FILE photo: Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan poses on the red carpet during the second day of the opening of Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) at Jio World Centre, in Mumbai, India, April 1, 2023. - Photo: Reuters file
NEW DELHI: Famous Indian film actor Saif Ali Khan (pic), who received multiple wounds during an alleged robbery attempt at his home in Mumbai's affluent Bandra area, has been shifted out of an intensive care unit after his condition improved.
"He is doing well. His parameters have improved. He is being shifted from the ICU to a special room. We will keep visitors in check. We want him to rest," Lilavati Hospital's chief operating officer Niraj Uttamani told local media.
Khan was also given his normal diet, doctors at the hospital said.
The 54-year-old star, who has acted in about 70 Bollywood films, sustained six stab wounds to his neck, spinal cord, and hands in the attack around 2.30am on Thursday (Jan 16).
"We removed a 2.5-inch piece of knife from the spine," Uttamani said.
Khan, who belongs to the Pataudi royal dynasty, is being praised on social media for his heroics in confronting the knife-wielding attacker.
"He had blood all over. But he walked in like a lion with his young child. He is a real hero," Uttamani said.
The alleged intruder was seen on the high-rise building's CCTV escaping via the staircase.
Questions are being raised as to how the attacker was able to breach the building's security in one of the city's well-guarded areas where many film stars and affluent people live.
Khan is the son of Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, the late ninth Pataudi nawab and flamboyant cricket captain, and movie actress Sharmila Tagore.
Khan lives at the Mumbai home with his actress wife Kareena Kapoor and their two young children Taimur and Jeh Ali Khan.
He was previously married to actress Amrita Singh and has two children -- Sara Ali Khan, 29, Ibrahim Ali Khan, 23, -- from that marriage.
Police have reportedly detained a suspect in the attack on Khan.
"It has been an incredibly challenging day for our family, and we are still trying to process the events that have unfolded. As we navigate this difficult time, I respectfully and humbly request that the media and paparazzi refrain from the relentless speculation and coverage," Kareena said in a statement.
"While we appreciate the concern and support, the constant scrutiny and attention are not only overwhelming but also pose a significant risk to our safety. I kindly request that you respect our boundaries and give us the space we need to heal and cope as a family," she said.
The attack on Khan has shocked the Indian film industry as well as his fans amid growing concerns over crime in Maharashtra state's mega capital city famous as the country's film and financial hub.
In October, Ziauddin Siddique, a former Maharashtra state minister popularly known as Baba Siddique, was shot dead in the Bandra area.
Shots were fired outside super star Salman Khan's house in Bandra last year.
Separately, Reuters reported that the assailant who stabbed Khan still remained at large and nobody had yet been detained in the case, an Indian newspaper cited police as saying on Friday (Jan 17), contradicting earlier media reports that police were questioning a suspect.
Khan was stabbed six times during a burglary attempt at his home in an upscale neighbourhood in Mumbai early on Thursday. Doctors who operated on him for wounds to his spine, neck and hands have said he is out of danger.
Indian television channels had earlier reported that police had detained and were questioning a suspect in the attack.
However, Indian Express newspaper, citing police, said: "The person brought to Bandra police station for questioning is not related to the saif Ali Khan attack case. No one is detained in the Saif Ali Khan attack case as of now."
Bandra police station did not respond to Reuters' phone calls seeking information.
The India Today channel, among others, had earlier shown police escorting a man wearing a white T-shirt into a police-station and it identified him as the suspect.
However, police officer Dikshit Gedam, a senior investigating officer, declined to confirm the detention, telling Reuters: "There's no update from yesterday regarding what we said."
The previous day police said they had identified the perpetrator of the apparent robbery attempt, and had launched a search for him.
Khan, 54, one of Bollywood's most bankable stars, who has appeared in many films and television series, had walked into the hospital in blood-soaked clothes, accompanied by his six-year old son, Taimur.
'Very fortunate'
"If the knife had penetrated any further, there would have been an injury to the spine," Niraj Uttamnani, one of the doctors who treated Khan, told reporters, adding that the actor had escaped by a distance of just 2 mm (0.08 inch).
"He is very fortunate."
Another doctor, Nitin Dange, added, "He is able to walk, and he is stable."
The attack on Khan, who is the son of India's former cricket captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi and actress Sharmila Tagore, shocked the film industry and residents of the city, many of whom called for better policing and security.
In a statement on social media, Khan's wife, Kareena Kapoor Khan, asked media to stop speculating about the case.
"It has been an incredibly challenging day... and we are still trying to process the events," the 44-year-old actor said on her Instagram profile.
The couple have two boys, in addition to Khan's two children from a previous marriage.
Meanwhile, The Statesman reported that Maharashtra’s Minister of State for Home Affairs Yogesh Kadam had accused the Opposition of trying to politicise the attack on actor Saif Ali Khan by attacking the BJP-led Mahayuti government for the incident.
He said, “No underworld gang is behind the knife attack on actor Saif Ali Khan. Preliminary investigations have ruled out any such possibility. The Opposition wants to turn this into a political issue. This is being done only because his surname is Khan. So far, theft seems to be the only motive behind the incident,” Yogesh Kadam said.
The minister issued the statement on Friday in Pune after the entire Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), including Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, and his daughter NCP MP Supriya Sule, raised questions over the state of law and order in Maharashtra.
“Initial investigation has revealed that the attack on actor Saif Ali Khan may have been with the intention of theft. The police found CCTV footage and they are investigating further. The thief’s face has also been identified and we are collecting information. The investigation is on. However, we cannot say before the investigation is over if it was just an attempted theft or if there was any intention to murder,” Kadam said.
He said the thief entered the house through the back wall. “I assure everyone that Mumbai is safe. The investigation is still going on. Let the investigation be completed,” he said.
After the attack on Saif Ali Khan, Sanjay Raut targeted the government saying law and order has deteriorated in Maharashtra since the last two years.
“Everyone’s attention is only focused on meetings, conferences, festivals and welcoming the Prime Minister, but in which direction is the state going? Nobody is looking at that issue,” Raut had said, criticising the law and order situation. - Bernama, Reuters, The Statesman