Getty ImagesPopular Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan has undergone surgery and is out of danger after he was stabbed by an intruder at his home overnight, his team has said.
The attack took place early Thursday morning in an exclusive neighborhood in the Indian city of Mumbai, where Khan lives with his family.
City police told BBC Marathi that the actor was injured after a fight broke out between him and an unidentified man who entered his house sometime after midnight.
The police have formed a team to investigate the case.
“Khan has come out of surgery and is out of danger. He is currently recovering and doctors are monitoring his progress,” Khan’s team said in a statement.
Speaking to reporters after the operation, Dr. Nitin Dange of Lilavati Hospital, where Khan is admitted, said the actor “suffered a major injury to the thoracic spinal cord due to a knife stuck in the spine”.
“An operation was performed to remove the knife and repair leaking spinal fluid. Two other deep wounds on his left hand and another on his neck were repaired by the plastic surgery team,” he said.
Khan is married to Bollywood star Kareena Kapoor Khan and the couple has two children. The family has yet to make any public statements, but Khan’s team said they were safe.
The exact details of the assault have not yet been clarified. The police have stated that “an unknown person” had entered the actor’s home.
“After that, an argument broke out between Khan and the intruder,” Mumbai Deputy Police Commissioner Dixit Gedam told BBC Marathi.
Khan’s team said it was a case of “attempted burglary” but did not share more details.
“We ask the media and fans to be patient. This is a police matter,” they said.
Getty ImagesWho is Saif Ali Khan?
Khan, who made his Bollywood debut in 1993, works primarily in Hindi cinema and is known for his quick wit and comic timing.
Among his popular films are romantic comedies like Dil Chahta Hai and Kal Ho Naa Ho and more recent action dramas like Tanhaji and Devara: Part 1.
His role as the antagonist in Omkara, a critically acclaimed 2006 film adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello, was widely appreciated.
Khan comes from a family of former Nawabs who ruled Pataudi, a small princely state on the outskirts of Delhi, and is married into a family of film stars.
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 some years.
Khan’s wife Kareena comes from a family of famous actors, directors and producers who have been active in Bollywood for almost a century.