Popular Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan has undergone surgery and is out of danger after being stabbed by a home intruder overnight, his team said.
The attack occurred early Thursday morning in an affluent neighborhood in Mumbai, India, where Khan lives with his family.
City police told BBC Marathi that the actor suffered injuries after a scuffle broke out with an unidentified man who entered his house after midnight.
Police have formed a team to probe the matter.
Khan’s team said in a statement, “Khan has undergone surgery and is out of danger. He is currently recovering and doctors are monitoring his progress.”
Speaking to reporters after the surgery, Dr Nitin Dangji of Lilavati Hospital, where Khan was admitted, said Khan “suffered major injuries to his thoracic spinal cord due to a knife being lodged in his spine.”
He said, “I had surgery to remove the knife and treat spinal fluid leaking,” and “two deep wounds on my left hand and another on my neck were also treated by the plastic surgery team.”
Khan is married to Bollywood star Kareena Kapoor Khan and they have two children. He said his team was safe.
his wife He later said this on his Instagram story: It was “an incredibly difficult day for our family” and they were still “trying to process it”.
She “respectfully and humbly” asked the media and paparazzi to “refrain from making reckless speculations and reports.”
She added: “We appreciate the interest and support, but the constant scrutiny and attention is not only overwhelming but poses a serious risk to our safety.”
“We ask that you respect our boundaries and give us the space we need to heal and cope as a family.”
The exact details of the assault are not yet clear. Police said that an ‘unknown person’ entered the actor’s home.
“An altercation then broke out between Khan and the intruder,” Mumbai Police Commissioner Dixit Gedam told BBC Marathi.
Khan’s team said this was a case of ‘attempted theft’ but did not share further details.
He continued, “We ask for the understanding of the media and fans,” and added, “This is a police matter.”
Khan, who made his Bollywood debut in 1993, works primarily in Hindi films and is known for his wit and comic timing.
Some of his popular films include romantic comedies like Dil Chahta Hai, Kal Ho Naa Ho and recent action dramas like Tanhaji and Devara: Part 1.
His role as the antagonist in Omkara, the 2006 critically acclaimed adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello, was widely appreciated.
Khan comes from the former Nawab family that ruled Pataudi, a small princely state outside Delhi, and married into a family of movie 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 younger sister Soha Ali Khan has also appeared in films over the years.
Khan’s wife Kareena comes from a famous family of actors, directors and producers who have been active in Bollywood for nearly 100 years.
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