Indian Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan was stabbed during a fight with an intruder in his home early Thursday morning and underwent surgery at hospital, media reports say.
The 54-year-old actor was taken to hospital from his home in Mumbai, the country's financial and entertainment capital, where he lives with his wife, film star Kareena Kapoor, and their two sons.
Two of the six wounds were deep, one near the spine, the Press Trust of India news agency reported, citing a statement by a doctor from Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai.
Indian media quoted police as saying the intruder broke into the house around 2:30 a.m. local time and fled after stabbing Khan. She said a female employee of Khan's home was also injured in the attack and is currently undergoing treatment.
The police are investigating and have started looking for the attacker.
In an Instagram post, Kapoor said that while the family appreciates the outpouring of support, they are asking for privacy. She wrote that the constant paparazzi coverage and attention was “not only overwhelming, but also posed a significant risk to (their) safety.”
Bollywood star
Khan, one of the country's most profitable stars, is the son of former Indian cricket captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi and actress Sharmila Tagore. His daughter from his previous marriage, Sara, is also a Bollywood actress. He and Kapoor have two young sons and are one of Bollywood's most famous couples.
Khan, who is also a film producer, has appeared in around 70 films and TV series. He played in several significant films and series, including: Holy games — Netflix's first Indian production — which was released in 2018.
He has won many awards for his roles in Hindi cinema, including seven Filmfare Awards. In 2010, he received the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award.
Following the attack, film stars and opposition leaders called on police to tighten security measures in the city.
“If such influential people with… security can be attacked in their homes, what can happen to ordinary citizens?” Clyde Crasto, spokesman for the Nationalist Congress Party, asked X.
Actress and director Pooja Bhatt also called for an increased police presence in the suburbs where the attack took place – home to many in the film industry.
“The city, especially the queen of the suburbs, has never felt so unsafe,” she said in X, using a popular description of the fashionable Bandra district.
Mohit Rajhans, a Toronto-based writer and broadcaster who has met Khan in the past, told CBC News the attack sparked a broader discussion about social media policing surrounding Bollywood stars.
Such performers, he said, are at the center of “paparazzi culture,” in which support often translates into fans gathering around stars' homes and, in some cases, physically fighting security personnel to get closer to them and their families.
“If you know the real celebrity culture of Bollywood, you will start to realize that there is a huge amount of… privacy that these stars have had to sacrifice as a result of the multimedia culture,” he said, noting that things as personal as flight details and daily movements should be tracked and recorded.
“Many of these stars, whether they're leaving restaurants or just on vacation, are starting to see their lives translated online 24/7. And this could pose a security risk,” Rajhans said.