Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan in hospital after assailant stabbed him 6 times, then ran away

Indian Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan was stabbed in a fight with an intruder at his home early Thursday morning and underwent surgery at a hospital, according to media reports.

The 54-year-old actor was rushed to the hospital from his home in Mumbai, the country’s financial and entertainment capital, where he lives with his film star wife Kareena Kapoor and two sons.

Two of the six wounds were deep and one near the spine, the Press Trust of India news agency quoted a doctor at Mumbai’s Lilavati Hospital as saying.

Indian media quoted police as saying that an intruder broke into the house around 2:30 a.m. local time and fled after stabbing Khan. An employee of Khan’s house was also injured during the attack and was treated, they said.

The police are conducting an investigation and have launched a search for the attacker.

Posting on Instagram, Kapoor said that while the family appreciates the outpouring of support, they have asked for privacy. The constant coverage and attention of the paparazzi, she wrote, “is not only overwhelming, but also a significant risk to [their] security.”

Among the country’s most successful stars, Khan is the son of former Indian cricket captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi and actress Sharmila Tagore. His daughter from a previous marriage, Sara, is also a Bollywood actor.

“We use the term ‘film royalty’ quite simply. It’s an actual royalty,” Asim Burney, presenter Khandaan — Bollywood Podcasthe told CBC News. He was referring to Khan’s ceremonial role as Nawab of Pataudi, a royal title drawn from his family’s history as regents. Khan inherited the title – and the palace – after his father died in 2011.

Combined with the Kapoor family – from the metaphorical “film royalty” clique that Burney says has been a part of Indian cinema for roughly 100 years – they became one of Bollywood’s most iconic couples.

Lovers of Indian cinema

But Khan’s passion for the craft and international approach also played a big role in his fame, Burney said.

Khan, who is also a film producer, has acted in about 70 films and television series, including English-language roles. He starred in several notable films and series, among them Holy games — Netflix’s first Indian production — which was released in 2018.

He has won multiple awards for his roles in Hindi cinema, including seven Filmfare Awards. In 2010, he received the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian award.

That combination of factors – their fame, security and beloved reputation – has triggered intense speculation and concern throughout Mumbai and the Bollywood community.

Emaan Khan, a Toronto-based Bollywood critic, said the couple has a lot of security given their fame. They are often referred to as the sweethearts of the Indian film industry: they are so famous and respected that the couple’s two young sons are already mini-celebrities in their own right, attracting widespread attention and adulation despite never having acted.

According to her assessment, the question of why and how the assailant would enter the family home causes the most media attention.

“In general, Bollywood is very popular, just like cricket in India. There is no reason to attack people who want to entertain,” Khan said.

“It’s rare and that’s why it’s causing shockwaves… Everyone starts thinking, ‘How did this happen to someone who was so confident?’

After the attack, movie stars and opposition leaders called on police to step up security measures in the city.

“If such high-ranking people with… security can be attacked in their homes, what could happen to ordinary citizens?” Clyde Crasto, spokesman for the Nationalist Congress Party, asked at X.

Actor-director Pooja Bhatt also called for a greater police presence in the suburb where the attack took place – home to many in the film industry.

“The city, and especially the queen of the suburbs, has never felt so unsafe before,” she told Xu, using a popular description for the trendy Bandra area.

Bollywood star, privacy concern

Mohit Rajhans, a Toronto-based writer and television host who has run into Khan in the past, told CBC News that the attack sparks a wider debate about social media surveillance surrounding Bollywood stars.

Such performers, he said, are at the center of “paparazzi culture,” where support often turns into fans gathering around stars’ homes and — in some cases — physically fighting their security details to get close to them and their families.

“If you’re familiar with the actual culture of the Bollywood star, you’ll begin to understand that there was an enormous amount of … privacy that these stars had to sacrifice as a result of the multimedia culture,” he said, noting that things as personal as their flight data being tracked and recorded and daily movement.

“Many of these stars, whether they’re leaving restaurants or simply on vacation, are starting to see their lives translated online 24/7. And that could be a security issue,” Rajhans said.