Bollywood star ‘out of danger’ after attack at his Mumbai home

Popular Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan underwent surgery and is out of danger after he was stabbed by an intruder in his home overnight, his team said.

The attack occurred early Thursday morning in an upscale neighborhood in the Indian city of Mumbai, where Khan lives with his family.

The city police told BBC Marathi that the actor was injured after a fight broke out between him and an unknown man who entered his house sometime after midnight.

The police formed a team to investigate the matter.

Khan’s team said in a statement, “Khan has come out of surgery and is out of danger. He is currently in the recovery phase and doctors are monitoring his progress.”

Speaking to reporters after the surgery, Dr Nitin Dang of Lilavati Hospital, where Khan is admitted, said the actor “sustained a serious thoracic spinal cord injury due to a knife stab wound to the spine.”

He added: “Surgery was performed to remove the knife and repair the leaking spinal fluid. Two other deep wounds in his left hand and another wound in his neck were repaired by the plastic surgery team.”

Khan is married to Bollywood star Kareena Kapoor Khan and they have two children. The family has not yet made any public statements, but Khan’s team said they are fine.

The exact details of the attack are not yet clear. Police said that an “unknown person” entered the actor’s home.

“After that, an argument broke out between Khan and the intruder,” Mumbai Police Deputy Commissioner Dixit Gedam told the BBC.

Khan’s team said it was an attempted robbery but did not reveal 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, works primarily in Hindi cinema and is known for his quick wit and comedic timing.

His popular films include romantic comedies like Dil Chahta Hai and Kal Ho Naa Ho and modern action dramas like Tanhaji and Devara: Part 1.

His role as the antagonist in Omkara, a critically acclaimed 2006 adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello, was widely appreciated.

Khan comes from a family of former Nawabs that 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 fourteen.

His sister Soha Ali Khan has also worked in films for several years.

Khan’s wife Kareena comes from a family of famous actors, directors and producers who have been active in Bollywood for nearly a century.

Follow BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, twitter and Facebook