Kunder, who was once a good friend of Khan following the actor's close friendship with Farah, had recently fallen out with the superstar. Their enmity stems partly from the fact that Khan refused to appear in Kunder's film Joker and partly from Kunder's sarcastic asides at Khan on Twitter over his mega-budget film RA.One.

An annoyed Khan allegedly pulled Kunder down on to a sofa and after a verbal duel, slapped him. According to reports, Dutt rushed to separate the two and when Kunder pushed him, he also slapped Kunder.

But Kunder and Farah have given an entirely different account of what happened. He said Khan attacked him from behind with a posse of bodyguards to protect him.