NEW DELHI—Popular Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan was repeatedly stabbed and seriously injured by an intruder at his Mumbai home on Thursday, but doctors treating him said he was out of danger after surgery.
“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.
Khan, 54, suffered stab wounds to his spine, neck and hand but was “on the path to a full recovery,” doctors treating him told reporters.
Dr. Nitin Dhanji from Mumbai’s Lilavati Hospital, where Khan was being treated, told reporters after the surgery that Khan had “severe injuries to his thoracic spinal cord due to a knife being inserted into his spine.”
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“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.
Police and local media said the attack occurred early on Thursday morning when Khan tried to stop intruders from breaking into his apartment in Mumbai’s Bandra area.
Mumbai Police Deputy Commissioner Dixit Gedam told reporters on Thursday that police had identified the attackers and started a search.
“The defendant tried to enter through the fire escape. This appears to be an attempted robbery.”
Khan is one of India’s most popular actors. He has appeared in over 70 films and TV series, including “Dil Chahta Hai,” “Kal Ho Naaho,” and Netflix’s first Indian production, “Sacred Games,” which was released in 2018. He is known for his role in the hit romantic comedy.
Khan is also a descendant of royalty. He comes from the former royal family of Nawabs that ruled the small princely state of Pataudi on the outskirts of New Delhi. His father Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi was a popular cricketer in the 1960s. His mother Sharmila Tagore is a veteran actress who has appeared in notable Hindi and Bengali films.
Khan is married to fellow actor Kareena Kapoor and is one of the most popular couples in Bollywood. They have two young sons and Khan has a daughter from a previous marriage to another Bollywood star, Sara Ali Khan.