Popular Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan has undergone surgery and is out of danger after being stabbed by an intruder in his home overnight, his team has announced.
The attack occurred early Thursday morning in an upscale residential area of the Indian city of Mumbai, where Khan lives with his family.
City police told BBC Marathi that the actor was injured after a scuffle broke out between him and an unidentified man who entered his home after midnight.
Police have formed a team to investigate the matter.
“Mr Khan has undergone surgery and is out of danger. He is currently recovering and being monitored by doctors,” Khan’s team said in a statement.
Dr. Nitin Dhanji of Lilavati Hospital, where Khan is admitted, told reporters after the surgery that Khan had “severe injuries to his thoracic spinal cord due to the knife being inserted into his spine.”
“Surgery was performed to remove the knife and repair the leaking spinal fluid. Two other deep wounds on the left hand and another deep wound on the neck were repaired by the plastic surgery team,” he said. said.
Khan is married to Bollywood star Kareena Kapoor Khan and the couple have two children. He said his team is safe.
His wife later said on her Instagram Stories that the day was “an incredibly difficult day for our family” and that they were still “trying to get through it.”
She asked the media and paparazzi to have “respect and humility” and “refrain from relentless speculation and reporting.”
“While we appreciate the concern and support, the constant surveillance and attention is not only overwhelming, but poses a significant risk to our safety,” she added.
“We ask that you respect our boundaries and allow us the space we need to heal and cope as a family.”
The exact details of the assault are not yet clear. Police said an “unknown person” entered the actor’s home.
“Then an altercation started between Khan and the intruder,” Mumbai Police Deputy Commissioner Dixit Gedam told BBC Marathi.
Khan’s team said it was an “attempted robbery” incident, but did not provide further details.
“We ask the media and fans to be patient. This is a police matter,” they said.
Khan, who made his Bollywood debut in 1993, has mainly worked in Hindi films and is known for his quick wit and comic timing.
Some of his popular films include romantic comedies like ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ and ‘Kal Ho Naa Ho’ and recent action dramas like ‘Tanhaji’ and ‘Devara: Part 1’.
His role as the antagonist in the acclaimed 2006 film Omkara, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello, was widely praised.
Khan is from the Nawab family that once ruled Pataudi, a small princely state on the outskirts of Delhi, and is married into a film star family.
His father Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi was a cricketer who captained the Indian team in the 1960s. His mother Sharmila Tagore is a veteran actress who has appeared in prominent Hindi and Bengali films since the age of 14.
His sister Soha Ali Khan also acted in films for several years.
Khan’s wife Kareena comes from a family of prominent actors, directors and producers who have been active in Bollywood for almost a century.
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